72 ICTERUS. 



93. AMBLYCERCUS SOLITARIUS (Vieill.). 

 (SOLITARY CASSIQUE.) 



Cassicus solitarius, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 36; Barrows, Bul Nutt. Orn, 



Cl. Tiii. p. 133 (Entrerios) ; Scl. Cat. B. xi. p. 326. 



Description. Uniform black; bill white ; feet black: total length 11 inches, 

 wing 4*8, tail 4'5. Female similar, but smaller. 



Hab. Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Northern Argentina. 

 Mr. Barrows obtained a single specimen of this species at Concepcion, 

 and others were seen. It was said to be an excellent song-bird, and 

 to be more abundant further up the Uruguay River. 



94. MOLOTHRUS BONARIENSIS (Gm.). 

 (ARGENTINE COW-BIRD.) 



Molothrus bonariensis, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 37; Hudson, P. Z. S. 1872, 

 p. 809, 1874, p. 153 (Buenos Ayres) ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, pp.- 33, 174 

 (Chupat) ; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 601 (Buenos Ayres) ; Doring, Exp. 

 al Rio Negro, Zool. p. 41 (Carhue) ; Barroios, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl. viii. p. 133 

 (Entrerios); Scl. Cat. B. xi. p. 335. Molothrus sericeus, Burin. La- 

 Plata Reise, ii. p. 494. 



Description. Uniform shining purplish black ; less lustrous on wings and 

 tail ; bill and feet black : total length 7'5 inches, wing 4'5, tail 3*0. Female 

 dark ashy brown, beneath paler ; slightly smaller in size. 



Hab. Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Brazil. 



This species is the Tor do Comun of Azara, and is usually called 

 " Tor do " or " Pajaro Negro " by the Spanish, and " Blackbird" by the 

 English-speaking Argentines. A more suitable name, I think, is the 

 Argentine Cow-bird, which has been given to it by some writers on 

 ornithology, Cow-bird being the name of the closely allied North- 

 American species, Molothrus pecoris. 



This Cow-bird is widely distributed in South America, and is 

 common throughout the Argentine country, including Patagonia, as 

 far south as Chupat. In Buenos Ayres it is very numerous, especially 

 in cultivated districts where there are plantations of trees. The male 

 is clothed in a glossy plumage of deep violaceous purple, the wings and 

 tail being dark metallic green ; but seen at a distance or in the shade 

 the bird looks black. The female is inferior in size and has a dull, 

 mouse-coloured plumage, and black beak and legs. The males are 

 much more numerous than the females. Azara says that nine birds in 

 ten are males ; but I am not sure that the disparity is so great as that. 

 It seems strange and contrary to Nature's usual rule that the smaller, 



