YELLOW HOUSE-SPARROW 61 
utter a low, soft, trilling note; and when the nest 
is approached they break out into long, somewhat 
reedy notes, resembling those of the Canary, ex- 
pressive of alarm or curiosity. 
There is but one other Siskin in Argentina, the 
Half-black Siskin, C. atrata, found in Bolivia and 
North-West Argentina, but of its habits and language 
nothing has been recorded. 
YELLOW HOUSE-SPARROW 
Sycalis pelzelni 
Above yellowish olive-green, the back sparsely striped with blackish ; 
wing- and tail-feathers black, edged with yellow; forehead bright 
orange, the rest of the head like the back; below bright yellow; 
under surfaces of wings and tail also yellow; length 5.4 inches. 
Female dull brownish grey mottled with blackish above; under sur- 
face whitish grey, striped with dusky brown on the breast; wing- 
and tail-feathers edged with yellow. 
? 
THE Yellow ‘‘ House-Sparrow,” as this species is 
called, is the town-bird of Buenos Ayres, but does 
not multiply greatly, nor is he familiar with man, 
like his rough, sooty-plumaged, far-away London 
relation.* 
The forehead of the male is bright orange, the 
prevailing colour of the entire plumage yellow, 
clouded with other hues. The female is grey, marked 
1 Alas! since this was first written in 1888 the “ far-away’”’ relation has 
invaded Buenos Ayres, and as in so many other countries has become a pest. 
One result of its appearance has been the vanishing of the pretty and 
engaging Yellow House-Sparrow. 
