350 BULLETIN 133, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



countered in growths of heavy weeds along irrigation ditches, in 

 small marshes, or in corn fields, where they sang and chattered or 

 worked quietly about. At this season it was easy to draw them into 

 sight, as at a squeak they came clambering and hopping out through 

 the dense growth that sheltered them until often they were scarcely 

 a meter away. All were in molt into first fall plumage. Several 

 of those secured were badly infested about the anus with larvae of 

 a parasitic fly, which, however, seemed to cause them no incon- 

 venience. 



An adult male, when fresh, had the maxilla dull black; base of 

 mandible vinaceous buff, with the tip washed with quaker drab; 

 iris natal brown ; tarsus and toes wood brown ; claws fuscous. 



Family MIMIDAE 



MIMUS TRIURUS (Vieillot) 



Turdus triurus Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat., vol. 20, 1818, p. 275. 

 (Paraguay.) 



In the series of 11 skins preserved there seems to be no constant dif- 

 ference between specimens from northern Patagonia, Pampa, Men- 

 doza, and Paraguay. The banded mocking bird was collected and 

 observed as follows: Santa Fe, Santa Fe, July 4, 1920; Resistencia, 

 Chaco, July 10; Las Palmas, Chaco, July 13 to August 1 (male July 

 15, female July 27) ; Riacho Pilaga, Formosa, August 13 to 21 

 (female August 18) ; Formosa, Formosa, August 23 and 24; Puerto 

 Pinasco, Paraguay, September 3; Kilometer 80, west of Puerto 

 Pinasco, September 6 to 20 (males September 7 and 15) ; Kilometer 

 110, September 23, and Kilometer 200, September 25 (west of the 

 same point) ; General Roca, Rio Negro, November 23 to December 

 3 (female November 24) ; Carhue, Buenos Aires, December 19; Vic- 

 torica, Pampa, December 23 to 29 (adult male and two females De- 

 cember 26, immature male, December 29) ; Tunuyan, Mendoza, March 

 24 and 27, 1921 (immature female, March 27) ; Tapia, Tucuman, 

 April 12. 



Birds taken at the end of December were in much worn plumage. 

 A young male in ju venal plumage, taken December 29, has the 

 breast obscurely mottled with grayish brown, but is otherwise similar 

 to adults. An immature female, shot March 27, has not quite com- 

 pleted the post- Juvenal molt, and in fresh plumage is darker and 

 richer in color than others examined. Some skins from Victorica, 

 Pampa, and the one from Mendoza, have the bill slightly heavier 

 than in specimens seen from more eastern localities. 



In general appearance and habits the banded mocker is similar to 

 Mimus folyglottos. It inhabits dense growths of low brush, though 



