AVES PHYTOTOMID^. 8ll 



Plata ; every orchard on the pampas is visited by a few of them ; and they 

 are very abundant about Buenos Aires 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 to 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." 



Family Phytotomid^e. 



Sclater, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus. xiv. p. 406 (1888); Sharpe, Hand-List Bds. 

 iii. p. 178 (1901). 



Genus PHYTOTOMA Molina. 



Type. 



PJiytotoma Molina, Saggio s. St. Nat. Chili, p. 345 (1782) . P. vara. 

 Geographical Range. — ^South America, from western Peru south through 

 Bolivia and Argentina to Northern and Central Patagonia, and Chili. 



Phytotoma rutila rutila Vieillot. 



Phytotoma nitila Vieillot, Nov. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xxvi. p. 64 (1818), based 

 on " Habia dentudo" of Azara (Paraguay). 



Description. — Adult male, 284574 Biol. Survey Colin., U. S. Dept. of 

 Agriculture, Victorica, Pampa, Argentina, December 29, 1920, Alexander 

 Wetmore. Total length, 6.90 inches ; wing, 3.50 ; culmen, .48 ; tail, 3.40 ; 

 tarsus, .90. Above dark bluish gray, mottled with black on the back; 

 wings blackish with large conspicuous white spots on the coverts forming 

 two bands, narrow white tips to the secondaries ; tail black with white tips 

 to all but the middle pair of feathers; crown and entire under surface 

 bright orange tawny, sides of the face gray like the back, thighs gray, feet 

 and bill dusky. 



Female entirely different, general aspect streaked black and white. Upper 

 parts blackish brown with gray streaks on the back becoming whitish on 

 the head and neck, rump largely gray ; below buffy white with distinct 

 black streaks, wings and tail dull blackish brown with slight white tips to 

 wing coverts and all but the middle pair of tail feathers. 



Geographical Range. — Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina (Rio Negro). 

 Apparently does not occur south of the lower Rio Negro Valley. 



