MISTO SEED-FINCH 67 
MISTO SEED-FINCH 
Sycalis luteola 
Above light olive-green, marked with dusky stripes ; wing- and tail- 
feathers blackish ; throat and chest dusky buff; lower breast and belly 
yellow ; length 5 inches. 
Tuis is a slender, graceful bird, less than the Canary 
in size, the whole upper plumage yellowish olive, 
with dun markings, the lower surface of a dull yellow. 
The female is a little smaller than the male, and her 
colours are somewhat dimmer. 
This species is resident and gregarious in the 
Argentine Republic, and in autumn frequently con- 
gregates in flocks of several thousands. They are not 
so universally distributed as the Chingolo, and are 
not wood-birds, but frequent open plains abounding 
in thistles and other coarse herbage, which affords 
them shelter. In cultivated districts, where their 
food is most abundant, they are excessively numerous, 
and after the harvest has been gathered frequent 
the fields in immense flocks. While feeding, the 
flocks scatter over a large area of ground, being 
broken up into small companies of a dozen or more 
birds, and at such times are so intent on their food 
that a person can walk about amongst them without 
disturbing them. They take flight very suddenly, 
bursting into a thousand chirping, scolding notes, 
pursue each other through the air, and after wheeling 
about the field for a minute or two, suddenly drop 
down into the grass again and are silent as before. 
