: Argentine Ornithology, Volume I (of 2) by P. L Sclater, W. H Hudson (books to read in your 20s female .txt) 📖

5·0; tail, extreme rectrix 12·5, middle 2·6. _Female_ similar, but

    less bright.

 

_Hab._ S.E. Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Northern Argentina.

 

Azara found this singular species not uncommon in Paraguay, and since

his brief notice of it in the 'Apuntamientos' nothing concerning its

habits has been recorded. It has a somewhat laboured flight, he says;

lives in pairs or families, frequenting low or marshy grounds, where

it perches on the summit of the reeds or bushes, and flies down to the

ground to capture insects. It also occasionally dashes after passing

insects, taking them on the wing. It has a loud whistle, which it

utters frequently without any variation. 

125. SISOPYGIS ICTEROPHRYS (Vieill.). (YELLOW-BROWED TYRANT.)

 

+Sisopygis icterophrys+, _Hudson, P. Z. S._ 1868, p. 141; _Scl. et

      Salv. Nomencl._ p. 43; _Durnford, Ibis_, 1877, p. 176 (Buenos

      Ayres); _Gibson, Ibis_, 1880, p. 29 (Buenos Ayres): _White, P. Z.

      S._ 1882, p. 604 (Buenos Ayres); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._

      viii. p. 141 (Entrerios). +Tænioptera icterophrys+, _Burm.

      La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 460 (Paraná).

 

    _Description._--Above bright olive-green, head rather greyish, lores

    and superciliary stripes yellow; wings blackish, broad ends of

    coverts and outer edges of secondaries dirty white; tail blackish;

    beneath bright yellow, sides of breast and flanks olivaceous; under

    wing-coverts whitish; bill dark horn-colour; feet black: whole

    length 6·1 inches, wing 3·5, tail 2·7. _Female_ similar, but less

    bright.

 

_Hab._ S.E. Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Northern La Plata, and highlands

of Bolivia and Peru.

 

This small and pretty Tyrant-bird is quite common in the woods along

the Plata, and is also seen a great deal in orchards and groves in the

cultivated districts. In Buenos Ayres it is a summer visitor, appearing

there in October, and is a shy, solitary bird, which catches insects on

the wing, and rarely visits the ground.

 

The nest is placed in a tree, ill-concealed, and very shallow: it

is built of fine sticks, and lined with fine grass, horse-hair, and

feathers. The eggs are four, pointed, pale cream-colour, with large dark

red spots, chiefly at the larger end.

 

The only language of this species is a very low plaintive whistle,

uttered as a faint protest when the nest is approached.

 

The upper plumage is olive-green; the entire under surface and a stripe

on the side of the head pure yellow; wing and tail-quills dark. Total

length 6-1/4 inches.

126. CNIPOLEGUS ANTHRACINUS, Heine. (ASHY-BLACK TYRANT.)

+Cnipolegus anthracinus+, _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 43; _Salv.

      Ibis_, 1880, p. 356 (Salta); _Döring, Exp. al Rio Negro, Zool._

24 (Patagonia). +Cnipolegus aterrimus+, _White, P. Z. S._

      1882, p. 604 (Misiones). +Cnipolegus hudsoni+, _White, P. Z. S._

      1883, p. 39 (Cordova)? +Myiarchus fasciatus+, _Leybold, J. f. O._

      1865, p. 402 (Mendoza), ♀.

 

    _Description._--Above dull black, a broad bar across the vanes of

    the inner webs of the wing-feathers white; bill plumbeous; feet

    black: whole length 6·3 inches, wing 3·5, tail 3·0. _Female_ ashy

    brown; rump, upper tail-coverts, and basal portions of tail bright

    rufous; wings blackish, with two white transverse stripes; beneath

    pale fulvous, white on the belly; bill and feet black.

 

_Hab._ Northern Argentina.

 

Unfortunately very little is yet known about the habits of these

interesting little Tyrant-birds, for which I should like to suggest the

common name "_Spectacular_," for reasons I shall say more about when

I come to describe the _Lichenops perspicillatus_, a species which

undoubtedly belongs to this peculiar well-defined group. The plumage of

the male is, in most cases, intensely black, and there is a pure white

bar on the remiges, hidden when the bird is perched, and when it flies

made doubly conspicuous by the peculiar motion of the wings. In all the

known species the female has a dull brown plumage, lined or mottled with

dusky tints, and with some portion of the wing-quills marked with rufous

or chestnut colour.

 

The Ashy-black Tyrant inhabits the Mendoza district, and is also a

summer visitor in Patagonia, where it was obtained by Dr. Döring.

Speaking of its habits, he says the male is solitary, perches on the

summit of a bush or dry twig, emits at intervals a song or call composed

of two syllables, plaintive and flute-like in character, and uttered

while the bird rises up a few feet into the air. During this performance

the white bands on the wings are displayed conspicuously and a humming

sound is produced. 

127. CNIPOLEGUS HUDSONI, Scl. (HUDSON'S BLACK TYRANT.)

 

+Cnipolegus hudsoni+, _Scl. P. Z. S._ 1872, p. 541, pl. xxxi. (Rio

      Negro).

 

    _Description._--Uniform dull black; a broad bar across the bases of

    the inner webs of the wing-feathers white; two outer primaries much

    pointed at their extremities; bill plumbeous, feet black: whole

    length 6·0 inches, wing 2·8, tail 2·6.

 

    This species is at once distinguishable from the preceding (_C.

    anthracinus_) by its smaller size and the peculiar narrowed outer

    remiges.

 

_Hab._ Northern Patagonia.

 

This species is found in the western provinces of the Argentine

Republic, and, like _C. anthracinus_, which it closely resembles, is a

summer visitor in Patagonia, where it makes its appearance in October.

The plumage is intense black, with the inner webs of the remiges at

their base white, but the wing-band, which is over an inch in breadth,

shows only when the bird flies. There is also a small white spot on the

flank, scarcely visible, and excepting for this speck the bird at rest

appears entirely black. When it flies the white band appears suddenly,

producing a curious effect, for the wings are opened and shut

successively and with great rapidity, making the white band appear like

a succession of flashes. All the movements of the bird are eccentric to

a degree. It selects a dead twig on the summit of a bush, and this perch

it occupies during many hours every day. Occasionally it darts after a

passing insect, but I believe it feeds principally on the ground, like

_Lichenops perspicillatus_. At intervals it quits its perch very

suddenly and revolves round it with the rapidity of a moth whirling

round the flame of a candle, the wings producing a loud humming sound,

and the bird uttering a series of sharp clicking notes. During this

performance the white wing-band appears like a pale mist surrounding

the bird. This fantastical dance over, it resumes its perch, and, until

moved to a second display, sits as motionless as a bird carved out of

jet.

128. CNIPOLEGUS CYANIROSTRIS (Vieill.). (BLUE-BILLED TYRANT.)

 

+Cnipolegus cyanirostris+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 457

      (Mendoza): _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 43; _Barrows, Bull. Nutt.

      Orn. Cl._ vol. viii. p. 141 (Entrerios).

 

    _Description._--Uniform dull black; inner webs of the wing-feathers

    margined with dull white; bill plumbeous, feet dark brown: whole

    length 5·7 inches, wing 3·0, tail 5·6. _Female_ dark cinnamomeous

    brown, brighter on the head and rump; wings blackish, wing-coverts

    and secondaries edged with pale rufous; tail blackish brown, outer

    margins of outer rectrices and inner webs of all the rectrices,

    except the two middle, bright rufous; below pale fulvous, densely

    striated with blackish; bill and feet brown.

 

_Hab._ S. Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and La Plata.

 

In size this species of Black Tyrant is but slightly smaller than the

one described, and the colour is also of an intense black, but the

white wing-band is less conspicuous, the borders only of the inner webs

of the quills being white. It also differs in having a bright blue

beak and red eyes. Azara discovered it in Paraguay, and described the

brown-plumaged female as a distinct species. He merely says that it sits

on the summit of a bush and darts after passing insects, but it will, no

doubt, be found to possess some curious performing habits like the other

species of the genus.

 

Mr. Barrows met with this species on the Lower Uruguay, in the month of

September, and Burmeister obtained it near Mendoza.

129. CNIPOLEGUS CABANISI, Schulz. (CABANIS'S TYRANT.)

 

+Cnipolegus cabanisi+, _Schulz, Journ. f. Orn._ 1882, p. 462.

 

    _Description._--Nearly uniform olivaceous slate-colour; below rather

    paler; wings and tail black: whole length 6·0 inches, wing 3·4, tail

    3·1. _Female_ brownish olive, below paler; wings blackish, slightly

    edged with rufous; tail black, with broad rufous margins to the

    inner webs, and narrow similar margins to the outer webs; bill and

    feet brown.

 

_Hab._ Tucuman.

 

This is one of Herr Schulz's discoveries in Tucuman. He met with it, in

the month of January, in the mountainous districts of that province.

CNIPOLEGUS CINEREUS, Scl.

 

(CINEREOUS TYRANT.)