Chapter IX: Introduction (8)

The nest is a marvel of skill and beauty. As a rule it is attached to a single polished rush, two or three feet above the water and about the middle of the stem. It is cup-shaped inside, and about four inches long, circular at the top, but compressed at the lower extremity, and ending in a sharp point. It is composed entirely of soft bits of dry yellow rush, cemented together with gum so smoothly that it looks as if made in a mould. The eggs are two in number, oval, and dull creamy white, sometimes with a ring of colour at the large end.

151. LEPTOPOGON TRISTIS, Scl. et Salv.

(SORRY TYRANT.)

+Leptopogon tristis+, _Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S._ 1876, p. 254; _White,
P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 606 (Misiones).

_Description._--Above olive; cap rather darker; wings and tail
blackish, margined with olive, the two rows of wing-coverts and
three or four outer secondaries with clear yellowish-white apical
spots; beneath pale sulphur-yellow; under wing-coverts yellow; inner
margins of wing-feathers whitish: bill horn-colour; feet brown:
whole length 4·4 inches, wing 2·1, tail 2·1.

_Hab._ Northern La Plata and Bolivia.

This bird was obtained by White near San Javier, Misiones, "amongst the lofty trees on the river-banks." White believed that he also met with it in the Sierra de Totoral.

152. ELAINEA ALBICEPS (d'Orb. et Lafr.).

(WHITE-CRESTED TYRANT.)

+Elainea modesta+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 454. +Elainea
albiceps+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 48; _Durnford, Ibis_,
1878, p. 60 (Buenos Ayres); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ vol.
viii. p. 200 (Entrerios); _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 606 (Buenos
Ayres).

_Description._--Above dark ashy brown, with a slight olivaceous
tinge on the rump; head slightly darker, with a more or less
concealed white vertical spot; wings and tail blackish brown; tips
of wing-coverts, forming two transverse bands, and outer margins
of exterior secondaries dirty white; rest of wing-feathers and
tail-feathers slightly margined with lighter colour; below nearly
uniform pale cinereous, whiter on the throat and middle of the
belly; under wing-coverts slightly tinged with yellowish; bill
brownish; feet black: whole length 6·0 inches, wing 3·2, tail 3·0.
_Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guiana, Brazil, Argentina, Chili, Patagonia.

A widely spread species, very common near Buenos Ayres according to White, where it is found in the clumps of trees.

153. ELAINEA STREPERA, Cab.

(NOISY TYRANT.)

+Elainea strepera+, _Cab. J. f. O._ 1883, p. 215.

_Description._--Above dark greyish olive; head slightly crested,
with a white basal spot; eye-ring white; wings and tail blackish,
tips of wing-coverts rufous, slight margins of wing and
tail-feathers olivaceous; beneath cinereous; middle of belly white;
flanks olivaceous; under wing-coverts pale cinereous; bill dark
brown, pale at the base; feet blackish: whole length 5·6 inches,
wing 2·9, tail 2·7.

_Hab._ Tucuman.

Dr. Cabanis established this species, which is unknown to us, on specimens obtained by Herr Schulz in the woods of Tucuman. It is said to have a loud voice, and to feed on berries.

154. ELAINEA VIRIDICATA (Vieill.).

(GREENISH TYRANT.)

+Muscicapara viridicata+, _d'Orb. Voy., Ois._ p. 325. +Elainea
grata+, _Cab. J. f. O._ 1883, p. 216 (Tucuman).

_Description._--Above dark olive-green; head dark cinereous,
slightly crested, with a large basal spot of bright yellow; lores
and eye-region mixed with whitish; wings and tail ashy black, with
slight margins of the same colour as the back; below pale cinereous;
belly, crissum, and under wing-coverts sulphur-yellow; bill
blackish; feet dark brown: whole length 5·0 inches, wing 2·5, tail
2·5. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ South America.

The _Elainea grata_, based by Dr. Cabanis upon specimens obtained by Herr Schulz in Tucuman, must, I think, be identical with Azara's _Contramaestre pardo verdoso, corona amarilla_, upon which Vieillot established his _Sylvia viridicata_. It is certainly, in my opinion, the _Muscicapara viridicata_ of d'Orbigny.

Herr Schulz met with this species in the province of Tucuman, in the month of December.

155. EMPIDAGRA SUIRIRI (Vieill.).

(SUIRIRI TYRANT.)

+Tænioptera suiriri+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 460 (Tucuman).
+Empidagra suiriri+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 49; _iid. P. Z.
S._ 1869, p. 633 (Buenos Ayres); _Cab. J. f. O._ 1878, p. 197.
+Pachyrhamphus albescens+, _Gould, Zool. Beagle_, iii. p. 50, t.
xiv. (Buenos Ayres).

_Description._--Above cinereous; wings and tail blackish, all the
wing-coverts and outer secondaries broadly margined externally
with white; outer web of outer tail-feathers white; outer edges of
primaries and narrow ends of tail-feathers cinereous; below white,
under wing-coverts pale yellowish white; bill and feet black: whole
length 5·5 inches, wing 2·9, tail 2·5.

_Hab._ Argentine Republic, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia.

This species is stated by Prof. Burmeister to be found in Tucuman and Northern Argentina. It also occurs near Buenos Ayres, where Hudson obtained specimens for the Smithsonian Institution.

156. SUBLEGATUS GRISEOCULARIS, Sclater.

(GREY-EYED TYRANT.)

+Sublegatus griseocularis+, _Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S._ 1870, p. 17
(Mendoza).

_Description._--Above cinereous; wings and tail dark ashy brown,
margins of wing-coverts and outer secondaries whitish; below, throat
and breast pale cinereous white; belly and under wing-coverts pale
lemon-yellow; bill horn-colour; feet dark brown: whole length 5·0
inches, wing 2·8, tail 2·5. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Southern Peru and Western Argentina.

Specimens of this species were obtained by Weisshaupt near Mendoza.

157. RHYNCHOCYCLUS SULPHURESCENS (Spix).

(SULPHURY TYRANT.)

+Rhynchocyclus sulphurescens+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 49;
_White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 607 (Misiones).

_Description._--Above olive-green, head washed with cinereous; lores
and line round the eye whitish; wings blackish brown, margined with
yellowish olive; tail dark brown, slightly edged with olive-green;
below sulphur-yellow tinged with olivaceous, throat more greyish;
middle of the belly rather brighter; under wing-coverts pale
sulphur-yellow; bill horn-colour; feet brown: whole length 5·2
inches, wing 2·6, tail 2·5. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ S. America from Northern La Plata to Veragua.

Of this very widely diffused species specimens were obtained by White, in June 1881, in the dense forests of Misiones.

158. PITANGUS BOLIVIANUS (Lafr.).

(BIENTEVEO TYRANT.)

+Pitangus bellicosus+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 50; _Durnford,
Ibis_, 1877, p. 178 (Buenos Ayres); _Gibson, Ibis_, 1880, p. 24
(Buenos Ayres); _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 607 (Catamarca);
_Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ vol. viii. p. 200 (Entrerios).
+Saurophagus sulphuratus+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 452.

_Description._--Above brown; head black; front, superciliaries, and
line round the nape white; large vertical crest yellow, tipped
with black; wings and tail brown with rufous margins; beneath
sulphur-yellow, inner margins of wing- and tail-feathers pale
rufous; bill and feet black: whole length 8·0 inches, wing 4·2,
tail 3·3. _Female_ similar, but yellow crest not so much developed.

_Hab._ Bolivia, S. Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina.

The Bienteveo is in its habits the most interesting member of the Tyrannine family. It would be difficult to find two species more dissimilar in disposition than are the Silver-bill, already described, and the Bienteveo; the former being like an automaton, having only a few set motions, gestures, and instincts, while the other is versatile in an extraordinary degree, and seems to have studied to advantage the various habits of the Kestrel, Flycatcher, Kingfisher, Vulture, and fruit-eating Thrush; and when its weapons prove weak it supplements them with its running. How strange it is that these two species, mentally as widely separated as the Humming-bird and Crow, should be members of the same family!

The Bienteveo has a wide range in South America, and inhabits the whole of the Argentine country down to Buenos Ayres, where it is very common. It is resident and lives in pairs, the sexes being always faithful. The body is stout, somewhat large for a Tyrant-bird; the length being nine and a half inches, including the beak, which is a little over an inch in length. The wings are blunt and comparatively short, measuring, when spread, fourteen inches. The head is large, and a broad, black band extends from the beak its entire length, and above this is a pure white stripe; the crown is black, concealing in its loose, abundant feathers a brilliant yellow crest, which shows only when the bird is excited. The upper plumage, including wings and tail, is pale brown; the entire under surface sulphur-yellow. In both sexes the plumage is alike.

In Buenos Ayres the Bienteveo is found in every orchard and plantation: it is familiar with man and invariably greets his approach with loud notes--especially with a powerful three-syllabled cry, in which people fancy there is a resemblance to the words Bien-te-veo ("I see you well"); while its big head and beak, and strongly contrasted colours, especially the black and white head-stripes, seem to give it a wonderfully knowing look, as it turns its head from side to side to examine the intruder. It is a loud-voiced garrulous bird, and has a great range of sounds, from grating screams to long, clear, almost mellow call-notes. It has one pretty habit, which brings out strongly the pleasant feature in its character. Though the male and female are greatly attached, they do not go afield to hunt in company, like the Short-winged Tyrant, but separate to meet again at intervals during the day. One of a couple (say the female) returns to the trees where they are accustomed to meet, and after a time, becoming impatient or anxious at the delay of her consort, utters a very long, clear call-note. He is perhaps a quarter of a mile away, watching for a frog beside a pool, or beating, harrier-like, over a thistle-bed, but he hears the note and presently responds with one of equal power. Then, perhaps, for half an hour, at intervals of half a minute, the birds answer each other, though the powerful call of the one must interfere with his hunting. At length he returns; then the two birds, perched close together, with their yellow bosoms almost touching, crests elevated, and beating the branch with their wings, scream their loudest notes in concert--a confused jubilant noise that rings through the whole plantation. Their joy at meeting is patent, and their action corresponds to the warm embrace of a loving human couple.

I have frequently stood for the space of half an hour concealed amongst the trees where a Bienteveo was calling to her mate, cheered at intervals by the far-off faint response, for the pleasure of witnessing in the end the joyful reunion of the two birds.

Except when breeding the Bienteveo is a peaceful bird, never going out of its way to make gratuitous attacks on individuals of its own or of other species; but in the pursuit of its prey it is cunning, bold, and fierce. Like the true Tyrant-birds it preys a great deal on large insects when they are abundant in the warm season, and is frequently seen catching its prey in the air. A large beetle or grasshopper it invariably beats against a branch before devouring it. But even in summer, when insect prey is most abundant, it prefers a more substantial diet whenever such is to be had. It frequently carries off the fledglings of the smaller birds from their nests, in the face of the brave defence often made by the parents. It is also fond of fishing, and may be seen perched by the hour on a bank or overhanging branch beside a stream, watching the water like a Kingfisher, and at intervals dashing down to capture the small fry. In shallow pools, where there are tadpoles and other prey, the Bienteveo does not mind getting a little wet, but alights in the water and stands belly-deep watching for its prey. I have seen a Bienteveo standing in the water in the midst of a flock of Glossy Ibises. They are often seen, as Darwin remarks, hovering like a Kestrel over the grass, and then dashing down to seize their prey. Small snakes, frogs, mice, and lizards all minister to its appetite, and with a capture of this kind it invariably flies to the nearest stone or branch, against which it beats the life of its victim out before devouring it. I once saw one fly out of some weeds carrying a little wriggling snake of a very brittle species and about eight inches long in its beak. Alighting on a gate it proceeded to kill its capture, and at the first blow on the wood the snake flew into two pieces. A mouse gives it a great deal of trouble, for after it has been killed it cannot be devoured until reduced by repeated blows to a soft pulp, after which it is with great labour pulled to pieces and eaten. Snails and _Ampullariæ_ are also pounded until the shell breaks. In spring they sometimes join the train of hooded gulls, guira cuckoos, cow-birds, and various other kinds which follow the plough to pick up worms and larvæ; but on the ground the Bienteveo is awkward in its motions, for it cannot run like the Tyrant-birds with terrestrial habits, but only hops. At estancia houses, when a cow is slaughtered, it comes in with the fowls, milvago hawks, and dogs, for small pickings, being very fond of fresh meat. It is a common thing to see a Bienteveo following a rural butcher's cart, and waiting for an opportunity to dash in and carry off any small piece of meat or fat it is able to detach. In the autumn they feed very much on ripe fruit, preferring grapes, which they can swallow whole, and figs, which are soft and easily eaten.

In its nidification the Bienteveo also departs widely from the, so to speak, traditional habits of its congeners; for whereas most Tyrants make small shallow nests, this species makes a very big elaborate domed structure, and sometimes takes five or six weeks to complete it. It is placed in a tree, without any attempt at concealment, and is about a foot deep and eight or nine inches broad, and composed of a variety of soft materials, chiefly wool. The entrance is placed near the top. Outside, the nest has a very disorderly appearance, as there are always long straws and sometimes rags hanging down; the cavity is deeply lined with feathers, and is the _hottest_ nest I know. The eggs are five, very long, pointed, cream-coloured, and spotted, chiefly at the large end, with chocolate and purple.

159. MYIODYNASTES SOLITARIUS (Vieill.).

(SOLITARY TYRANT.)

+Myiodynastes solitarius+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 50; _Durnford,
Ibis_, 1877, p. 178, et 1878, p. 60 (Buenos Ayres); _White, P. Z.
S._ 1882, p. 607 (Salta); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ vol.
viii. p. 201 (Entrerios).

_Description._--Above grey, thickly covered with numerous black
shaft-spots; concealed vertical crest yellow; lores and sides of the
head black, superciliaries white; wings blackish, primaries slightly
edged with rufous, coverts and secondaries margined externally
with greyish white; tail blackish, with narrow external margins of
ferruginous; below greyish white, with numerous black striations;
belly and under wing-coverts tinged with yellowish and but slightly
striated; bill brown, feet blackish: whole length 7·5 inches, wing
4·4, tail 3·4.

_Hab._ Brazil, Paraguay, Buenos Ayres.

Durnford tells us that this species is a summer visitor to the neighbourhood of Buenos Ayres, but not very common. White met with it in the forests of Campo Santo in November; and Barrows obtained specimens among the Paradise-trees in the Plaza at Concepcion, in the same month of the year.

160. HIRUNDINEA BELLICOSA (Vieill.).

(WARLIKE TYRANT.)

+Hirundinea bellicosa+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 51; _White, P. Z.
S._ 1882, p. 607 (Catamarca). +Hirundinea rupestris+, _Scl.
Ibis_, 1869, p. 198, pl. v. fig. 8.

_Description._--Above sooty brown; wings blackish, with a large
ferruginous red blotch occupying the greater portion of the
inner primaries and secondaries; rump and greater part of the
tail-feathers ferruginous red; apical portion of tail-feathers
blackish: beneath ferruginous red, throat greyish; under
wing-coverts and inner webs of wing-feathers, except the tips,
similar to the belly, but brighter; bill and feet black: whole
length 7·0 inches, wing 4·3, tail 2·2. _Female_ similar.

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

This Flycatcher is by no means common in Catamarca. It is seen about the houses in pairs, but not more than one pair at a time at one dwelling, perched upon some projection, whence it darts off into the air at passing insects.

"The snap of its beak, as it dashes at the flies, can be heard a long way off. Its cry is peculiar and piteous. There is no perceptible difference in plumage between the male and female."--_White, l. s. c._

161. MYIOBIUS NÆVIUS (Bodd.).

(LITTLE BROWN TYRANT.)

+Myiobius nævius+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 51; _White, P. Z. S._
1882, p. 607 (Buenos Ayres); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ vol.
viii. p. 201 (Entrerios).

_Description._--Above brown; lores whitish; concealed vertical crest
red or yellow; wings blackish, two bands across the coverts and
outer margins of external secondaries pale rufous or fulvous,
sometimes whitish; tail dark brown: beneath fulvous white; sides of
throat, breast, and flanks more or less distinctly flammulated with
brown; under wing-coverts pale fulvous; bill brown; lower mandible
whitish; feet blackish: whole length 4·7 inches, wing 2·5, tail 2·3.
_Female_ similar, but crest yellow or absent.

_Hab._ Veragua and Cisandean South America down to Argentine Republic.

This small Tyrant-bird is a summer visitor in the Plata district; it is shy and solitary; frequents woods and plantations, and perpetually utters, like the English Redstart, its sorrowful monotonous plaint, as it flits about in the upper foliage of the trees.

The nest is placed in a bush or low tree, and built of various soft materials compactly woven together, and the inside lined with feathers or vegetable down. The eggs are four, pale cream-colour, with large, well-defined spots of dark red.

The total length of this species is less than five inches. The prevailing colour of the plumage is rufous brown on the upper, and whitish brown on the under surface. Beneath the loose feathers of the crown there is a concealed spot of orange-red.

162. PYROCEPHALUS RUBINEUS (Bodd.).

(SCARLET TYRANT.)

+Pyrocephalus rubineus+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 51; _Hudson,
P. Z. S._ 1872, p. 808; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 178
(Buenos Ayres); _Gibson, Ibis_, 1880, p. 27 (Buenos Ayres);
_Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ vol. viii. p. 201 (Entrerios).
+Pyrocephalus parvirostris+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 456
(Entrerios).

_Description._--Above very dark cinereous, crested head and body
below scarlet; bill and feet black: whole length 5·2 inches, wing
2·9, tail 2·3. _Female_ above paler cinereous, below white; breast
striated with cinereous; belly more or less rosy red.

_Hab._ S. America, from Colombia down to Buenos Ayres.

It is in vain, I think, to attempt to make more than one species out of this widely-spread bird, though specimens from the west coast are usually smaller.

The Scarlet Tyrant is about five inches and a half long; the neck, back, wings, and tail are black, all the rest of the plumage the most vivid scarlet imaginable. The loose feathers of the crown, which form a crest, are especially brilliant, and seem to glow like a live coal amidst the green foliage. Beside this bright Tyrant-bird even the Rainbow Tanagers look pale, and the "Jewel Humming-birds" decidedly sad-coloured. It is not strange, therefore, that in South America, where it has a very wide range, it is a species well known to the country people, and that they have bestowed on it many pretty names, most of which have reference to its splendid scarlet colour. In the Argentine Republic it is usually called _Churinche_, from its note, also _Federál_ and _Fuegéro_; in other countries _Sangre de Toro_ (bull's blood), and, better still, _Sangre_ _Pura_. Little Soldier and Coal of Fire are also amongst its names. The Guarani tribes call it _Guira-pitá_ (red-bird); but another Indian name, mentioned by d'Orbigny, is the best--_Quarhi-rahi_, which signifies Sun-born.

The Churinche appears in Buenos Ayres about the end of September, and is usually first seen in localities to which Tyrant-birds are partial, such as low grassy grounds, with here and there a stalk or bush, and near a wood or plantation. Insects are most abundant in such places; and here the Churinche is seen, perched on a twig, darting at intervals to snap at the flies after the fashion of the Flycatchers, and frequently uttering its low, plaintive note. It is very common in the woods along the Plata; every orchard on the pampas is visited by a few of them; and they are very abundant about Buenos Ayres city. Going south they become rarer; but, strange to say, a few individuals find their way to the shores of the Rio Negro, though before reaching it they must cross a high, barren country quite unsuited to them. The natives of the Carmen have no name for the Churinche, but speak of it as a bird wonderful for its beauty and seldom seen. Amongst the dull-plumaged Patagonian species it certainly has a very brilliant appearance.

A very few days after their arrival the Churinches pair; and the male selects a spot for the nest--a fork in a tree from six to twelve feet from the ground, or sometimes a horizontal bough. This spot the male visits about once a minute, sits on it with his splendid crest elevated, tail spread out, and wings incessantly fluttering, while he pours out a continuous stream of silvery gurgling notes, so low they can scarcely be heard ten paces off, and somewhat resembling the sound of water running from a narrow-necked flask, but infinitely more rapid and musical. Of the little bird's homely, grey, silent mate the observer will scarcely obtain a glimpse, she appearing as yet to take little or no interest in the affairs that so much occupy the attention of her consort, and keep him in a state of such violent excitement. He is exceedingly pugnacious, so that when not fluttering on the site of his future nest, or snapping up some insect on the wing, he is eagerly pursuing other male Churinches, apparently bachelors, from tree to tree. At intervals he repeats his remarkable little song, composed of a succession of sweetly modulated metallic trills uttered on the wing. The bird usually mounts upwards from thirty to forty yards, and, with wings very much raised and rapidly vibrating, rises and drops almost perpendicularly half a yard's space five or six times, appearing to keep time to his notes in these motions. This song he frequently utters in the night, but without leaving his perch; and it then has a most pleasing effect, as it is less hurried, and the notes seem softer and more prolonged than when uttered by day. About a week after the birds have arrived, when the trees are only beginning to display their tender leaves, the nest is commenced. Strange to say, the female is the sole builder; for she now lays by her indifferent mien, and the art and industry she displays more than compensate for the absence of those beauties and accomplishments that make her mate so pleasing to the sight and ear. The materials of which the nest is composed are almost all gathered on trees; they are lichens, webs, and thistle-down: and the dexterity and rapidity with which they are gathered, the skill with which she disposes them, the tireless industry of the little bird, who visits her nest a hundred times an hour with invisible webs in her bill, are truly interesting to the observer. The lichens firmly held together with webs, and smoothly disposed with the tops outside, give to the nest the colour of the bark it is built on.

After the Churinche's nest is completed, the Bienteveo (_Pitangus bolivianus_) and the Common Cow-bird (_Molothrus bonariensis_) are the troublers of its peace. The first of these sometimes carries off the nest bodily to use it as material in building its own; the female Cow-bird is ever on the look out for a receptacle for her eggs. Seldom, however, does she succeed in gaining admittance to the Churinche's nest, as he is extremely vigilant and violent in repelling intruders. But his vigilance at times avails not; the subtle bird has watched and waited till, seizing a moment when the little Scarlet Tyrant is off his guard, she drops her surreptitious egg into his nest. When this happens, the Churinches immediately leave their nest. The nest is sometimes lined with feathers, but usually with thistle-down; the eggs are four, pointed, and spotted at the broad end with black; usually each egg has also a few large grey spots. The young are at first grey, marked with pale rufous, but soon become entirely grey, like the female. In about a month's time the belly of the males begins to assume a pale mauve-red; this spreads upwards towards the breast and throat; and finally the crest also takes on this colour. The Churinches raise two broods in a season--but if the nest is destroyed, will lay as many as four times.

The Scarlet Tyrant is the first of our summer visitors to leave us. As early as the end of January, and so soon as the young of the second brood are able to feed themselves, the adults disappear. Their going is not gradual, but they all vanish at once. The departure of all other migratory species takes place after a very sensible change in the temperature; but at the end of January the heat is unmitigated--it is, in fact, often greater than during December.

When the adults have gone, the silent young birds remain. Within a month's time the sexes of these may be distinguished. After another month the males begin to sing, and are frequently seen pursuing one another over the fields. It is only at the end of April, three months after the old birds have disappeared, that the young also take their departure. This is one of the strangest facts I have encountered in the migration of birds. The autumnal cold and wet weather seems to be the immediate cause of the young birds' departure; but in the adults, migration appears to be an instinct quite independent of atmospheric changes.

163. EMPIDONAX BIMACULATUS (Lafr. et d'Orb.).

(WING-BANDED TYRANT.)

+Empidochanes argentinus+, _Cab. J. f. O._ 1868, p. 196. +Empidonax
brunneus+, _Ridgw. N. A. B._ ii. p. 363 (Paraná). +Empidonax
bimaculatus+, _Scl. Ibis_, 1887, p. 65.

_Description._--Above umber-brown, more or less rufescent; lores
with a whitish spot; wings blackish, all the coverts broadly tipped
with pale rufous, forming two transverse bars; outer margins of
external secondaries of the same colour; tail brown, but not
rufescent; beneath dirty cinereous white, throat and belly brighter,
and with a yellowish tinge; under wing-coverts and inner margins of
wing-feathers ochraceous; upper mandible dark brown, lower whitish;
feet pale brown: whole length 5·0 inches, wing 2·6, tail 3·4.

_Hab._ S.E. Brazil, Bolivia, and N. Argentina.

This obscure species occurs in the northern wooded districts of Argentina.

164. CONTOPUS BRACHYRHYNCHUS, Cab.

(SHORT-BILLED TYRANT.)

+Contopus brachyrhynchus+, _Cab. J. f. O._ 1883, p. 214.

_Description._--Above cinereous, lores whitish; wings and tail
blackish, with slight whitish edgings to the wing-coverts and outer
secondaries; beneath paler, whitish in the middle of the belly;
flanks with a concealed white patch; bill above brown, beneath pale;
feet black: whole length 7·0 inches, wing 4·0, tail 3·2.

_Hab._ Northern Argentina.

Herr Schulz, who discovered this species near Tucuman, tells us that it is a summer visitor, and is usually seen perched on the tops of the highest trees on the look-out for insects.

165. CONTOPUS BRACHYTARSUS, Scl.

(SHORT-FOOTED TYRANT.)

+Contopus brachytarsus+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 52; _White, P.
Z. S._ 1882, p. 608 (Salta).

_Description._--Above dark plumbeous olive; crown darker, blackish;
wings and tail blackish; the wing-coverts and outer secondaries more
or less edged with whitish; beneath dirty white, clearer on the
throat and middle of the belly, which latter has sometimes an
olivaceous tinge; bill above blackish, beneath yellowish white; feet
blackish; first primary shorter than the fifth: whole length 5·3
inches, wing 2·9, tail 2·5. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Central and South America.

White found this widely ranging Tyrant "not uncommon in the forests of Salta."

166. MYIARCHUS TYRANNULUS (Müll.).

(RUSTY-TAILED TYRANT.)

+Suiriri pardo y roxo+, _Azara, Apunt._ ii. p. 143. +Myiarchus
erythrocercus+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 52.

_Description._--Above brownish cinereous, crown rather darker;
wings blackish, primaries narrowly edged with rufous, secondaries
and coverts more broadly with dirty white; tail blackish, all the
lateral rectrices with the greater part of the inner web rufous,
leaving only a narrow blackish border alongside the shaft; beneath,
throat and breast pale cinereous; belly and under wing-coverts pale
sulphur-yellow; inner margin of rectrices pale rufous; bill dark
horn-colour; feet blackish: whole length 7·4 inches, wing 3·8, tail
3·2. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ South America down to Argentina.

An example of this species, now in the British Museum, was procured by White in Catamarca.

167. MYIARCHUS FEROX (Gm.).

(FIERCE TYRANT.)

+Myiarchus tyrannulus+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 52; _Durnford,
Ibis_, 1878, p. 61 (Buenos Ayres); _White, P. Z. S._ 1882,
p. 608 (Salta); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ vol. viii p. 202
(Entrerios). +Myiarchus ferocior+, _Cab. J. f. O._ 1883, p. 214
(Tucuman).

_Description._--Above dark cinereous, more or less olivaceous; wings
and tail blackish; wing-coverts and outer secondaries with more or
less defined edgings of dirty white; beneath, throat and breast
cinereous, abdomen and under wing-coverts sulphur-yellow; bill dark
brown; feet blackish: whole length 7·0 inches, wing 3·6, tail 3·4.
_Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Southern Antilles, and South America down to Argentine Republic.

There has been great confusion between this species and _M. tyrannulus_, from which the present bird may be distinguished by the absence of the rufous edgings to the inner webs of the rectrices.

Examples of _M. ferox_ are in the British Museum from Punta Lara (_Durnford_), Mendoza (_Weisshaupt_), and Buenos Ayres (_Haslehurst_).

168. MYIARCHUS ATRICEPS, Cab.

(BLACK-HEADED TYRANT.)

+Myiarchus atriceps+, _Cab. J. f. O._ 1883, p. 215.

_Description._--Above greenish olive, cap black; wings and tail
blackish, more or less margined with brownish; beneath, throat and
neck pale grey; abdomen and under wing-coverts pale sulphur-yellow;
inner margins of wing-feathers fulvous; bill dark horn-colour;
feet black: whole length 7·0 inches, wing 3·7, tail 3·5. _Female_
similar.

_Hab._ N. Argentina, Bolivia, and S. Peru.

Schulz found this species as a summer visitor in Tucuman.

169. EMPIDONOMUS AURANTIO-ATRO-CRISTATUS (d'Orb. et Lafr.).

(BLACK-AND-YELLOW-CRESTED TYRANT.)

+Tyrannus aurantio-atro-cristatus+, _d'Orb. Voy., Ois._ p. 312
(Corrientes); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 53; _Barrows, Bull.
Nutt. Orn. Club_, vol. viii. p. 202 (Entrerios). +Tyrannus
aurantio-atro-cristatus+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 453
(Rio Uruguay, Entrerios, Mendoza).

_Description._--Above cinereous; cap shortly crested, black, with a
large vertical spot of bright yellow; wings and tail brownish black,
wing-coverts and secondaries slightly edged with whitish; beneath as
above but rather paler, and with a very slight yellow tinge on the
crissum; bill and feet black: whole length 6·5 inches, wing 3·8,
tail 3·1. _Female_ similar, but outer primaries less acuminated.

_Hab._ Interior of Brazil, Eastern Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina down to Buenos Ayres.

Alcide d'Orbigny met with this fine species in Corrientes, and Dr. Burmeister in Entrerios, and again near Mendoza. In the neighbourhood of Concepcion Mr. Barrows speaks of it as a "not very abundant summer resident, but one not easily overlooked, owing to its habit of perching on the topmost twig of any tree on which it alights, making forays from time to time, when tempted by its winged prey."

In the vicinity of Buenos Ayres likewise this Tyrant is not a common species. Like other birds of its genus it has an easy, rapid flight, and perches on trees or other elevated places, from which it occasionally makes a dash at passing insects. The nest, as in _T. melancholicus_, is a very slight structure of slender sticks, and the eggs are four, parchment colour, and spotted at the large end with dark brown or chocolate. Mr. Barrows found a Cow-bird's egg in a nest of this species, which makes me think that it is less vigilant and warlike than _T. melancholicus_.

170. TYRANNUS MELANCHOLICUS, Vieill.

(MELANCHOLY TYRANT.)

+Tyrannus melancholicus+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 452; _Scl.
et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 53; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 178 (Buenos
Ayres); _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 608 (Salta); _Barrows, Bull.
Nutt. Orn. Cl._ vol. viii. p. 202 (Entrerios).

_Description._--Above grey with a slight greenish tinge; head
with a concealed vertical crest of scarlet and yellow; lores and
ear-coverts blackish; wings and tail brownish black with more or
less of paler margins; beneath yellow, throat greyish white, breast
more or less greyish, under wing-coverts pale yellow; bill and feet
black; outer primaries attenuated; tail deeply forked: whole length
8·5 inches, wing 4·6, tail 4·0. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Mexico and Central and South America down to Buenos Ayres.

The violent and bold temper exhibited by most Tyrant-birds during the breeding-season, a quality from which is derived the name of the family, is perhaps carried to a greater degree in this species than in any other; and when one spends many days or weeks in the marshy, littoral forests, where the bird is most abundant, and hears its incessant distressful screams, the specific name _melancholicus_ does not seem altogether inappropriate; and that is the most that can be said of any specific name invented by science, and which does not merely describe some peculiarity of form or colour.

This Tyrant is one of the largest of its kind, its total length being nearly nine inches. The wings are long and suited for an aerial life; the legs are exceedingly short, and the feet are used for perching only, for this species never alights on the ground. The throat and upper parts are grey, tinged with olive on the back; the wings and tail dark; the breast yellow tinged with green; the belly pure yellow. Under the loose grey feathers of the crown is a fiery orange crest displayed in moments of excitement.

In Buenos Ayres these birds arrive in September, after which their shrill, angry cries are incessantly heard, while the birds are seen pursuing each other through the air or in and out amongst the trees--perpetually driven about by the contending passions of love, jealousy, and rage. As soon as their domestic broils are over, a fresh war against the whole feathered race begins, which does not cease until the business of propagation is finished. I have frequently spent hours watching the male, successively attacking, with scarcely an interval of rest, every bird, big or little, approaching the sacred tree where its nest was placed. Its indignation at the sight of a cowardly Carrion-Hawk (_Milvago_) skulking about in search of small birds' nests, and the boundless fury of its onset, were wonderful to witness.

They are extremely active, and when not engaged in their endless aerial battles, are pursuing large insects on the wing, usually returning after each capture to their stand, from which they keep a jealous watch on the movements of all winged things about them. They are fond of marshy places and water-courses, where they perch on a tall stalk to watch for insects, and also frequently skim over the water like Swallows to drink and dip their feathers.

A tall tree is usually selected for the nest, which is not unfrequently placed on the very topmost twigs, exposed to the sight of every creature passing overhead, and as if in defiance of birds of prey. With such an aggressive temper as this bird possesses it is not strange perhaps that it builds in the most exposed places, from which the female, in the absence of her vigilant consort, can keep a sharp eye on the movements of her feathered neighbours; but I have often thought it singular that they do not make a deeper receptacle for their eggs, for the nest is merely a slight platform of slender sticks, and very ill-adapted to retain its burden during high winds. The parasitical Cow-bird never enters this nest, which is not strange.

The eggs are four in number, small for the bird, pointed, parchment-white, spotted with dark brown at the larger end.

171. MILVULUS TYRANNUS (Linn.).

(SCISSOR-TAIL TYRANT.)

+Milvulus tyrannus+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 53; _Durnford,
Ibis_, 1877, p. 178 (Buenos Ayres); _Gibson, Ibis_, 1880, p. 26
(Buenos Ayres); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ vol. viii. p. 203
(Entrerios). +Tyrannus violentus+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p.
453.

_Description._--Above cinereous, rump blackish; cap jet-black, with
a concealed yellow vertical crest; wings dark brown; tail black,
outer web of the outer rectrix white; beneath white; bill and feet
black; three outer primaries excised at the tips: whole length 14·0
inches, wing 4·6, tail 12·0. _Female_ similar, but outer
tail-feathers not so long.

_Hab._ Mexico, and Central and South America, down to Patagonia.

The _Tijereta_ (Scissor-tail)--a name derived from the habit the bird has of opening and closing the two long feathers of the tail when flying--is found throughout South America, and in the summer of the Southern Hemisphere ranges as far south as Patagonia.

The tail is forked, and the two outer feathers exceed by over four inches in length the next two. The total length of the adult male is fourteen inches, the tail being ten inches long; this species is therefore one of the longest-tailed we know of. The tail of the female is about two inches shorter than that of the male. The head is intense black; the plumage of the crown is rather long and loose, and when raised displays a vivid yellow crest. The neck and upper surface is light, clear grey; the under surface pure white; the tail black. During flight the two long feathers of the tail stream out behind like a pair of black ribbons; frequently the bird pauses suddenly in its flight, and then the two long feathers open out in the form of the letter V.

The Scissor-tail is migratory, and arrives, already mated, at Buenos Ayres at the end of September, and takes its departure at the end of February in families--old and young birds together. In disposition and general habits it resembles the true Tyrant-birds, but differs from them in language, its various chirping and twittering notes having a hard percussive sound, which Azara well compares to the snapping of castanets. It prefers open situations with scattered trees and bushes; and is also partial to marshy grounds, where it takes up a position on an elevated stalk to watch for insects, and seizes them in the air like the Flycatcher. It also greedily devours elderberries and other small fruits.

The nest is not deep, but is much more elaborately constructed than is usual with the Tyrants. Soft materials are preferred, and in many cases the nests are composed almost exclusively of wool. The inside is cup-shaped, with a flat bottom, and is smooth and hard, the thistle-down with which it is lined being cemented with gum. The eggs are four, sharply pointed, light cream-colour, and spotted, chiefly at the large end, with chocolate. In the breeding-time these Tyrants attack other birds approaching the nest with great spirit, and have a particular hatred to the Chimango, pursuing it with the greatest violence through the air with angry notes, resembling in sound the whetting of a scythe, but uttered with great rapidity and emphasis. How greatly this species is imposed upon by the Cow-bird, notwithstanding its pugnacious temper, we have already seen in my account of that bird.

The Scissor-tails have one remarkable habit; they are not gregarious, but once every day, just before the sun sets, all the birds living near together rise to the tops of the trees, calling to one another with loud, excited chirps, and then mount upwards like rockets to a great height in the air; then, after whirling about for a few moments, they precipitate themselves downwards with the greatest violence, opening and shutting their tails during their wild zigzag flight, and uttering a succession of sharp, grinding notes. After this curious performance they separate in pairs, and perching on the tree-tops each couple utters together its rattling castanet notes, after which the company breaks up.

Fam. XIV. PIPRIDÆ, or MANIKINS.

The brilliantly coloured _Pipridæ_ or _Manikins_ are nearly altogether confined to the tropical portions of the Neotropical Region, where they number about 70 species. Only one of these has as yet been discovered intruding in the northern outskirts of the Argentine Republic.

172. CHIROXIPHIA CAUDATA (Shaw).

(LONG-TAILED MANIKIN.)

+Chiroxiphia caudata+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 55; _White, P. Z.
S._ 1882, p. 608 (Misiones).

_Description._--Above blue; cap scarlet; sides of head, nape, and
wings black; tail black edged with bluish, two middle rectrices
lengthened; beneath blue; throat, crissum, and under wing-coverts
black; bill and feet reddish: whole length 6·0 inches, wing 3·1,
tail 2·5. _Female_ green, cap scarlet.

_Hab._ S.E. Brazil, Paraguay, and N.E. Argentina.

White obtained two or three males and one female of this Manikin in the forests of Misiones, on the banks of the Uruguay. One of his specimens is now in the British Museum.

Fam. XV. COTINGIDÆ, or COTINGAS.

The _Cotingidæ_ are another characteristic Neotropical family, mostly of splendid plumage, and nearly altogether confined within the limits of the tropics. Two stragglers only, belonging to the more obscure sections of the group, are as yet known to occur within the confines of Argentina, though it is quite probable that others may be found later on, when the northern forests are more completely explored.

173. PACHYRHAMPHUS POLYCHROPTERUS (Vieill.).

(WHITE-WINGED BÉCARD.)

+Pachyrhamphus polychropterus+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 56;
_Durnford, Ibis_, 1878, p. 61 (Buenos Ayres).

_Description._--Above cinereous, upper back blackish; cap shining
black; wings black, margins of coverts and secondaries white; tail
black, four outer pairs of rectrices tipped with white; beneath
cinereous, paler on the middle of the belly; under wing-coverts pale
grey; bill and feet blackish: whole length 6·5 inches, wing 3·0,
tail 2·6. _Female_ above dull green, below yellowish; wings margined
with rufous.

_Hab._ South Brazil, Paraguay, and N.E. Argentina.

This pretty little bird, the only species of the large South-American family _Cotingidæ_ with which I am acquainted, comes as far south as Buenos Ayres, but is very scarce. It lives in woods, and is a shy, solitary bird with nothing in its flight and general appearance to distinguish it from a Tyrant-bird. When flying, it utters a whistling note.

In January 1887, Durnford met with a pair of this species of Bécard in the riverain wood near Belgrano, and secured the male. They were busy catching flies, making frequent sallies from a willow tree in pursuit of them. Mr. Barrows obtained three specimens of what was probably the same bird at Concepcion in Entrerios, in November 1886 (_see_ Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl. viii. p. 203).

In the _male_ of this species, as in many other Bécards, the second primary is abnormally shortened, being only about one inch in length. See remarks on this subject in P. Z. S. 1857, p. 72, whence the woodcut exhibiting this strange feature is taken by kind permission.

174. CASIORNIS RUBRA (Vieill.).

(RUFOUS CHEESE-BIRD.)

+Suiriri roxo+, _Azara, Apunt._ ii. p. 128. +Casiornis rubra+, _Scl.
et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 57.

_Description._--Above uniform ferruginous, lores paler; beneath
lighter, belly yellowish; bill horn-colour, yellowish at the base;
feet plumbeous: whole length 6·8 inches, wing 3·4, tail 3·1.
_Female_ similar.

_Hab._ S. Brazil, Paraguay, and N. Argentina.

White obtained a female specimen of this bird at Campo Colorado, Oran, in November 1880; it is now in Sclater's Collection.

Fam. XVI. PHYTOTOMIDÆ, or PLANT-CUTTERS.

The peculiar form _Phytotoma_, remarkable for its toothed Fringilline bill, was associated by the older authors with the Finches. But modern researches have shown that it is not an Oscinine genus, and that its true place is near the _Cotingidæ_; indeed, some authors have placed it within the limits of that family.

Of the four known species of Plant-cutters, all restricted to South America, one is a well-known denizen of the Argentine Republic.

175. PHYTOTOMA RUTILA, Vieill.

(RED-BREASTED PLANT-CUTTER.)

[Plate VIII.]

et [female]]

+Phytotoma rutila+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 451 (Paraná,
Mendoza, Cordova, Tucuman, Catamarca); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._
p. 60; _Hudson, P. Z. S._ 1872, p. 537 (Rio Negro); _Barrows,
Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ viii. p. 203 (Entrerios); _White, P. Z. S._
1882, p. 609 (Catamarca).

_Description._--Above plumbeous, with slight darker shaft-spots;
front of head bright red; wings and tail blackish, two well-marked
wing-bars and tips of all lateral rectrices white; beneath bright
red; flanks plumbeous; under wing-coverts whitish: whole length 7·0
inches, wing 3·5, tail 3·3. _Female_: above grey, densely striated
with black; beneath dirty white, with dense black striations, belly
and crissum fulvous.

_Hab._ Argentine Republic.

I found this curious little bird quite common in Patagonia, where the natives call it _Chingolo grande_, on account of its superficial resemblance to the common Song-Sparrow (_Zonotrichia pileata_). The colouring of the sexes differs considerably, the forehead and under surface of the male being deep brick-red; the upper parts dull grey, with a bar on the wing and the tips of the rectrices white; while in the female the upper parts are yellowish grey, obscurely mottled, and the breast and belly buff, with dark spots. In both sexes the eye is yellow, and the feathers of the crown pileated to form a crest.

This bird is usually seen singly, but sometimes associates in small flocks; it is resident, and a very weak flier, and feeds on tender buds and leaves, berries and small seed. The male is frequently seen perched on the summit of a bush, and, amidst the dull-plumaged species that people the grey thickets of Patagonia, the bright red bosom gives it almost a gay appearance. When singing, or uttering its alarm notes when the nest is approached, its voice resembles the feeble bleatings of a small kid or lamb. When approached it conceals itself in the bush, and when flying progresses by a series of short jerky undulations, the wings producing a loud humming sound.

The nest is made in the interior of a thorny bush, and built somewhat slightly of fine twigs and lined with fibres. The eggs are four, bluish-green in colour, with brownish flecks.

This species is found throughout the Argentine country, in dry, open situations, abounding with a scanty tree and bush vegetation.

Suborder III. _TRACHEOPHONÆ._

Fam. XVII. DENDROCOLAPTIDÆ, or WOOD-HEWERS.

The _Dendrocolaptidæ_ are an important family in American Ornithology, numbering some 220 species, and distributed in greater or less abundance over every part of the Neotropical Region from Mexico to Patagonia. Within Argentine limits 46 species occur.

While green is the characteristic colour of the _Tyrannidæ_, brown is the favoured hue of the _Dendrocolaptidæ_, both the forest-loving and campos-frequenting members of the group being nearly without exception arrayed in various shades of that sombre colour, to which a ferruginous tail is a very frequent appendage.

The _Dendrocolaptidæ_ fall into four subfamilies, all of which have representatives in Argentina. These are (1) the _Furnariinæ_, or Oven-birds, which are terrestrial in habits and have their feet adapted for this mode of life; (2) the _Sclerurinæ_, or Leaf-scrapers, known by their spiny tail, which keep to the ground inside the forests; (3) the _Synallaxinæ_, or Sharp-tails, mostly bush-frequenting birds; and (4) the _Dendrocolaptinæ_, or Wood-hewers, which have the habits of our Creepers (_Certhia_), and use their tail as a climbing-organ. All the members of this great family feed exclusively on insects.

Subfam. I. _FURNARIINÆ._

176. GEOSITTA CUNICULARIA (Vieill.).

(COMMON MINER.)

+Geositta cunicularia+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 405 (Mendoza,
Paraná); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 61; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877,
p. 178 (Buenos Ayres), et 1878, p. 395 (Chupat); _Barrows,
Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ viii. p. 203 (Entrerios). +Geositta
tenuirostris+, _White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 609 (Salta).

_Description._--Above nearly uniform earthy brown; wing-feathers
pale cinnamon-red; greater part of the outer webs, excepting the
inner secondaries and a transverse bar across the secondaries,
blackish; tail pale cinnamon-red, with a broad blackish band across
the terminal half; beneath pale fulvous white, breast more or less
variegated with blackish; under wing-coverts pale cinnamomeous; bill
horn-colour, pale at the base; feet horn-colour: whole length 5·5
inches, wing 3·5, tail 2·0. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Chili, Patagonia and Argentina.

The country people have a variety of names for this common and well-known species. In Buenos Ayres it is usually called _Manea-cola_ (Shake-tail), in Patagonia _Caserita_ (Little House-builder), and in other places _Minera_ (Miner) or _Caminante_ (Traveller), from its habit of running rapidly along a clean road or bridle-path before a person riding or walking.

It is a stout little bird, with very short toes quite unsuited for perching, and it does not, in fact, ever perch on a tree, though it manages to cling to a perpendicular bank very well, when engaged in opening its breeding-hole. It is resident and pairs for life, and lives in sterile places, feeding on small insects and spiders. In manner it is very lively, and runs swiftly over the bare ground, stopping very abruptly, then running on again, and at every pause slowly moving its half-open tail up and down. It flies swiftly, close to the ground, and always during its short flight trills out its clear, ringing, rapidly reiterated cry, which in sound resembles the laughter of a child.

On the grassy pampas the Miners invariably attach themselves to the _Vizcacheras_--as the groups of great burrows made by the large rodent, the Vizcacha, are called; for there is always a space free from grass surrounding the burrows where the birds can run freely about. In the sides of the deep pit-like entrance to one of these burrows the bird bores a cylindrical hole, from three to six feet long, and terminating in a circular chamber. This is lined with soft dry grass, and five white eggs are laid.

Though the birds inhabit the Vizcacha village all the year, they seem always to make a fresh hole to breed in every spring, the forsaken holes being given up to the small Swallow, _Atticora cyanoleuca_.

177. GEOBAMON RUFIPENNIS, Burm.

(RED-WINGED MINER.)

+Geobamon rufipennis+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 465 (Paraná).

_Description._--Above reddish grey-brown; lores, rim round the eye,
cheeks, and body below white; breast tinged with yellowish grey;
wings blackish brown, inner webs ferruginous, with their tips and
outer basal edges pale ferruginous; tail bright ferruginous, with a
broad black transverse band near the tip; bill black, base of under
mandible and legs pale brown: whole length 7·0 inches, wing 4·0,
tail 2·0.

_Hab._ Paraná.

This form is unknown to us, and we can only give a short translation of Burmeister's description of it. It is said to resemble _Geositta_, but has a much shorter and perfectly straight beak.

178. FURNARIUS RUFUS (Gm.).

(RED OVEN-BIRD.)

+Furnarius rufus+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 462 (La Plata);
_Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 61; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 179
(Buenos Ayres); _Gibson, Ibis_, 1880, p. 16 (Buenos Ayres).

_Description._--Above earthy brown, with a slight rufescent tinge,
wing-feathers blackish, margined with pale brown; whole of the outer
secondaries pale brown, like the back; tail and upper tail-coverts
bright ferruginous brown; below white, breast and flanks and under
wing-coverts pale sandy-brown; under surface of the wing with a
broad sandy bar across the basal portion; bill and feet horn-colour:
whole length 7·8 inches, wing 4·0, tail 2·8. _Female_ similar.

_Hab._ Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay.

The Red Oven-bird is an extremely well-known species in Argentina, and, where found, a great favourite on account of its familiarity with man, its loud, ringing, cheerful voice, and its wonderful mud nest, which it prefers to build near a human habitation, often on a cornice, a projecting beam, or on the roof of the house itself.

It is a stout little bird, about 8-1/2 to 9 inches long, with a slender, slightly-curved beak nearly an inch in length, and strong legs suited to its terrestrial habits. The upper plumage is uniform rufous-brown in colour, brightest on the tail; the under surface very light brown. It ranges throughout the Argentine Republic to Bahia Blanca in the south, and is usually named _Hornero_ or _Casera_ (Oven-bird or House-builder), but in Paraguay and Corrientes it is called _Alonzo Garsia_ or _Alonzito_. Azara could give no reason for such a name; but it seems to me that one need not look for one beyond the fact that this species inspires an affectionate admiration in the country people: I mean in those of _Spanish_ origin, for the bird-killing French and Italians have no tenderness for it. I have frequently been assured by natives that the Hornero is a _pious_ bird, and always suspends its labours on sacred days. With this pretty belief about it in their minds, it is not strange that in some districts they have called it by a human name.