Argentine Ornithology Volume I Part 12

60. POOSPIZA WHITII, Scl.

(WHITE'S WARBLING FINCH.)

+Poospiza whitii+, _Scl. P. Z. S._ 1883, p. 43, pl. ix.

_Description._--Above clear grey, very faintly washed with olive; tail black, the outer feathers on each side tipped with white, as in _P. erythrophrys_; patch between bill and eye, the anterior half of superciliary stripe, and chin white; hinder part of superciliary stripe and under surface chestnut; middle of belly white; under tail-coverts buff: total length 55 inches, wing 24, tail 26.

_Female_ similar, but breast pale rufous; abdomen white; sides grey and buff.

_Hab._ Province of Cordova, Rep. Arg.

This species has only been obtained by the late Mr. E. W. White. He met with specimens of it at Cosquin, Cordova, in June, July, and August, 1882. It has been dedicated to its discoverer, who has so largely augmented our knowledge of the Argentine avifauna, and whose premature death was a veritable loss for science.

61. POOSPIZA ERYTHROPHRYS, Scl.

(RED-BROWED WARBLING FINCH.)

+Poospiza erythrophrys+, _Scl. Ibis_, 1881, p. 599, pl. xvii. fig. 1; _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 599 (Catamarca).

_Description._--Above grey, faintly washed with olive; greater wing-coverts tipped with white; wing-feathers blackish, edged with grey; tail blackish grey, the two outer feathers on each side tipped with white, and on the outer feather the white extending down the outer web to the base of the tail; superciliary stripe and whole under surface light chestnut, paler on the abdomen; under tail-coverts buff: total length 55 inches, wing 25, tail 23.

_Hab._ Northern Argentina.

This pretty species is another of White's discoveries. He first met with it in the Sierra of Totoral, Catamarca, and subsequently about 20 miles north of Buenos Ayres.

62. POOSPIZA a.s.sIMILIS, Cab.

(RED-FLANKED WARBLING FINCH.)

+Poospiza a.s.similis+, _Cab. Mus. Hein._ i. p. 137; _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 599 (Misiones). +Poospiza lateralis+, _Barrows, Bull.

Nutt. Orn. Cl._ viii. p. 130 (Concepcion).

_Description._--Above grey, slight superciliary mark whitish; middle of back and wings washed with rufous; rump bright rufous; tail blackish, two lateral pairs of rectrices broadly tipped with white; beneath grey, white in the middle of the belly; flanks and crissum bright rufous; under wing-coverts greyish white; bill horn-colour, lower mandible yellowish; feet pale brown; whole length 50 inches, wing 25, tail 24.

_Hab._ Northern Argentina.

White found this species abundant amongst the thick weeds and gra.s.s in the outskirts of Concepcion. He took it for _P. thoracica_, from which it differs in its rufous rump. It is more like _P. lateralis_.

63. POOSPIZA ORNATA (Landb.).

(PRETTY WARBLING FINCH.)

+Phrygilus ornatus+, _Landb. Journ. f. Orn._ 1865, p. 405. +Poospiza ornata+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 30.

_Description._--Above grey; back more or less varied with chestnut; long superciliaries ochreous white; wings blackish, coverts edged with white, tail black, lateral rectrices broadly tipped with white; beneath dark chestnut, lighter on the middle of the belly; bill and feet dark brown; whole length 52 inches, wing 24, tail 23.

_Female_ similar, but paler in colour, especially below.

_Hab._ Mendoza.

64. POOSPIZA TORQUATA (d'Orb. et Lafr.).

(RINGED WARBLING FINCH.)

+Poospiza torquata+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 484 (Mendoza); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 30; _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 599 (Santiago del Estero); _Doring, Exp. al Rio Negro, Zool._ p. 38 (R. Colorado).

_Description._--Above grey; wings blackish, the greater wing-coverts tipped with white; tail-feathers black, the two outer on each side tipped with white; from the bill, a broad white stripe extends above the eye to the nape; crown grey; sides of head black; beneath white, the chest crossed with a broad black band; under tail-coverts rufous: total length 53 inches, wing 25, tail 23.

_Hab._ Bolivia and Argentina.

White met with a male of this species in September 1881, at San Pedro, in the province of Santiago. Burmeister found it near Mendoza in the valleys of Sierra de Uspallata.

65. POOSPIZA MELANOLEUCA (Vieill.).

(WHITE-AND-GREY WARBLING FINCH.)

+Poospiza melanoleuca+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 484 (Entrerios); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 30; _Salv. Ibis_, 1880, p. 354, pl.

ix. fig. 2 (Tuc.u.man); _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 599 (Salta); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ viii. p. 130 (Entrerios).

_Description._--Above, head and neck blackish; back grey; wings and tail blackish, three outer rectrices on each side tipped with white; beneath white; sides washed with grey, breast and belly also faintly tinged with grey: whole length 51 inches, wing 23, tail 20.

_Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Argentina.

White says that in Salta "this bird frequents the gardens in the vicinity of the houses, where it vigorously pursues the ants amongst the branches of the trees." Mr. Barrows says that near Concepcion it had the general motions and appearance of a t.i.tmouse, thus differing widely from the other members of the genus.

66. PHRYGILUS GAYI (Eyd. et Gerv.).

(GAY'S FINCH.)

+Phrygilus gayi+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 487 (Mendoza); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 31; _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 599 (Catamarca).

_Description._--Above, head all round, neck, and wing-coverts grey; back and upper tail-coverts olive-green; wings and tail black; beneath, throat grey, breast and belly yellow, washed with olive; crissum and under tail-coverts white; bill and feet black: whole length 60 inches, wing 35, tail 23. _Female_: above obscure olive-green, below yellow.

_Hab._ Chili and Western Argentina.

Burmeister says that this Chilian species is found in the valleys of the Sierras near Mendoza.

67. PHRYGILUS CANICEPS (Burm.).

(GREY-HEADED FINCH.)

+Phrygilus caniceps+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 487; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1878, p. 393 (Chupat); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ viii. p. 130 (Sierra de la Ventana).