156 - Ldle 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—Icteride ; 
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 
