172



Correspondence , Notes, etc.



No. 7. Very rare. No. 8. Rare. No. 9. Common.


No. 10. Come in big flocks in the beginning of winter. I11 the

summer they make their nests in the torrid plain below this place amongst

the big Algarroba trees.


No. 11. Rare.


No. 12. The most common of all. The American .Sparrow, like bis

congener in England, is always found about the houses, stores, &c., and is

just as insolent.


No. 13. Rare.


No. 14. Common ; but always singly and in pairs. This bird is not

at all shy; easy to rear I should think in captivity.


No. 15. Not rare—neither common. I always have a pair or two

here every year ; they are pretty birds, and the cock has a beautiful, or

perhaps I should say a very powerful, song. It is a pretty bird, and the

sexes are very different here.


No. 16. Common here. They do a lot of harm to the vineyard, &c.,

like the Bullfinch does in England to the buds.


No. 17. Rare.


No. 18. Common. At certain times of the year in winter they come

down from the hills, and go about in fairly big flocks.


No. 19. Rather rare. Found only in the hills.


No. 20. Common here at certain seasons ; we see them in flocks and

in pairs. The cock has a most pleasant song, and is very fond of hearing

his own voice.


I have given you this list of the Fringillidce, as perhaps these are the

easier birds to keep in captivity. As I have said before I hope soon to be

able to put up an aviary and stock it, and then I will send you more if you

like to hear from me.


The Orange-billed Tauager (.Solicitor aurcintiirosiris), which is the

subject of the coloured plate for October, is very common here. He does a

lot of mischief too : he has a habit of biting the vine sprout just below the

young bunch of grapes, apparently only to suck the iume of the stem, as it

is not left cut, but simply flattened out. The colouring on the plate is

slightly 7 different from that of the bird here, but this may differ in the

different localities. We are here in lat. 27 0 more or less, but at 4000 feet

above sea level. This is an oasis, as we are surrounded on three sides by

an arid plain; and to the north by high mountains—the highest peak,

Aconquija, being iS,ooo feet above sea level—and of course with eternal

snow ; so we get any amount of birds and a great variation in climate.

Here we are full of fruits of all kinds, maize, wheat, vineyards. &c,, hence

lots of birds come to the feasting. Of the Tyrannidce I have now observed

and painted 30 species—and so on.


I send you a description of our Saltator, so you will see it is rather

different:—Above, grey 7 ; slight olive on back and on tail coverts; top of



