Chapter VIII: Introduction (7)

_Description._--Above black, rump greyish; sides of the head,
scapularies, lesser wing-coverts, and outer margins of secondaries
white; tail black, outer rectrix on each side produced, expanded,
fan-shaped; below white, patch on each side of the breast (forming
an incomplete collar) black; bill horn-colour; feet black: whole
length 7·2 inches, wing 2·8; tail, outer rectr. 2·5, middle rectr.
1·5. _Female_: above brown, rump and lesser wing-coverts pale;
beneath dirty white, sides of breast brown.

_Hab._ S. Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentine Republic.

This species generally resembles the one next described, and has, like it, a black, white, and grey plumage. But the tail, although strange, is constructed on a different pattern. The total length of the bird is five and a half inches, the tail being only two and a half. The two outer tail-feathers have remarkably stout shafts, with broad coarse webs, and look like stumps of two large feathers originally intended for a bigger bird, and finally cut off near their base and given to a very small one. In the male these two feathers are carried vertically and at right angles to the plane of the body, giving the bird a resemblance to a diminutive cock; hence the vernacular name 'Gallito,' or Little Cock, by which it is known.

I have not observed this species myself, but Azara has the following paragraph about its habits:--"The male sometimes rises slowly and almost vertically, with tail raised, and rapidly beating its wings, and looking while ascending in this way more like a butterfly than a bird; and when it has reached a height of ten or twelve yards, it drops obliquely to the earth and perches on a stalk." He adds that the males are solitary, but several females are sometimes seen near together, and that the females are greatly in excess of the males.

123. ALECTRURUS RISORIUS (Vieill.).

(STRANGE-TAILED TYRANT.)

+Alectrurus guira-yetapa+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 43; _Durnford,
Ibis_, 1878, p. 60 (Buenos Ayres). +Alectrurus risorius+,
_Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ viii. p. 140 (Entrerios).
+Alectrurus psalurus+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 457 (S.
Luis).

_Description._--Above black, rump grey; front varied with white;
wings black, scapularies, outer margins of wing-feathers and coverts
white; tail black, two outer rectrices much elongated, denuded at
the base, with a broad inner and no outer vane; below white, broad
band across the breast black; throat in the breeding-season bare of
feathers and of a bright orange; bill yellowish; feet black: whole
length 11·0 inches, wings 3·0; tail, outer rectrices 8·0, middle
2·0. _Female_: above brown, wings varied with white; beneath white;
breast-band pale brown; tail with the two outer rectrices slightly
elongated and denuded, terminated with spatulations on the inner
vane.

_Hab._ S. Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentine Republic.

Azara named this species _Cola estraña_ (Strange-tail), but mentions incidentally that its Guarani name is 'guira-yetapá' (Scissor-tail), a term which the Indians apply indiscriminately to several species having the same sort of tail.

The Guira-yetapá is a very curious little bird, with a black, white, and grey plumage and the beak of a true Tyrant; but it differs from all its congeners in having the skin of the chin, throat, and sides of the head bare of feathers, and these parts in the breeding-season are a bright orange colour. It is a feeble flier, its wings being very short, while the two outer tail-feathers are abnormally long and peculiar in form. Mr. Barrows says:--"The remarkable condition of the outer pair of tail-feathers is interesting. In the male these two feathers reach a length of nearly ten inches, the rest of the tail being about three inches in length. The vane on the _inner_ side of each is wanting for the first two inches, and then suddenly develops to a width of nearly two inches, which it maintains almost to the tip, when it gradually narrows. The vane on the _outer_ side of the shaft is only about one-quarter of an inch wide, and is folded so tightly against the shaft that it is quite inconspicuous. In the only two males of this species which I have seen flying, these long feathers seemed to be carried folded together _beneath_ the rest of the tail, and stretching out behind like a rudder or steering-oar, their vanes at right angles to the plane of the rest of the tail."

Mr. Gibson gives a different account, and says the flight is singularly feeble, resembling the fluttering passage of a butterfly through the air, while the tail streams out behind.

It inhabits Paraguay, Uruguay, and the eastern portion of the Argentine Republic, ranging as far south as the pampas in the neighbourhood of Patagonia. It is usually seen singly or in pairs; Azara says he saw a flock of thirty individuals, but as they were all _females_, it may be that in this species, as in _Lichenops perspicillata_, the females are sometimes gregarious, and the males always solitary. It frequents open places, such as the borders of marshes, or plains covered with tall grasses, and perches in a conspicuous place, from which it darts at passing insects like a Flycatcher.

Mr. Gibson found its nest on the ground amongst herbage, and describes it as a neat structure of dried grass, containing three white eggs with a faint cream-coloured tinge.

124. CYBERNETES YETAPA (Vieill.).

(YETAPA TYRANT.)

+Cybernetes yetapa+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 43; _White, P. Z. S._
1882, p. 604 (Itapua, Misiones).

_Description._--Above hoary grey, with lineiform blackish
shaft-stripes; wings black, with large chestnut-brown patch
occupying the outer webs of the inner primaries; tail of twelve much
graduated feathers, black; outer web of external rectrices white;
beneath same as above, but rather paler; throat and crissum white;
patch on each side of the neck, and collar across the neck dark
chestnut-brown; under wing-coverts and inner webs of wing-feathers
white; bill pale brown; feet black: whole length 16·0 inches, wing
5·0; tail, extreme rectrix 12·5, middle 2·6. _Female_ similar, but
less bright.

_Hab._ S.E. Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Northern Argentina.

Azara found this singular species not uncommon in Paraguay, and since his brief notice of it in the 'Apuntamientos' nothing concerning its habits has been recorded. It has a somewhat laboured flight, he says; lives in pairs or families, frequenting low or marshy grounds, where it perches on the summit of the reeds or bushes, and flies down to the ground to capture insects. It also occasionally dashes after passing insects, taking them on the wing. It has a loud whistle, which it utters frequently without any variation.

125. SISOPYGIS ICTEROPHRYS (Vieill.).

(YELLOW-BROWED TYRANT.)

+Sisopygis icterophrys+, _Hudson, P. Z. S._ 1868, p. 141; _Scl. et
Salv. Nomencl._ p. 43; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 176 (Buenos
Ayres); _Gibson, Ibis_, 1880, p. 29 (Buenos Ayres): _White, P. Z.
S._ 1882, p. 604 (Buenos Ayres); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._
viii. p. 141 (Entrerios). +Tænioptera icterophrys+, _Burm.
La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 460 (Paraná).

_Description._--Above bright olive-green, head rather greyish, lores
and superciliary stripes yellow; wings blackish, broad ends of
coverts and outer edges of secondaries dirty white; tail blackish;
beneath bright yellow, sides of breast and flanks olivaceous; under
wing-coverts whitish; bill dark horn-colour; feet black: whole
length 6·1 inches, wing 3·5, tail 2·7. _Female_ similar, but less
bright.

_Hab._ S.E. Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Northern La Plata, and highlands of Bolivia and Peru.

This small and pretty Tyrant-bird is quite common in the woods along the Plata, and is also seen a great deal in orchards and groves in the cultivated districts. In Buenos Ayres it is a summer visitor, appearing there in October, and is a shy, solitary bird, which catches insects on the wing, and rarely visits the ground.

The nest is placed in a tree, ill-concealed, and very shallow: it is built of fine sticks, and lined with fine grass, horse-hair, and feathers. The eggs are four, pointed, pale cream-colour, with large dark red spots, chiefly at the larger end.

The only language of this species is a very low plaintive whistle, uttered as a faint protest when the nest is approached.

The upper plumage is olive-green; the entire under surface and a stripe on the side of the head pure yellow; wing and tail-quills dark. Total length 6-1/4 inches.

126. CNIPOLEGUS ANTHRACINUS, Heine.

(ASHY-BLACK TYRANT.)

+Cnipolegus anthracinus+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 43; _Salv.
Ibis_, 1880, p. 356 (Salta); _Döring, Exp. al Rio Negro, Zool._
p. 24 (Patagonia). +Cnipolegus aterrimus+, _White, P. Z. S._
1882, p. 604 (Misiones). +Cnipolegus hudsoni+, _White, P. Z. S._
1883, p. 39 (Cordova)? +Myiarchus fasciatus+, _Leybold, J. f. O._
1865, p. 402 (Mendoza), [female].

_Description._--Above dull black, a broad bar across the vanes of
the inner webs of the wing-feathers white; bill plumbeous; feet
black: whole length 6·3 inches, wing 3·5, tail 3·0. _Female_ ashy
brown; rump, upper tail-coverts, and basal portions of tail bright
rufous; wings blackish, with two white transverse stripes; beneath
pale fulvous, white on the belly; bill and feet black.

_Hab._ Northern Argentina.

Unfortunately very little is yet known about the habits of these interesting little Tyrant-birds, for which I should like to suggest the common name "_Spectacular_," for reasons I shall say more about when I come to describe the _Lichenops perspicillatus_, a species which undoubtedly belongs to this peculiar well-defined group. The plumage of the male is, in most cases, intensely black, and there is a pure white bar on the remiges, hidden when the bird is perched, and when it flies made doubly conspicuous by the peculiar motion of the wings. In all the known species the female has a dull brown plumage, lined or mottled with dusky tints, and with some portion of the wing-quills marked with rufous or chestnut colour.

The Ashy-black Tyrant inhabits the Mendoza district, and is also a summer visitor in Patagonia, where it was obtained by Dr. Döring. Speaking of its habits, he says the male is solitary, perches on the summit of a bush or dry twig, emits at intervals a song or call composed of two syllables, plaintive and flute-like in character, and uttered while the bird rises up a few feet into the air. During this performance the white bands on the wings are displayed conspicuously and a humming sound is produced.

127. CNIPOLEGUS HUDSONI, Scl.

(HUDSON'S BLACK TYRANT.)

+Cnipolegus hudsoni+, _Scl. P. Z. S._ 1872, p. 541, pl. xxxi. (Rio
Negro).

_Description._--Uniform dull black; a broad bar across the bases of
the inner webs of the wing-feathers white; two outer primaries much
pointed at their extremities; bill plumbeous, feet black: whole
length 6·0 inches, wing 2·8, tail 2·6.

This species is at once distinguishable from the preceding (_C.
anthracinus_) by its smaller size and the peculiar narrowed outer
remiges.

_Hab._ Northern Patagonia.

This species is found in the western provinces of the Argentine Republic, and, like _C. anthracinus_, which it closely resembles, is a summer visitor in Patagonia, where it makes its appearance in October. The plumage is intense black, with the inner webs of the remiges at their base white, but the wing-band, which is over an inch in breadth, shows only when the bird flies. There is also a small white spot on the flank, scarcely visible, and excepting for this speck the bird at rest appears entirely black. When it flies the white band appears suddenly, producing a curious effect, for the wings are opened and shut successively and with great rapidity, making the white band appear like a succession of flashes. All the movements of the bird are eccentric to a degree. It selects a dead twig on the summit of a bush, and this perch it occupies during many hours every day. Occasionally it darts after a passing insect, but I believe it feeds principally on the ground, like _Lichenops perspicillatus_. At intervals it quits its perch very suddenly and revolves round it with the rapidity of a moth whirling round the flame of a candle, the wings producing a loud humming sound, and the bird uttering a series of sharp clicking notes. During this performance the white wing-band appears like a pale mist surrounding the bird. This fantastical dance over, it resumes its perch, and, until moved to a second display, sits as motionless as a bird carved out of jet.

128. CNIPOLEGUS CYANIROSTRIS (Vieill.).

(BLUE-BILLED TYRANT.)

+Cnipolegus cyanirostris+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 457
(Mendoza): _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 43; _Barrows, Bull. Nutt.
Orn. Cl._ vol. viii. p. 141 (Entrerios).

_Description._--Uniform dull black; inner webs of the wing-feathers
margined with dull white; bill plumbeous, feet dark brown: whole
length 5·7 inches, wing 3·0, tail 5·6. _Female_ dark cinnamomeous
brown, brighter on the head and rump; wings blackish, wing-coverts
and secondaries edged with pale rufous; tail blackish brown, outer
margins of outer rectrices and inner webs of all the rectrices,
except the two middle, bright rufous; below pale fulvous, densely
striated with blackish; bill and feet brown.

_Hab._ S. Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and La Plata.

In size this species of Black Tyrant is but slightly smaller than the one described, and the colour is also of an intense black, but the white wing-band is less conspicuous, the borders only of the inner webs of the quills being white. It also differs in having a bright blue beak and red eyes. Azara discovered it in Paraguay, and described the brown-plumaged female as a distinct species. He merely says that it sits on the summit of a bush and darts after passing insects, but it will, no doubt, be found to possess some curious performing habits like the other species of the genus.

Mr. Barrows met with this species on the Lower Uruguay, in the month of September, and Burmeister obtained it near Mendoza.

129. CNIPOLEGUS CABANISI, Schulz.

(CABANIS'S TYRANT.)

+Cnipolegus cabanisi+, _Schulz, Journ. f. Orn._ 1882, p. 462.

_Description._--Nearly uniform olivaceous slate-colour; below rather
paler; wings and tail black: whole length 6·0 inches, wing 3·4, tail
3·1. _Female_ brownish olive, below paler; wings blackish, slightly
edged with rufous; tail black, with broad rufous margins to the
inner webs, and narrow similar margins to the outer webs; bill and
feet brown.

_Hab._ Tucuman.

This is one of Herr Schulz's discoveries in Tucuman. He met with it, in the month of January, in the mountainous districts of that province.

130. CNIPOLEGUS CINEREUS, Scl.

(CINEREOUS TYRANT.)

+Cnipolegus cinereus+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 43; _Döring,
Journ. f. Orn._ 1878, p. 197 (Cordova); _Salvin, Ibis_, 1880, p.
357, pl. x. (Tucuman, Salta).

_Description._--Dark cinereous, paler and more olivaceous on the
back and wings; edges of wing-coverts and secondaries rather
lighter; below paler, throat and breast blackish, like the head;
inner margins of wing-feathers whitish; outer primaries acuminated;
bill plumbeous, feet black: whole length 4·6 inches, wing 2·2,
tail 2·3. _Female_ brownish cinereous; cap and rump rufous; wings
blackish, tips of coverts and edges of outer secondaries whitish;
tail blackish, inner webs of all the lateral rectrices, except the
tips, rufous; beneath whitish.

_Hab._ Northern Argentina.

131. LICHENOPS PERSPICILLATUS (Gm.).

(SILVER-BILL TYRANT.)

+Lichenops perspicillatus+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 457 (La
Plata to Mendoza); _Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S._ 1868, p. 141 (Buenos
Ayres); _iid. Nomencl._ p. 43; _Hudson, P. Z. S._ 1869, p. 432
(Buenos Ayres); _Gibson, Ibis_, 1880, p. 21 (Buenos Ayres);
_White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 604 (Buenos Ayres); _Barrows, Bull.
Nutt. Orn. Cl._ vol. viii. p. 141 (Entrerios, Azul).

_Description._--Uniform black; primaries pure white, with black tips
and bases; fleshy ring around the eye and bill yellow, feet black:
whole length 5·6 inches, wings 3·5, tail 2·4. _Female_ above dark
brown, with light brown edgings to the feathers; remiges chestnut,
with dark-brown tips; wing-coverts dark brown with fulvous
tips; beneath fulvous white, breast with dark striations; under
wing-coverts fulvous; bill yellowish, feet black.

_Hab._ Southern Bolivia, S.E. Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, La Plata, Chili, and Patagonia.

Naturalists have said a great deal about the well-known Silver-bill (the most important member of my "_Spectacular_" group), the question as to whether the black and red birds are sexes or two distinct species having long remained unsettled. Azara, writing in the last century, under the heading _Pico de Plata_, rightly described the red bird as the female of the black; but, unfortunately, in another part of his work he described the female again as a different species, naming it _Suiriri chorreado_. Darwin also separated the sexes, and gave the name of _Lichenops erythropterus_ to the red-plumaged bird. The following extract gives only a portion of his argument, and is interesting to read, even now, when the question has been finally set at rest, as it shows how much the two birds differ:--"The tail of _L. erythropterus_ is squarer and contains only ten feathers instead of twelve: the wing is 4/10 of an inch shorter; and the secondaries relative to the primaries are also shorter. The red colour on the primaries represents but does not correspond with the white on the black feathers of _L. perspicillatus_; and the secondaries in the two birds are quite differently marked. In _L. erythropterus_ the third, fourth, and fifth primaries are the longest, and are equal to each other; the second is only a little shorter than the third. In _L. perspicillatus_ the third is rather shorter than the fourth and fifth; and the second is proportionately shorter relative to the third, so that the outer part of the wing in this species is more pointed than in _L. erythropterus_. The outer claw in the latter species is only in a small degree straighter than in the former; and this, considering that _L. perspicillatus_ is generally perched, and when on the ground can only hop, and that _L. erythropterus_ feeds there entirely, and walks, is very remarkable."

When one considers the habits of the two birds, even where they are most abundant and seen continually, it is indeed difficult to believe that they are of the same species. They are never seen associating together, even in the love-season, and when I have watched a pair actually engaged in constructing their nest, they appeared to keep as far apart as possible. More than that, the male, while unfriendly towards all other species, appears to cherish a special antipathy against the red bird; and when one comes near him never fails to pursue it with the greatest virulence from the neighbourhood. He is also strictly solitary, but the red birds frequently unite in small parties, especially in autumn, when I have often seen as many as a dozen together.

Altogether the Silver-bill has been a puzzle in the past, and it would now appear, from some recent observations made by Mr. Barrows, that we have not yet got to the end of all the curious points in its habits. Without doubt it is migratory. Its range extends from Paraguay to Patagonia, where it is not common. In Paraguay and the hotter parts of the Argentine country it is probably stationary; in Buenos Ayres, where it is most abundant, many individuals remain all the year in sheltered places, and the migration appears to become more definite the further south we get. Mr. Barrows travelled south across the pampas in the autumn, and says:--"The species was met with at all points visited, but south of the Azul not a single male in the black plumage was seen, though the brown birds (presumably females or young) were met with almost every day for nine weeks, and frequently in large numbers. Of course I began to suspect that the males must moult into a brown suit after nesting, as do our Bobolinks and many other birds, but I shot specimens at various times, and all proved to be either females or young males, and as I was confident that at Concepcion black males were to be found through the year, I was at a loss for an explanation, and am so still."

The male Silver-bill is entirely black, there is nothing in nature blacker than its plumage; and, to enhance the effect, the beak is of a very delicate primrose-yellow, which at a little distance appears white, hence the vernacular name. The eye, and broad free skin surrounding it, which is ruffed like an Elizabethan collar, are of the same faint primrose hue. The secondary wing-quills are pure white, but the white is only displayed when the bird flies. The female has the naked skin encircling the eye, but its colour, as also that of the beak, is much darker than in the male. Entire upper plumage dark brown; secondaries chestnut; lower parts fawn-colour, marked with brown. The young males are at first like the females in colour, and do not acquire the black plumage until the end of the summer.

The bird ranges over the whole of the Argentine Republic, and, according to Gay, is also common throughout Chili, where it is known as the _Colegial_ (Collegian or learned person), on account of its stiff grave manner, black dress, and spectacled appearance.

The male is a solitary bird, and feeds chiefly on the ground, running rapidly about in open places like a _Muscisaxicola_. It is also frequently seen perched conspicuously on the summit of a tall stalk or bush, and occasionally making a dart into the air after passing insects, showing in this habit his relationship with the Tyrant-birds. But he perches on an elevation less to watch for insects than for the purpose of his curious spectacular performance. This highly eccentric habit is strikingly like that of _Cnipolegus hudsoni_; and I have no doubt that all the _Cnipolegi_ possess similar habits. Both birds perch on a conspicuous place, upright, motionless, and looking more like grotesque little automata than living things; they both also leave the perch suddenly, as if shot from it by means of a steel spring. This singularly sudden movement, and the motion of the wings, rapid as in the Humming-bird, or shut and opened alternately and exhibiting the white wing-colour in a series of flashes, seems related to the conspicuous white mark. In both species, also, the wings make a humming sound during flight. The motions of the Silver-bill are, however, in some respects different from those of the _Cnipolegus_. Springing from its perch at intervals, it darts vertically to a height of about fifteen yards, then turns a summersault, uttering at the same moment a shrill-sounding little cry, after which it drops down again and alights on its perch suddenly, as if jerked back to it, and there remains stiff, erect, and motionless as before.

The nest is made of dry grass in a thistle-bush or clump of reeds, and is rather deep and cup-shaped. The eggs are four in number, white, and spotted at the larger end with dark red.

132. MACHETORNIS RIXOSA (Vieill.).

(SHORT-WINGED TYRANT.)

+Machetornis rixosa+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 458 (Paraná);
_Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S._ 1868, p. 142; _iid. Nomencl._ p. 44;
_Hudson, P. Z. S._ 1874, p. 173 (Buenos Ayres); _Durnford, Ibis_,
1877, p. 177 (Buenos Ayres); _Salvin, Ibis_, 1880, p. 357
(Salta); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ viii. p. 142
(Entrerios).

_Description._--Above brownish olive; wings and tail brown, the
latter terminated by a yellowish band; middle of cap occupied by a
scarlet crest; beneath bright yellow, paler on the throat; bill and
feet black: whole length 7·2 inches, wing 3·9, tail 3·5. _Female_
similar, but rather duller. Young without the scarlet crest.

_Hab._ S.E. Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and La Plata.

This species, found in the open districts throughout South America, from Venezuela to Buenos Ayres, where it is quite common, has very interesting habits. It is seven inches and a half long, has a plump body, short wings, and long legs. The upper plumage is light brown, the throat, breast, and belly yellow, and the male has a concealed crest of a bright orange-red colour.

It resembles the true Tyrants in disposition, in its shrill piercing language, and in the habit of perching and breeding in trees. On the other hand, like the long-legged _Myiotheretes_, that lives on the open plains, it feeds exclusively on the ground, over which it runs with a speed possessed by few perching species. The general impression one forms is that in manners and appearance the Short-winged Tyrant is quite unlike any other species, though all its habits are to be found in one or other of the various groups comprising the _Tyrannidæ_.

These birds have no migration, but pair for life, and always remain on the same spot, and will continue to breed in the same hole for many years, even where they are frequently deprived of their eggs. Azara saw them sometimes uniting in small flocks in Paraguay; in Buenos Ayres they are always seen in pairs, or, after the young have left the nest, in families. They prefer to live near a human habitation, where there are trees: even one tree, in which they can breed and find shelter at night, will be sufficient to attach them to a dwelling, so great is their partiality for the clean-trodden ground where they can freely run about and catch insects. They haunt the cattle-pens, and become extremely familiar with the cows, horses, and sheep, following them to the pasture-grounds, where they are often seen perched on the back of a horse or other domestic animal, or stationed close to its nose on the ground, watching for insects. On the bare ground they run about with wonderful swiftness, and are able to overtake and capture flying insects without rising. The male and female invariably hunt together, and at intervals fly to some favourite perch to indulge in a duet composed of loud, rapid, shrill notes, somewhat metallic in sound. Though able to fly swiftly when in pursuit of a passing hawk or other bird, at other times their flight is strangely slow; the round body, short blunt wings and tail giving the bird a somewhat curious appearance as it progresses laboriously through the air. I have frequently seen them make the most unprovoked assaults on birds of an inoffensive kind; possibly they are in these attacks moved by a playful rather than by a vindictive spirit. I once saw one drop like a stone from a height of fifty yards on to a Pigeon perched on a leafless tree. The Pigeon fell as if shot to the earth; the Tyrant-bird then released his hold; the Pigeon rushed away terrified through the trees, while its persecutor rose high up in the air and resumed its journey.

I have elsewhere spoken of the wars waged by this bird against other species, all seeking to gain possession of the large nest of _Anumbius acuticaudatus_. A hole in the trunk of a tree is also a favourite breeding-place. The nest is neatly built of slender twigs and leaves, and lined with horse-hair. The eggs are slightly oval, and densely marked with dark brown spots or stripes on a white or brownish-white ground.

133. MUSCISAXICOLA MACLOVIANA (Garn.).

(CHIN-SPOTTED TYRANT.)

+Muscisaxicola mentalis+, _Hudson, P. Z. S._ 1872, p. 541 (Rio
Negro); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 44.

_Description._--Above cinereous, lores blackish, cap brown;
tail-coverts and tail black, outer margins of outer tail-feather
white; below pale cinereous, passing into white on lower belly,
crissum, and under wing-coverts; chin-spot brown: bill and feet
black: whole length 6·1 inches, wing 4·1, tail 2·6. _Female_
similar, but chin-spot not so well marked.

_Hab._ Peru, Bolivia, Chili, Patagonia, and Falkland Islands.

This South-Patagonian species is one of a Chilian group of Tyrant-birds which resemble in their habits the _Saxicolæ_ of Europe. The plumage is generally grey, with more or less rufous colour on the crown; they have long legs, and run swiftly on the ground, frequent open sterile situations, and perch only occasionally on trees.

The present bird is about seven inches long; the upper parts are dull grey, except the crown, which is dark chestnut; under surface light grey, and tail nearly black. In the month of June I met with these birds on the Rio Negro, on their arrival there from the south. They went in flocks of a dozen or twenty birds; they had a swift easy flight, were shy and restless in their manner, and uttered low plaintive whistling notes. When a flock alights on the ground the birds all instantly scatter, running rapidly about in all directions over the bare ground. Occasionally one was seen to perch on some slight elevation, and dart like a Flycatcher after passing insects.

Darwin saw this bird as far north on the Atlantic coast as Bahia Blanca. He also found it at Tierra del Fuego, where it lives entirely on the sea-beaches; and in the sterile upper valleys of the Chilian Andes, at a height of ten thousand feet, where the last traces of vegetation occur and where no other bird lives.

134. MUSCISAXICOLA RUFIVERTEX, d'Orb. et Lafr.

(RED-TOPPED TYRANT.)

+Ptyonura rufivertex+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 461 (Mendoza).

_Description._--Above clear cinereous; lores and short
superciliaries whitish; well-defined nape-patch bright rufous; wings
brownish; upper tail-coverts and tail black, outer margin of outer
rectrix white: below clear cinereous white, brighter on lower belly,
crissum, and under wing-coverts; bill and feet black: whole length
6·5 inches, wing 4·0, tail 2·8. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Peru, Bolivia, Chili, and Western Argentina.

135. MUSCISAXICOLA MACULIROSTRIS, d'Orb. et Lafr.

(SPOT-BILLED TYRANT.)

+Muscisaxicola maculirostris+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 44;
_Durnford, Ibis_, 1878, p. 395 (Centr. Patagonia). +Ptyonura
maculirostris+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 462 (Mendoza).

_Description._--Above greyish brown, lores and slight superciliaries
whitish; tail-coverts and tail black, the outer web of the outer
rectrix white; below pale greyish white, whiter on the belly and
crissum; bill black, with the base of the lower mandible yellowish;
feet black: whole length 5·5 inches, wing 3·4, tail 2·4. _Female_
similar.

_Hab._ Chili, Patagonia, Bolivia, Peru, and Western Ecuador.

Prof. Burmeister met with this species near Mendoza, in the mouths of the large torrents above the city. Durnford found it near the river Sengalen in Central Patagonia in December 1877.

136. CENTRITES NIGER (Bodd.).

(RED-BACKED TYRANT.)

+Centrites niger+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 458; _Scl. et Salv.
Nomencl._ p. 44; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1878, p. 395 (Chupat); _White,
P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 604 (Buenos Ayres); _Döring, Exp. al Rio
Negro, Zool._ p. 42 (R. Colorado); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn.
Cl._ viii. p. 142 (Entrerios, Pampas).

_Description._--Above and below deep black: whole of back except
the rump and scapularies chestnut; bill and feet black; under
wing-coverts and wings below black: whole length 5·0 inches, wing
2·8, tail 1·9. _Female_ above brown, back fulvous red; tail black;
below ashy brown.

_Hab._ Patagonia, Chili, and Argentina.

The little Red-backed Tyrant comes nearest to _Muscisaxicola mentalis_ in habits, but does not perch on bushes and trees, and is less gregarious than that bird. It is the smallest of all those varied members of the _Tyrannine_ family which have abandoned forests and marshes and the pursuit of insects on the wing, to live on the wintry uplands of Patagonia, and on the sterile plains bordering on the Andes.

The male is only five and a quarter inches long. The entire plumage of the male is intensely black, except the back, which is bright chestnut. The inside of the mouth and tongue are vivid orange-yellow. The chestnut colour on the female is pale, the rest of the plumage grey, except the quills, which are dark.

Its summer home is in the southern portion of Patagonia, but its nesting-habits are not known. In March it migrates north, and is very common everywhere on the pampas throughout the winter. They arrive in small parties of three or four, or in little loose flocks of about a dozen individuals, travelling with a swift low flight. Males, females, and young, grey like the last, arrive together; shortly after arriving the young males become mottled with black, and before leaving acquire the adult plumage. They appear to leave in spring all together, but from a note by Durnford it would appear that the males travel in advance of the females. He says:--"Males of this species were common at Chupat throughout September and during the first few days of October. On the 5th of the latter month I observed the first females, which gradually increased in number."

The Little Red-backs inhabit open unsheltered plains, and have so great a predilection for bare ground on which they can run freely about, that on their arrival on the pampas, where the earth is thickly carpeted with grass, they are seen attaching themselves to roads, sheep-pens, borders of streams, vizcacha villages, and similar places. They are exceedingly restless, running swiftly over the ground, occasionally darting into the air in pursuit of small flies, and all the flock so scattered that there will be a dozen yards between every two birds. Mr. Barrows describes their lively habits very well:--"I think this is one of the most restless birds I ever saw. You cannot depend upon him to be in the same place two consecutive half-seconds. He runs like a Sanderling, and whenever he keeps his feet still by accident, his wings are flirted in a way that shows his anxiety to be off. Several are usually found together, and sometimes a loose flock of a hundred or more is seen. They are very strong on the wing, sometimes mounting rapidly for several hundred feet, if suddenly startled, and after a few moments spent in circling like a Snipe, they drop again almost as suddenly as a shot, and as if from the very clouds."

137. PLATYRHYNCHUS MYSTACEUS (Vieill.).

(BROAD-BILLED TYRANT.)

+Platyrhynchus mystaceus+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 44; _White, P.
Z. S._ 1882, p. 605 (Misiones).

_Description._--Above olive, darker on the head; coronal patch
bright yellow; lores, eye-region, and ear-coverts pale yellowish;
mystacal stripe blackish; wings and tail blackish edged with
olive-brown; below clear fulvous, much whiter on the throat; upper
mandible blackish, lower whitish; feet pale yellowish: whole length
3·3 inches, wing 2·1, tail 1·1. _Female_ similar, but no coronal
patch.

_Hab._ Guiana, Brazil, Paraguay, and Northern La Plata.

A single example of this species was obtained by White in the forest near San Javier, Misiones.

138. EUSCARTHMUS MARGARITACEIVENTRIS (d'Orb. et Lafr.).

(PEARLY-BELLIED TYRANT.)

+Todirostrum margaritaceiventer+, _d'Orb. Voy., Ois._ p. 316
(Corrientes). +Euscarthmus margaritaceiventris+, _Scl. et Salv.
Nomencl._ p. 45; _Salvin, Ibis_, 1880, p. 357 (Tucuman). +Triccus
margaritiventris+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 456 (Paraná).

_Description._--Above olive-green, wings and tail blackish edged
with olive-green; whole head above, including sides and back of
neck, dark cinereous; beneath pearly white, passing into pale
cinereous on the sides; under wing-coverts pale yellowish, flanks
tinged with olivaceous; bill hazel; feet red: whole length 4·5
inches, wing 2·1, tail 1·9.

_Hab._ Paraguay, Northern La Plata, Bolivia, S. Peru, and S.E. Brazil.

This species, discovered by d'Orbigny in Corrientes, was also met with near Paraná by Prof. Burmeister, and by Durnford in Tucuman.

139. EUSCARTHMUS GULARIS (Temm.).

(RED-THROATED TYRANT.)

+Euscarthmus gularis+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 45; _White, P. Z.
S._ 1882, p. 605 (Corrientes and Oran).

_Description._--Olive-brown; wings blackish, wing-coverts tipped and
outer secondaries edged with yellowish white, forming two distinct
bands; remiges and rectrices narrowly margined with olive; head
above dark cinereous; lores and sides of the head surrounding
the dark ear-coverts rufous; beneath white, sides of the breast
greyish; chin and sides of throat rufous, like the lores; flanks
and under wing-coverts tinged with yellowish: whole length 3·5
inches, wing 1·8, tail 1·4. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ S.E. Brazil, Bolivia, and Northern La Plata.

This bird was observed by White near Oran, and also in Misiones.

140. PHYLLOSCARTES VENTRALIS (Temm.).

(YELLOW-BELLIED TYRANT.)

+Phylloscartes ventralis+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 46; _Barrows,
Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ viii. p. 198 (Entrerios).

_Description._--Above uniform olive; ill-defined superciliaries
whitish; ear-coverts dark; wings and tail blackish with olive
margins; well-defined spots on the tips of the two rows of
wing-coverts and outer webs of secondaries yellowish; below yellow,
rather white on the throat and olivaceous on the sides; under
wing-coverts pale yellow; bill and feet blackish: whole length 4·5
inches, wing 2·1, tail 2·3.

_Hab._ S.E. Brazil and Northern La Plata.

This species is stated to have been met with by Mr. Barrows among the low bushes bordering the streams of Entrerios. Graf v. Berlepsch has recorded its presence in Rio Grande do Sul (Zeitschr. ges. Orn. 1885, p. 131), so that this occurrence is not improbable.

141. HAPALOCERCUS FLAVIVENTRIS (d'Orb. et Lafr.).

(REED-TYRANT.)

+Arundinicola flaviventris+, _d'Orb. Voy., Ois._ p. 335, pl. xxxi.
fig. 1. +Hapalocercus flaviventris+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii.
p. 456 (Mendoza); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 46; _Durnford,
Ibis_, 1877, p. 177 (Buenos Ayres), et 1878, p. 395 (Centr.
Patagonia); _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 605 (Buenos Ayres);
_Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ viii. p. 199 (Entrerios).

_Description._--Above mouse-brown; wings and tail rather darker,
with edgings like the back; vertex more or less tinged with rufous;
beneath yellow; under wing-coverts pale yellow; bill and feet black:
whole length 4·0 inches, wing 2·0, tail 2·0. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ S. Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, La Plata, and Chili.

This little bird is rarely met with in the desert pampas, but throughout the settled portion of the Buenos-Ayrean province it is one of the most common species of the _Tyrannidæ_. It arrives from the north in September, and is very regular in its migrations, although apparently a very feeble flier. It frequents open grounds abounding in thistles, tall weeds, or bushes, and is consequently most abundant about houses. It is extremely active, and occasionally darts after a passing insect and captures it on the wing, especially soft insects, like moths and butterflies, to which it is most partial. It subsists principally, however, on small caterpillars and spiders, for which it searches diligently among the leaves, after the manner of the Wren. Although belonging to the songless division of the Passeres, this small Tyrant-bird possesses a formal song, which the male utters with great frequency, the only other member of the Tyrant-family that I am acquainted with which really sings being the Scarlet Tyrant (_Pyrocephalus rubescens_). The music of the Reed-Tyrant is weak but curious; it is composed of five brief percussive notes, distinctly metallic in sound, which may be imitated by gently and slowly striking _fa la mi sol fa_ on the highest keys of the piano. To utter this quaint little song the bird perches itself on the summit of a weed or bush, where it solicits attention with a little chipping prelude, and then jerks its head vigorously with each note, delivering its few drops of sound with all the assurance of a master in the art of melody.

In October it builds a deep elaborate nest of fine dry grass, thistle-down, webs, feathers, and other soft materials, usually in the fork of a weed or thistle three or four feet from the ground. It lays four cream-coloured eggs, the colour deepening to grey at the larger end.

142. HABRURA PECTORALIS (Vieill.).

(THIN-TAILED TYRANT.)

+Pachyrhamphus minimus+, _Gould, Zool. Voy. Beagle_, iii. p. 61, pl.
xv. (Monte Video). +Habrura minima+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p.
40; _Cab. Journ. f. Orn._ 1878, p. 197 (Cordova); _Scl. P. Z. S._
1879, p. 460 (Cordova).

_Description._--Above sandy brown, with a dark-greyish tinge on the
head, which is subcrested and has the vertical feathers white at
their bases; lores and eye-region whitish; wings and tail blackish,
edged with sandy brown, which forms in some specimens well-marked
wing-bands; beneath pale sandy ochraceous, more rufous on the
flanks; throat more or less freckled with black; bill and feet
dark brown: whole length 4·0 inches, wing 1·9, tail 1·7. _Female_
similar, but without the black markings on the throat.

_Hab._ Northern La Plata, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, and British Guiana.

Examples of this species were obtained by Dr. Döring near Cordova.

143. CULICIVORA STENURA (Temm.).

(NARROW-TAILED TYRANT.)

+Culicivora stenura+, _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 605 (Misiones).

_Description._--Above sandy brown, striated with black; head nearly
black; lores and superciliaries white; wings and tail blackish with
slight brownish edgings; below pale sandy buff, more brownish on the
sides of the neck and flanks; bill and feet black: whole length 3·7
inches, wing 1·7; tail, ext. rectr. 1·3, med. 1·9.

_Hab._ S.E. Brazil.

An example of this species is stated by White to have been obtained by him at Itapua, Misiones, in July 1881, but there was possibly an error in its identification.

144. STIGMATURA BUDYTOIDES (d'Orb. et Lafr.).

(WAGTAIL TYRANT.)

+Stigmatura budytoides+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 46; _Salvin,
Ibis_, 1880, p. 357 (Tucuman, Salta).

_Description._--Above greyish olive; lores and short superciliary
streak yellowish; wings blackish brown, tips of wing-coverts and
outer margins of secondaries white; tail blackish, all the lateral
rectrices crossed by a broad, white, median and second terminal
band; under surface pale yellow; bill and feet black: whole length
5·0 inches, wing 2·1, tail 2·5.

_Hab._ Bolivia, Peru, Interior of Brazil, Northern La Plata.

Examples of this species were obtained by Durnford in Tucuman and Salta.

145. STIGMATURA FLAVO-CINEREA (Burm.).

(LONG-TAILED TYRANT.)

+Phylloscartes flavo-cinereus+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. 455
(Mendoza); _Döring, Exp. al Rio Negro, Zool._ p. 42 (R. Negro, R.
Colorado). +Stigmatura flavo-cinerea+, _Hudson, P. Z. S._ 1872,
p. 542 (Rio Negro); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 46; _White, P. Z.
S._ 1882, p. 606 (Catamarca).

_Description._--Above greyish olive, lores and superciliary stripe
whitish; wings blackish, with whitish edgings to the coverts and
outer secondaries; tail blackish; outer web of the external rectrix
and broad tips of the four external pairs white; beneath pale
yellow; bill and feet black: whole length 5·8 inches, wing 2·3, tail
3·0. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Argentine Republic, including N. Patagonia.

This little bird inhabits the Mendoza and Patagonian districts, and does not appear to be migratory, for on the Rio Negro I found it at all seasons. It is slender in form, with a long tail, its total length being six inches. The sexes are alike in colour; the upper parts are yellowish grey, breast and belly light yellow. They are found living in pairs, all the year round, in thorn bushes, and are scarcely ever seen to rest, but hop incessantly from twig to twig, in a delicate, leisurely manner, seeking on the leaves for the minute caterpillars and other insects on which they live. While thus engaged they utter a variety of little chirping and twittering notes, as if conversing together, and occasionally the two birds unite their voices in a shrill, impetuous song.

146. SERPOPHAGA SUBCRISTATA (Vieill.).

(SMALL-CRESTED TYRANT.)

+Serpophaga subcristata+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 454
(Entrerios); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 47; _Durnford, Ibis_,
1877, p. 177 (Buenos Ayres); _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 606
(Misiones); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ vol. viii. p. 199
(Entrerios).

_Description._--Above cinereous, usually with a slight olivaceous
tinge on the rump; crest-feathers white at their bases, tipped
with cinereous, and slightly varied with black; wings blackish,
wing-coverts tipped with whitish, forming two handsome bands; outer
secondaries externally margined with the same colour; tail dark
ashy; beneath ashy white, with more or less yellowish tinge on the
belly and under wing-coverts; bill horn-colour; feet black: whole
length 4·5 inches, wing 2·0, tail 2·1. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ S.E. Brazil, Paraguay, Northern La Plata, and Bolivia.

This species is one of the smallest members of our _Tyrannidæ_, its total length being only four and a half inches. The sexes are alike; the upper plumage is grey, with a greenish tinge on the back; the breast paler grey, becoming pale yellow on the belly. There is a white concealed spot under the loose feathers of the crown.

It is quite common in Buenos Ayres, and, probably, has a partial migration, as it is most abundant in summer. In its habits it closely resembles the species last described, being always found in pairs, living in thickets, where they hop incessantly about, exploring the leaves for small caterpillars, and always conversing in low, chirping, and twittering notes. They also sing together a little confused song. The nest is fastened to the slender twigs of a low bush, and is a deep, cup-shaped and beautiful structure, composed of a great variety of soft materials bound together with spiders' webs, the interior lined with feathers or vegetable down, and the outside with lichen. The eggs are two, bluntly pointed, and of a cream-colour.

147. SERPOPHAGA NIGRICANS (Vieill.).

(BLACKISH TYRANT.)

+Serpophaga nigricans+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. 454 (Paraná);
_Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 47; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 177
(Buenos Ayres); _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 606 (Misiones);
_Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ vol. viii. p. 199 (Entrerios).

_Description._--Above dull brownish cinereous; wings and tail
blackish, the coverts and outer secondaries with slight edgings like
the back; crest slight, with a well-marked white basal spot; beneath
paler and rather purer cinereous; under wing-coverts pale cinereous;
bill and feet dark horn-colour: whole length 4·7 inches, wing 2·3,
tail 1·1. _Female_ similar, but vertical spot not so well marked.

_Hab._ S.E. Brazil, Paraguay, La Plata, and N. Patagonia.

This species differs markedly in habits, language, and appearance from the last. In both sexes the colour is a uniform slaty grey; the tail, which the bird incessantly opens and flirts like a fan, is black; as in _S. subcristata_ there is a hidden spot of white under the loose feathers forming the crest.

It frequents the borders of running streams, seldom being found far from a water-course; and it alights as often on stones or on the bare ground as on trees. Male and female are always seen together, for it pairs for life, and the migration, if it has any, is only partial. It flits restlessly along the borders of the stream it frequents, making repeated excursions after small winged insects, taking them in the air, or snatching them up from the surface of the water, and frequently returning to the same stand. While thus employed it perpetually utters a loud, complaining _chuck_, and at intervals the two birds meet, and, with crests erect and flirting their wings and tails, utter a series of trills and hurried sharp notes in concert.

The nest is generally placed beneath an overhanging bank, attached to hanging roots or grass, a few inches above the water; but it is sometimes placed in a bush growing on the borders of a stream. It is a neat, cup-shaped, but rather shallow structure, thickly lined inside with feathers. The eggs are four, pointed, white or pale cream-colour, with black and grey spots at the large end.

148. ANÆRETES PARULUS (Kittl.).

(TIT-LIKE TYRANT.)

+Anæretes parulus+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 455 (Mendoza);
_Hudson, P. Z. S._ 1872, p. 543 (Rio Negro); _Scl. et Salv.
Nomencl._ p. 47; _White, P. Z. S._ 1883, p. 30 (Cordova);
_Durnford, Ibis_, 1878, p. 395 (Centr. Patagonia); _Döring, Exp.
al Rio Negro, Zool._ p. 43 (R. Negro, R. Colorado).

_Description._--Above cinereous, with an olivaceous tint on the
lower back; head black, front varied with white, elongated vertical
crest black, sometimes varied with white; wings blackish, with
slight whitish tips to the coverts and whitish margins to the
outer secondaries; tail blackish, outer webs of external rectrices
whitish; below pale straw-colour, white on the throat; throat and
breast with numerous and well-marked black striations; bill and
feet black: whole length 4·0 inches, wing 1·9, tail 1·8. _Female_
similar, but crest shorter.

_Hab._ Argentine Republic, including Patagonia, Chili, Bolivia, Peru, and Andes of Ecuador.

This small bird is only four and a half inches long; in both sexes the colour on the upper parts is dull grey, on the throat and breast ash-coloured; the belly pale yellow. It has the distinction of a slender curling Lapwing-like crest, composed of a few narrow, long, black feathers. The eye is white. It is found in the thorny thickets on the dry plains of Mendoza, and is also common in Patagonia. In its habits it closely resembles _Serpophaga subcristata_; lives always in pairs, perpetually moves about in a singularly deliberate manner while searching through the bush for small insects, the two birds always talking together in little chirping notes, and occasionally bursting out into a little shrill duet. It builds a deep, neat nest of fine dry grass and lined with feathers, in a low thorn, and lays two white eggs.

149. ANÆRETES FLAVIROSTRIS, Scl. et Salv.

(YELLOW-BILLED TIT-TYRANT.)

+Anæretes flavirostris+, _Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S._ 1876, p. 355; 1879,
p. 613.

_Description._--Above brownish olive; head black, mixed with white
and surmounted by narrow elongated black crest-feathers; wings
blackish, outer web of external rectrix whitish; beneath pale
stramineous, throat and breast white, densely striated with black;
under wing-coverts white; bill yellowish, with a black tip; feet
black: whole length 4·2 inches, wing 2·1, tail 2·0.

_Hab._ Bolivia and N. Argentina.

A specimen of this species was procured, at Cosquin, near Cordova, by White.

150. CYANOTIS AZARÆ, Naum.

(MANY-COLOURED TYRANT.)

+Cyanotis azaræ+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 47; _Durnford, Ibis_,
1877, p. 177 (Buenos Ayres, Centr. Patagonia); _Gibson, Ibis_,
1880, p. 32 (Buenos Ayres); _Döring, Exp. al Rio Negro, Zool._ p.
43 (R. Colorado, R. Negro); _Barrows, Nutt. Bull. Orn. Cl._ viii.
p. 200 (Entrerios, Carhué, Pampas).

_Description._--Above dark bronzy green; head black; superciliaries
yellow; vertical spot crimson; wings black; broad tips of the lesser
wing-coverts and broad edgings of some of the secondaries white,
forming a large white bar on the wing; tail black, greater part of
outer pair of rectrices and outer web and broad tip of next pair and
narrow tips of third pair white; beneath bright ochreous yellow;
chin whitish; crissum crimson; incomplete band across the lower
breast black; under wing-coverts white; bill black; feet dark
flesh-colour: whole length 4·2 inches, wing 2·1, tail 1·7. _Female_
similar.

_Hab._ La Plata, Chili, and Western Peru.

This charming little bird is variously called by the country people All-coloured or Seven-coloured. Azara called it "The King"--a name which this species deserves, he says, not only on account of the crown of loose feathers on its head, but because it is exceeded by few birds in beauty. It is the most beautiful bird found in Chili, says Gay; and Darwin, who is seldom moved to express admiration, calls it "an exquisitely beautiful little bird." There are many species possessing a more brilliant plumage, none with so great a variety of distinct colours; for on its minute body, which is less than that of the House-Wren, are seen black, white, green, blue, orange, yellow, and scarlet; and all these hues are disposed and contrasted in such a manner as to produce a very pleasing effect--the olive-green and delicate, yellow predominating, while the vivid scarlet is a mere spot, like the bright gem or ornament which serves to set off and enhance the beauty of the dress. The whole under plumage is pure lovely yellow, while a broad mark of velvet-black extends belt-wise from the bend of each wing, but without meeting in the centre of the bosom. The sides of the head are deep blue; over the blue runs a bright yellow stripe, surmounted with the loose, slender, almost hair-like feathers of the crown, which stand partially erect, and are blue mixed with black, with vivid scarlet in the centre. Above, from the back of the head to the tail, the colour is deep green. The wings are black, crossed with a white band; tail also black, the two outer quills pure white, and the succeeding two partially white, the white colour appearing only when the bird flies. Moreover, as though this diversity of colour were not enough, the soles of the black feet are bright orange, the eye of the male delicate sky-blue, while the female has white eyes.

While on the subject of the colouring of this species, I will mention a curious phenomenon which I have observed many times. When the bird is flying away from the spectator in a strong sunlight, and is at a distance of from twenty to thirty yards from him, the upper plumage, which is dark green, sometimes appears bright blue. At first I thought that a distinct species of _Cyanotis_, cerulean blue in colour, existed, but finally became convinced that the green feathers of the _C. azaræ_ appear blue in certain lights. This seems strange, as the feathers of the back are not glossed.

The Many-coloured Tyrant is, apparently, a very feeble flier, rising reluctantly when frightened from the rushes, and fluttering away to a distance of a few yards, when it again drops down. Yet it is strictly migratory. Darwin met with it at Maldonado in the month of June, and therefore concluded that it does not migrate; but he mentions that it was very rare. I have also occasionally seen one in winter on the pampas, but many migratory species leave a few stragglers behind in the same way. At the end of September they suddenly appear all over the pampas, in every swamp and stream where there are beds of rushes; for in such situations only is the bird found: and this migration extends far into Patagonia. They are always seen in pairs amongst the dense rushes, where they perch on the smooth stems, not near the summit, but close down to the surface of the water, and perpetually hop from stem to stem, deftly picking up small insects from the surface of the water. They also occasionally leave the rushes and search for insects in the grass and herbage along the border. They are very inquisitive, and if a person approach the rush-bed, they immediately come out of their concealment, both birds uttering their singular notes--a silvery, modulated sound, not meant for a song apparently, and yet I do not know any sweeter, purer sound in nature than this. All through the close-growing dark rushes the pretty little melodists may be heard calling to each other in their delicate, gurgling notes.