Argentine Ornithology Volume I Part 15

Cl._ viii. p. 131 (Concepcion). +Coturniculus perua.n.u.s+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 32.

_Description._--Above grey, mottled with rufous-brown; wing-feathers black, edged with rufous; tail-feathers black, edged with dull grey; a patch between the bill and eye and the shoulders bright yellow; beneath, throat whitish; breast and belly and sides dull grey, white on the middle of the belly; bill and feet horn-colour: whole length 49 inches, wing 24, tail 19. _Female_ similar, but less bright, the yellow spot on the head scarcely perceptible.

_Hab._ Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina.

The prevailing colour of this little field-sparrow is grey, marked and mixed with fuscous and brown; the shoulder and s.p.a.ce between the beak and eye are yellow. It is a common species in the northern portion of the Argentine country, and appears now to be gradually extending its range southwards. Many years ago I first noticed it on the pampas north of Buenos Ayres; afterwards I found it in the immediate neighbourhood of that city; then it began to spread over the plains to the south, appearing every spring in greater numbers, but it is still far from common. It has, I fancy, a limited migration, as I could never find one in winter. It is solitary, and frequents open plains and fields; lives on the ground, and never alights on a tree. The male has a favourite perch, a tall weed or post, where he spends a great deal of his time, repeating his song at intervals of half a minute; it is short and pleasing, and has a slight resemblance to the song of the Yellow-Hammer, but is more delicate and melodious. When approached, the bird flies down and conceals itself in the gra.s.s.

82. SALTATRICULA MULTICOLOR, Burm.

(MANY-COLOURED GROUND-FINCH.)

[Plate V.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: SALTATRICULA MULTICOLOR.]

+Saltatricula multicolor+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 481 (Parana); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 32; _Salvin, Ibis_, 1880, p. 355 (Salta); _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 600 (Catamarca).

_Description._--Above grey, faintly tinged with olivaceous on the head, neck, and back; a short white stripe behind the eye; beneath the stripe and lower part of neck velvet-black; wings blackish; tail-feathers black, tipped with white; beneath, throat white, breast grey; sides and belly pale chestnut; middle of belly and under tail-coverts white; bill and feet horn-colour: whole length 66 inches, wing 29, tail 30. _Female_ similar, but not so bright.

_Hab._ North and Western Argentina.

To Dr. Burmeister we owe the discovery of this brilliant Finch, as of so many other Argentine species. He met with it at Parana, in the bushy lands east of the city, and obtained five specimens. White found it near Andalgala in Catamarca, on trees, feeding on the insects in the flowers and on seeds; and Durnford collected specimens near Salta.

Examples of this species were also obtained by Weisshaupt near Mendoza (_cf._ Salvin, Ibis, 1880, p. 355).

83. EMBERNAGRA PLATENSIS (Gm.).

(RED-BILLED GROUND-FINCH.)

+Embernagra platensis+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 485 (Parana); _Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S._ 1868, p. 140 (Buenos Ayres), 1872, p.

548 (Rio Negro), _iid. Nomencl._ p. 32; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 172 (Buenos Ayres); _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 600 (Buenos Ayres, Corrientes); _Doring, Exp. al Rio Negro, Zool._ p. 40 (R.

Colorado, R. Negro); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ viii. p. 132 (Concepcion, Entrerios).

_Description._--Above dull olive-green, striped with blackish; wings silky olive-green, the inner webs of the feathers black; edge of wings yellow; tail-feathers dull olive-green; beneath, throat and breast grey; belly buff; beak bright red; feet pinkish horn-colour: total length 88 inches, wing 37, tail 38. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ South Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.

In this Finch the plumage is alike in both s.e.xes. Above it is dusky olive-green, beneath grey; the beak is of a fine bright red. In Argentina this bird is most common in the littoral forests along the Plata, but ranges as far south as the Rio Negro in Patagonia. It does not migrate, nor a.s.sociates in flocks; but the s.e.xes are faithful, and the male and female are invariably together, and appear to be very fond of each other's society. They have a loud, sharp alarm chirp or cry, which bursts from the bird with the startling suddenness of a sneeze from a human being; also a confused unmelodious song, which always reminds me, in its hurry, vehemence, and peculiar sound, of the gobbling of a turkey-c.o.c.k. They are not shy, but when approached sit jerking their tails about, and uttering loud chirps as if greatly excited. The flight is very curious; the bird springs up with great suddenness, and with tail erect, and the long legs dangling down like a Rail's, proceeds by a series of irregular jerks, violently shutting and opening its wings. They breed on the ground under the gra.s.s, and conceal their nest so well that I doubt whether the parasitical _Molothrus_ ever finds it.

I have, at all events, never seen them followed by the young of _Molothrus_ demanding food.

As a rule, small seed-eating birds are beneficially affected by the presence of man; thus our common _Zonotrichia_ and other sparrows and finches have become excessively numerous in the most thickly-settled districts. With the Red-billed Finch, however, just the contrary has happened; and since I have known this species it has disappeared from many localities where it was once quite common. Azara's name for this species, _Habia de banado_, signifies that it is a marsh bird; but though now found chiefly in marshy situations, it was once common enough over the entire pampas region, before the great plains were settled on by Europeans. The bird is very badly protected by nature against raptorial species, owing to its very conspicuous red beak, its habit of perching on the summit of tall plants and other elevated positions, its loud impetuous voice, which invites attention, and the weak eccentric flight, which challenges pursuit. It is essential to its safety that it should have, in the open country it frequents, a dense gra.s.s cover into which it can plunge on the slightest alarm. Where cattle are introduced, the original pampas-gra.s.s, which afforded the suitable conditions, disappears, giving place to the soft, perishable gra.s.ses, clovers, and thistles of Europe. Where these changes take place, the bird cannot escape from its enemies and quickly disappears; while many Dendrocolaptine species inhabiting the same situations are saved by their inconspicuous protective colouring, sharp wedge-like bodies, and swift mouse-like motions on the ground. In marshy places on the pampas, abounding with long aquatic gra.s.ses and reed-beds, the Red-bill still maintains its existence, but from its old habitat on the open gra.s.sy plains, where it was once the dominant Finch, it has utterly vanished.

84. EMBERNAGRA OLIVASCENS (d'Orb. et Lafr.).

(OLIVE GROUND-FINCH.)

+Embernagra olivascens+, _d'Orb. Voy., Ois._ p. 285; _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 485 (Mendoza); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 32; _Salvin, Ibis_, 1880, p. 355; _Doring, Exp. al Rio Negro, Zool._ p. 40 (R. Colorado).

_Description._--Similar to _Embernagra platensis_, but the back unstriped, and the olive hue somewhat purer; also the abdomen of a paler buff: total length 81 inches, wing 37, tail 40. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Bolivia, Western Argentina, and Patagonia.

This species, which was met with by Dr. Burmeister near Mendoza, was found by Dr. Doring as far south as the Rio Colorado, on the pampas.

85. EMBERIZOIDES SPHENURUS (Vieill.).

(WEDGE-TAILED GROUND-FINCH.)

+Embernagra macroura+, _d'Orb. Voy., Ois._ p. 285. +Emberizoides macrurus+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 485 (Parana).

+Emberizoides sphenurus+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 33.

_Description._--Above yellowish brown, striped with black; shoulders edged with yellow; wing-feathers blackish, edged with olive-green; tail-feathers blackish, edged with pale brown; beneath pale ochraceous brown, white on the throat and middle of the belly; bill and feet pale horn-colour: whole length 80 inches, wing 31, tail 40.

_Hab._ Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina.

Burmeister met with this species near Parana and in other parts of Northern Argentina.

86. HaeMOPHILA WHITII (Sharpe).

(WHITE'S GROUND-FINCH.)

+Zonotrichia whitii+, _Sharpe, Cat. B._ xiii. p. 608, pl. xiii.

+Zonotrichia strigiceps+, _White, P. Z. S._ 1883, p. 38 (Cordova).

_Description._--Above, head and neck grey, variegated with dark chestnut; back yellowish brown with black stripes; wings and tail blackish, the feathers edged with pale brown; beneath, throat and belly white, breast pale grey; sides yellowish brown; bill dark horn-colour, lower mandible whitish; feet light horn-colour: whole length 60 inches, wing 25, tail 28.

_Hab._ Northern Argentina.

This species has been based by Mr. Sharpe on a specimen, obtained by White near Cordova, which was wrongly determined as _Zonotrichia strigiceps_--a species that it somewhat resembles in its upper plumage.

87. CHRYSOMITRIS ICTERICA (Licht.).

(BLACK-HEADED SISKIN.)

+Chrysomitris barbata+, _Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S._ 1868, p. 140 (Buenos Ayres); _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 172 (Buenos Ayres); _White, P.

Z. S._ 1882, p. 600 (Catamarca, Misiones); _Doring, Exp. al Rio Negro, Zool._ p. 40 (R. Sauce, R. Colorado, R. Negro); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ viii. p. 132 (Concepcion). +Chrysomitris magellanica+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 489; _Gibson, Ibis_, 1880, p. 30 (Buenos Ayres); _Salvin, Ibis_, 1880, p. 355 (Salta).

+Chrysomitris icterica+, _Sharpe, Cat. B._ xii. p. 217.

_Description._--Above light olive-green; lesser wing-coverts same as the back; wings black, a broad bright yellow band across the base of the feathers; rump yellow; upper tail-coverts olive-green; tail-feathers yellow at the base and black at the ends; head all round and throat velvety black; beneath and under wing-coverts bright yellow: total length 50 inches, wing 30, tail 18. _Female_ without the black on the head, otherwise similar to the male, but less bright.

_Hab._ Brazil and Argentina.

This beautiful little golden-plumaged Finch, the male distinguished from his consort by a brighter yellow colour and a black head, is extremely common throughout the entire length of the Argentine country from Brazil to Patagonia. In the Buenos-Ayrean district it probably has a partial migration, as small flocks are seen to arrive in spring; but further south, in Patagonia, it appears to be strictly resident. In settled districts they are always more abundant than in the woods, and they have a special predilection for poplar groves, and always prefer a poplar to build in. They go in small flocks, seldom more than about a dozen birds together, have a rapid, undulating flight, feed chiefly on the ground like most Finches, and also frequently alight in the seeding-time on plants like the lettuce and _Sonchus asper_ (a common weed) and, clinging to the stem, dexterously pick off the seed, scattering the down about them in a little cloud. They are very tuneful, restless, quick in their motions, apparently always in a light-hearted merry mood. Being much admired for their song, they are often kept in cages; and certainly, for cheerfulness and constancy in singing, they take the foremost place amongst the Finches; but there is little expression in the song, which is composed of a variety of short twittering notes, uttered with great rapidity, as the bird sits perched on a twig or undulates from tree to tree. Usually the notes flow in a continuous stream, but occasionally the bird sings in a different manner, making a pause of two or three seconds of silence after every eight or ten short notes. When the female is on the nest the male sometimes perches near her amongst the leaves and sings _sotto voce_, apparently for her pleasure only, the notes being so low that, at a distance of ten yards, they can scarcely be heard.