YELLOW CARDINAL 51 



tuneful, elegant in form, graceful and buoyant in its 

 motions. When approached it utters a series of low 

 ticking sounds, and at intervals a peculiar long squeal- 

 ing note. The song of the male is very agreeable, 

 and curiously resembles that of the Cachila Pipit 

 (Anthus correndera). It usually sits on a twig near 

 the ground, and at intervals soars up to a height of 

 ten or twenty yards, and utters its song while gliding 

 slowly downwards with depressed wings and out- 

 spread tail. It sings throughout the year ; in bright 

 weather its notes are heard all day long, but on cold, 

 cloudy, or wet days only after sunset, on going to 

 roost. In the warm season they live in pairs, and in 

 the autumn unite in flocks of as many as two or three 

 hundred individuals, and have a strong undulating 

 flight. 



There are five more species of Phrygilus in 

 Argentina. 



YELLOW CARDINAL 



Gubernatrix cristatella 



Above light olive-green, the back marked with a few black stripes ; 

 four middle tail-feathers black, edged with olive ; all the others bright 

 yellow, tipped with olive ; superciliaries and lower part of head bright 

 yellow ; crown, crest, and throat velvet black, the black extending to 

 the chest; beneath, yellow, washed with olive-green on the breast 

 and sides ; length 8 inches. Female less brightly coloured ; white on 

 the head where the male is yellow ; breast grey. 



THE Yellow Cardinal is one of the most charming 

 of the Argentine Finches ; a lively graceful bird, 

 beautiful in its yellow-and-black dress, with a loud 



