Argentine Ornithology Volume I Part 13

_Description._--Above, head, neck, wing- and upper tail-coverts grey; back olivaceous yellow, washed with red; wing and tail-feathers black, edged with grey; beneath, throat grey, breast and belly orange-yellow; crissum and under tail-coverts white; bill horn-colour; feet light brown: whole length 68 inches, wing 36, tail 29.

_Hab._ Argentina.

Of this species, discovered by Dr. Burmeister near Mendoza, Mr. Barrows writes:--"Only met with on the Sierra de la Ventana, where it was abundant in flocks, some of which numbered as many as a hundred individuals. When found near the base of the sierra they were almost always a.s.sociated with the common _Zonotrichia_. Although most of them had not finished moulting, they were constantly singing, and seemed perfectly contented with their desolate surroundings."

68. PHRYGILUS DORSALIS, Cab.

(RED-BACKED FINCH.)

+Phrygilus dorsalis+, _Cab. Journ. f. Orn._ 1883, p. 109.

_Description._--Ashy grey; back rusty red; wing-coverts blackish; chin, lower belly, and crissum whitish: whole length 65 inches, wing 37, tail 26.

_Hab._ Tuc.u.man.

Schulz discovered this species on the Cerro Vayo of Tuc.u.man, near the snow-line. It reminds one of the North-American species of _Junco_ in its coloration.

69. PHRYGILUS UNICOLOR (d'Orb. et Lafr.).

(SLATY FINCH.)

+Phrygilus unicolor+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 31; _Cab. J. f. O._ 1878, p. 195 (Cordova). +Phrygilus rusticus+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 487 (Mendoza).

_Description._--Above nearly uniform slaty grey, below paler, whiter on the middle of the belly; bill dark horn-colour, feet clear brown: whole length 60 inches, wing 36, tail 26. _Female_ cinereous, with blackish shaft-spots above and below; paler on the middle of the belly.

_Hab._ Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru; Chili, Bolivia, and Northern Argentina.

70. PHRYGILUS FRUTICETI (Kittl.).

(MOURNING FINCH.)

+Phrygilus fruticeti+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii, p. 487 (Cordillera of Mendoza); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 31; _Hudson, P. Z. S._ 1872, p. 537 (Rio Negro); _Durnford, Ibis_, 1878, p. 393 (Chupat); _Doring, Exp. al Rio Negro, Zool._ p. 39 (R. Colorado, R. Negro). +Emberiza luctuosa+, _Eyd. et Gerv. Mag. de Zool._, 1836, _Ois_, pl. 72.

_Description._--Grey, with minute black markings on the head and neck, and broader stripes on the back; greater coverts and wings black, the feathers edged with grey, and a band of white spots across the coverts; tail black; beneath, throat, and upper part of breast black, many feathers tipped with grey, giving the chest a mottled appearance; lower part of breast and belly grey, mottled below the chest with a few black spots; centre of abdomen and under tail-coverts white; beak yellow; feet flesh-colour: total length 73 inches, wing 40, tail 32. _Female_ obscure grey and without the black colour on the throat and chest.

_Hab._ Peru, Bolivia, Chili, and Argentine Republic.

This Finch is common on the western slopes of the Andes as far north as Peru; it is also found in the Mendoza district and throughout Patagonia.

It is very abundant on the Rio Negro, especially in the immediate neighbourhood of the Carmen settlements, for, like the Chingolo and other fringilline species, it is beneficially affected by cultivation.

Though not possessing any bright tints, it is a very charming bird, tuneful, elegant in form, graceful and buoyant in its motions. When approached it utters a series of low ticking sounds, and at intervals a peculiar long squealing note. The song of the male is very agreeable, and curiously resembles that of the Cachila Pipit (_Anthus correndera_).

It usually sits on a twig near the ground, and at intervals soars up to a height of ten or twenty yards, and utters its song while gliding slowly downwards with depressed wings and outspread tail. It sings throughout the year; in bright weather its notes are heard all day long, but on cold, cloudy, or wet days only after sunset. In the warm season they live in pairs, and in the autumn unite in flocks of as many as two or three hundred individuals, and have a strong undulating flight.

71. PHRYGILUS CARBONARIUS (d'Orb. et Lafr.).

(BLACKISH FINCH.)

+Phrygilus carbonarius+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 487; _Doring, Expl. al Rio Negro, Zool._ p. 38.

_Description._--Above grey, with brownish-black stripes; wings dusky brown; tail-feathers black; below black, with minute grey marks on the throat and bosom; sides dull grey: total length 55 inches, wing 29, tail 22.

_Hab._ Bolivia, Argentina, and Patagonia.

This species is said to be about one third less than _Phrygilus fruticeti_ in size, but to resemble it closely in colour. Dr. Doring found it abundant in Patagonia between the rivers Colorado and Negro, where it was seen during the cold season in flocks, a.s.sociating with _Zonotrichia canicapilla_. Burmeister met with it in the Sierra de Uspallata, near Mendoza.

72. GUBERNATRIX CRISTATELLA (Vieill.).

(YELLOW CARDINAL.)

+Gubernatrix cristatella+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 482 (Parana); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 31; _White, P. Z. S._ 1883, p. 38 (Cordova); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ viii. p. 130 (Concepcion, Entrerios).

_Description._--Above light olive-green, the back marked with a few black stripes; four middle tail-feathers black, edged with olive, all the rest of the tail-feathers bright yellow, tipped with dull olive; broad superciliaries and lower part of the head bright yellow; crown, crest, and throat velvet-black, the black extending to the chest; beneath yellow, washed with olive-green on the breast and sides; bill and feet black: total length 80 inches, wing 38, tail 37. _Female_ less brightly coloured; white on the head where the male is yellow; breast grey.

_Hab._ Paraguay and Argentine Republic.

The Yellow Cardinal is a graceful sprightly bird, with a strong melodious voice, and is one of our favourite cage-birds. It visits Buenos Ayres in small flocks in spring, but is a rare bird with us.

There is little variety in its song, which is composed of four or five mellow notes of great power, and in tone somewhat like the whistle of the Blackbird of Europe.

73. DIUCA GRISEA (Less.).

(DIUCA FINCH.)

+Diuca vera+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 483 (Mendoza). +Diuca grisea+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 31.

_Description._--Above grey, sides of head darker; wings and tail blackish, edged with grey; lateral rectrices tipped with white; below grey, whole chin and throat and middle of the belly white; lower flanks and crissum stained with rufous; bill plumbeous; feet dark hazel: whole length 63 inches, wing 33, tail 26. _Female_ similar, but tinged with brownish, and colours more obscure.

_Hab._ Chili and Western Argentina.

This well-known Chilian species is said by Burmeister to be not unfrequent near Mendoza and along the range of the Cordilleras.

74. DIUCA MINOR, Bp.

(LESSER DIUCA FINCH.)

+Diuca minor+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 483 (San Louis, Cordova); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 31; _Hudson, P. Z. S._ 1872, p. 537 (Rio Negro); _Durnford, Ibis_, 1878, p. 393 (Tombo Point, Pat.); _Doring, Exp. al Rio Negro, Zool._ p. 39 (R.

Colorado, R. Negro); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ viii.

p. 131 (Concepcion, Entrerios).

_Description._--Grey; head, neck, and back faintly washed with brown; wings blackish, the feathers edged with brownish grey; tail-feathers black, tipped with white on the inner webs; beneath, from the bill to the chest, white; upper part of breast and sides grey; rest of the under surface white; a bright chestnut spot on the flanks: whole length 65 inches, wing 32, tail 26. _Female_ similar, but less bright than male.

_Hab._ Argentina and Patagonia.