WHITE-CAPPED TANAGER 43 
equal the Tanagers in this respect. Another difference 
is that while wearing a more brilliant dress they are 
less musical. They have not wholly forgotten that 
they are song birds; they all sing ‘“ after a fashion,’”’ 
but it is rare to find a species possessing a song 
comparable in beauty to that of the best singers in 
the Finch family. 
Azara gave the generic name Lindo (beautiful) 
to the Tanagers, and this species he named the 
“ Blue White-headed Beautiful,” the entire plumage 
being of a very lovely deep cornflower blue, except 
a cap of silvery-white feathers on the head, with a 
crimson spot on the forehead, looking like a drop of 
blood. 
It is a summer bird in Buenos Ayres, where it 
makes its appearance in spring in the woods border- 
ing on the Plata river, and is usually seen singly or 
in pairs, The nest is built in a tree ten or twelve 
feet from the ground, and is somewhat shallow 
and lined with soft dry grass. The female lays four 
eggs, white and spotted with deep red. During 
incubation the male sits concealed in the thick 
foliage close by, amusing itself by the hour with 
singing, its performance consisting of chattering 
disconnected notes uttered in so low a tone as 
to make one fancy that the bird is merely trying 
to recall some melody it has forgotten, or endea- 
vouring to construct a new one by jerking out a 
variety of sounds at random. The bird never gets 
beyond this unsatisfactory stage, however, and 
must. be admired for its lovely colouring alone. 
