I918.] Cape San Antonio, Buenos Ayres. 385 



Adult. Iris reddish brown ; bill brown above, whitish 

 below ; feet blaek. 



Juv. Iris brown ; bill dark brown ; feet dark grey. 



59. Poospiza nigrorufa d'Orb. et Lat'r. Black-and-ehestuut 

 Warbling Finch. 



This Finch is to be t'onnd abont the woods, and occa- 

 sionally ill dry swamps or the coverts of " Junquillo negro '' 

 (Juncus acutus). 



Though in evidence all the year round, singly or in 

 pairs, it is not an abundant species. One summer, from 

 1 November, 1898, to 31 January, 1899, proved a singular 

 exception. I find it recorded as '' Unusually plentiful. 

 Instead of the two or three strictly localised pairs of former 

 years, it is to be seen and heard everywhere— in the woods, 

 garden, sub-stations, thistle-beds, and swamps. Brown, the 

 carpenter, had no difficulty in trapping some for his aviary, 

 where they quickly became at home with his canaries. 

 He described to me a peculiar habit of the male, which 

 occasionally spreads its tail like a Turkey-cock " (I cannot 

 personally confirm the last statement). It always has a 

 tendency in its haunts to brushwood and weed-coverts. 



The constantly-iterated song is pretty, though only con- 

 sisting of a few notes, and is not unlike that of the 

 Chaffinch. Frequently I have been aware of the presence 

 of the bird, without actually being able to set eyes on it, 

 owing to its secluded surroundings amidst the dense under- 

 growth. 



The food in the crop I have found to be small beetles. 



I confess the nest is very difficult to find. Two are 

 described respectively in my notes as follows : — " Placed 

 on the top of a little Tala stump, about a foot from the 

 ground, among thick dry brushwood and weeds. Built 

 rather slovenly of dry grass and plant stems, and lined with 

 fine roots and a few horsehairs. Two eggs. 12th October, 

 1879." The second : — " Situated in a big thistle, about a 

 foot from the ground, in an opening in a wood. Built of 

 dry grass and lined with hair. Two (much-incubated) eggs 



