223



underparts are flaming red, and on each side of the head is a

patch of the same colour. The rump and shoulders are a lovely

shade of bright blue, rather difficult to describe, being somewhat

mauvish and very shining. It is remarkable that these birds

should be as common as they are, for almost every boy in Quito

uses a catapult or a blow pipe, and is always popping at the birds

along the road side. The P. igniventris especially affords them

a good mark as it sits on the top of the twigs, and I have seen

one boy with as many as a dozen of these birds alone, the result

of a day’s spoil. The poorer class of people in Quito make

fairly artistic feather pictures, so birds of bright plumage are

much sought after by them and a good sprinkling of the feathers

of this Tanager can generally be detected in their productions.


There seems to be very little difference between the sexes,

but in placing the skins side by side I notice that the red on the

breast of the female is slightly more orange. One reason why

the Quitenos get so few birds to live, is because they seem to

have no knowledge of trapping them properly. They generally

depend upon the aforementioned bo)^s to procure them live

birds, which are merely those that are stunned by the clay

pellets and are not killed outright. As a rule they are inwardly

injured and survive outy a few days.


Two other gaily coloured birds found on Pichincha at a

higher altitude than Quito are the Buthraupis cucullata and

B. chloronota. The former one we found particularly plentiful

at cold Papallacta, where we found them feeding on hard berries

and seeds. The length of the bird is inches. The head,

throat, tail and primaries are black, and the neck, back and wing

coverts the same shade of blue as in the P. igniventris, but with

a still more shining surface: the whole of the breast and under¬

parts are clear yellow, and the outer edging of the secondary

wing feathei'S is also blue. The beak is black, short and thick.

B. chloronota is a trifle smaller bird, and has the head, neck and

shoulders violet blue, the throat and upper part of the breast

black, and the lower parts of the breast'chrome yellow ; the vent

and under tail coverts being more reddish. The back is leaf

green and the secondary wing feathers are also broadA edged

with the same colour, the primaries and tail being black. We

frequently saw both varieties together, and found it impossible

to distinguish the notes of one from the other. They seem to

have no song, neither is their call note agreeable, but they have

such a bold attractive air about them, that I feel sure they would

be nice birds to have in cages. B. chloronota seems to be con-



