SISOPYGIS TCTEROPHRYS. 125 



Azara found this singular species not uncommon in Paraguay, and 

 since his brief notice of it in the ' Apuntamientos ' nothing concerning 

 its habits has been recorded. It has a somewhat laboured flight, he 

 says ; lives in pairs or families, frequenting low or marshy grounds, 

 where it perches on the summit of the reeds or bushes, and flies down 

 to the ground to capture insects. It also occasionally dashes after 

 passing insects, taking them on the wing. It has a loud whistle, which 

 it utters frequently without any variation. 



125. SISOPYGIS ICTEROPHRYS (Vieill.). 

 (YELLOW-BROWED TYRANT.) 



Sisopygis icterophrys, Hudson, P. Z. S. 1868, p. 141 ; Scl. et Salv. Nomencl 

 p. 43 ; Durnford, Ibis, 1877, p. 176 (Buenos Ayres) ; Gibson, Ibis, 1880, p. 29 

 (Buenos Ayres) ; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 604 (Buenos Ayres) ; Barrows, 

 Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl. viii. p. 141 (Entrerios). Taenioptera icterophrys, 

 Burm. La-Plata Reise, ii. p. 460 (Parana). 



Description. Above bright olive-green, head rather greyish, lores and super- 

 ciliary stripes yellow ; wings blackish, broad ends of coverts and outer edges of 

 secondaries dirty white ; tail blackish ; beneath bright yellow, sides of breast 

 and flanks olivaceous ; under wing-coverts whitish ; bill dark horn-colour ; feet 

 black : whole length 6*1 inches, wing 3-5, tail 2-7. Female similar, but less 

 bright. 



Hob. S.E. Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Northern La Plata, and 

 highlands of Bolivia and Peru. 



This small and pretty Tyrant-bird is quite common in the woods 

 along the Plata, and is also seen a great deal in orchards and groves in 

 the cultivated districts. In Buenos Ayres it is a summer visitor, 

 appearing there in October, and is a shy, solitary bird, which catches 

 insects on the wing, and rarely visits the ground. 



The nest is placed in a tree, ill-concealed, and very shallow : it is built 

 of fine sticks, and lined with fine grass, horse-hair, and feathers. The 

 eggs are four, pointed, pale cream-colour, with large dark red spots, 

 chiefly at the larger end. 



The only language of this species is a very low plaintive whistle, 

 uttered as a faint protest when the nest is approached. 



The upper plumage is olive-green ; the entire under surface and a 

 stripe on the side of the head pure yellow ; wing and tail-quills dark. 

 Total length 6 inches. 



