336



Dr. Arthur G. Butler,



becoming in fact almost black on tbe forehead ; the sides of

the head and of the throat are black ; a broad superciliary stripe

which commences above the middle of the eye, passes with a

distinctly marked angle, behind the ear-coverts to the back of

the cheeks; in fully adult males this stripe is white above the

eye, in hens it is pale buffish, in }'oung birds fulvous; the

remainder of the stripe is rather more deeply fulvous at all

ages; the chin in adult males is more or less varied with white.

In male birds at all ages (not in adults only as was supposed)

there is a well-defined black gular collar uniting the sides of the

throat; the tail is slate-grey; the outer rectrices, apparently

only in old birds, more or less varied with white at the ends ;

the under parts from and including the centre of the throat

backwards, are of a dull rusty testaceous hue, the throat being

a little brighter than the breast or abdomen ; the breast in front

is also somewhat, smoky (which perhaps makes the throat seem

rather brighter than it actually is). The beak in young birds

is dark horn-colour suffused with leaden grey, but as the bird

gets older it gradually changes to orange-ochreous witli blackish

tip ; the culmen and one or two streaks on the mandible or lower

portion of the beak remaining for some time after the other

parts have become orange ; the feet are leaden grey ; iris dark

brown.


With this peculiar type of colouring, it is not surprising

that the late Dr. Russ should have regarded this and the other

species of Saltator as Grosbeaks, referring them to the genus

Coccothraustes; but why he should have applied to them the

misleading trivial name of “Parrot-finch” (Papagei-fink) is a

poser, unless the dentirostral character of the species suggested

the misnomer: he gathers from Burmeister and Frantzius that it

must have a lovely song.*


It would seem that Dr. Russ is not the only one who has

been struck with the Grosbeak-like aspect of this bird; for

three examples imported in September 1903, were regarded as

“American Hawfinches.” My friend Mr. James Housden



* Mr. J. Graham Kerr, however (Ibis 1892, p. 125) says that it “utters a series ot

chirping notes of small range.” Mr. W. Goodfellow (Ibis 1901, p. 472) speaks of Saltalot

tuperciliosus having a loud sweet song, uttered from the highest twigs.



