156 Idle Days in Patagonia. 



mostly brilliantly-coloured, some rivalling the hum- 

 ming-birds in the vivid tints and metallic lustre of 

 their plumage, form an exclusively Neotropical 

 family ; but they are closely related to the finches, 

 and in the genera in which these two great and 

 melodious families touch and mingle, it is impossible 

 to say of many species which are finches and which 

 tanagers. Another purely American family, with a 

 hundred and thirty known species, a large majority 

 adorned with rich or brilliant or gay and strongly- 

 contrasted colours, are the troupials Icteridae; 

 and these are closely related to the starlings of the 

 Old World. 



Finally, it may be added that the true melodists 

 of the Neotropical region the passerine birds of 

 the sub-order Oscines, which have the developed 

 vocal organ number about twelve hundred species : 

 a big fact when it is remembered that of the five 

 hundred species of birds in Europe, only two 

 hundred and five at the most are classed as song- 

 sters, inclusive of fly-catchers, corvine birds and 

 many others which have no melody. 



It is clear then, from these facts and figures, 

 that South America is not wanting in songsters, 

 that, on the contrary, it surpasses all other regions 

 of the globe of equal extent in number of species. 



It only remains to say something on another 

 matter namely, the character and value of 

 the music. And here the reader might think 

 that I have got myself into a quandary, since I 

 began by complaining of the unworthy opinion 



