SPERMOPHILA MELANOCEPHALA. 45 



51. SPERMOPHILA PALUSTRIS, Barrows. 

 (MARSH FINCH.) 



Spermophila palustris, Barrows, Butt. Nutt. Orn. Cl. viii. p. 92 (Concepcion) ; 

 Sharpe, Cat. B. xii. p. 112. 



Description. Above, from bill to rump, clear bluish ash ; below, from bill to 

 middle of breast, including lower eyelid, ear-coverts, and sides of neck, pure 

 white ; rest of underparts, rump, and upper tail-coverts bright chestnut-red ; 

 wings and tail blackish brown, edged with whitish ; inner secondaries black, 

 their tips and outer edges broadly white ; a white patch across the base of all 

 the primaries except the first two ; bill and feet black, iris dark : total length 

 4-50 inches, wing 2-18, tail 1'70. Female above uniform greenish olive, obscurely 

 streaked with dusky ; below light yellowish buff ; wings and tail nearly as in 

 male, but duller. 



This small and beautiful Finch was discovered by Mr. Barrows in 

 February 1880, on the Lower Uruguay. It inhabits the marshes, where 

 the males are frequently seen pursuing each other in the pairing-season, 

 occasionally pausing on the top of some tall grass to pour out their 

 delightful song. In character this resembles that of the Black-headed 

 Goldfinch ; but has, Mr. Barrows says, a variety and sweetness far 

 beyond the powers of that bird. 



It is just possible that Mr. Barrows's Finch may be Azara's uniden- 

 tified Chipiu par do y canela (Apuntamientos, vol. i. no. 143), which 

 has the same habits, living in the dense reed-beds of the Paraguayan 

 marshes, and is also a delightful singer, superior to the Goldfinch or 

 Canary, Azara says. 



52. SPERMOPHILA MELANOCEPHALA (Vieill). 

 (BLACK-HEADED FINCH.) 



Spermophila melanocephala, Sharpe, Cat. B. xii. p. 118. 



Description. Above black ; rump and lesser wing-coverts bright rufous ; large 

 loral spot on each side white ; wings and tail black ; alar speculum white ; 

 beneath, throat white, band across the breast black ; belly pale rufous ; flanks 

 and crissum dark rufous ; under wing-coverts white ; bill and feet black : whole 

 length 5-0 inches, wing 2-4, tail 2'2. 



Hab. Paraguay and Argentina. 



A specimen of this species, now in the British Museum, was obtained 

 by Durnford at Punta Lara in October 1875. 



