CHINGOLO SONG-SPARROW 55 



plants a tree there it comes to keep him company, 

 while in cultivated and thickly settled districts it is 

 excessively abundant, and about Buenos Ayres it 

 literally swarms in the fields and plantations* They 

 are not, strictly speaking, gregarious, but where 

 food attracts them, or the shelter of a hedge on a 

 cold windy day, thousands are frequently seen con- 

 gregated in one place; when disturbed, however, 

 these accidental flocks immediately break up, the 

 birds scattering abroad in different directions* 



The Chingolo is a very constant singer, his song 

 beginning with the dawn of day in spring and con- 

 tinuing until evening ; it is very short, being com- 

 posed of a chirping prelude and four long notes, 

 three uttered in a clear thin voice, the last a trill. 

 This song is repeated at brief intervals, as the bird 

 sits motionless, perched on the disc of a thistle- 

 flower, the summit of a stalk, or other elevation ; 

 and where the Chingolos are very abundant the 

 whole air, on a bright spring morning, is alive with 

 their delicate melody ; only one must pause and 

 listen before one is aware of it, otherwise it will escape 

 notice, owing to its thin ethereal character, the multi- 

 tudinous notes not mingling but floating away, as it 

 were, detached and scattered, mere gossamer webs 

 of sound that very faintly impress the sense. They 

 also sing frequently at night, and in that dark silent 

 time their little melody sounds strangely sweet and 

 expressive. 



The Chingolos pair about the end of September, 

 and at that time their battles are frequent, as they are 



