CHINGOLO SONG-SPARROW 55 
plants a tree there it comes to keep him company, 
while in cultivated and thickly settled districts it is 
excessively abundant, and about Buenos Ayres it 
literally swarms in the fields and plantations. They 
are not, strictly speaking, gregarious, but where 
food attracts them, or the shelter of a hedge on a 
cold windy day, thousands are frequently seen con- 
gregated in one place; when disturbed, however, 
these accidental flocks immediately break up, the 
birds scattering abroad in different directions. 
The Chingolo is a very constant singer, his song 
beginning with the dawn of day in spring and con- 
tinuing until evening; it is very short, being com- 
posed of a chirping prelude and four long notes, 
three uttered in a clear thin voice, the last a trill. 
This song is repeated at brief intervals, as the bird 
sits motionless, perched on the disc of a thistle- 
flower, the summit of a stalk, or other elevation ; 
and where the Chingolos are very abundant the 
whole air, on a bright spring morning, is alive with 
their delicate melody; only one must pause and 
listen before one is aware of it, otherwise it will escape 
notice, owing to its thin ethereal character, the multi- 
tudinous notes not mingling but floating away, as it 
were, detached and scattered, mere gossamer webs 
of sound that very faintly impress the sense. They 
also sing frequently at night, and in that dark silent 
time their little melody sounds strangely sweet and 
expressive. 
The Chingolos pair about the end of September, 
and at that time their battles are frequent, as they are 
