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Bulletin - United States National Museum - si-pddr - Smithsonian ...

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376 BULLETIISr 133, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM<br />

dozen were found near Formosa, Formosa, August 24; two were recorded<br />

at Puerto Pinasco, Paraguay, September 3; and at Laguna<br />

Wall, 200 kilometers west of Puerto Pinasco, 20 were found on September<br />

25. At Lavalle, Buenos Aires, November 2, a boy brought<br />

me a male, too badly shot to preserve. The birds inhabited j>astures,<br />

wet meadows, or recently burned stubble, where they worked about<br />

in as inconspicuous a manner as pos<strong>si</strong>ble. As a crouching attitude<br />

usually concealed the brilliant red of the breast they were difficult<br />

to make out. When startled they rose with uncertain, undulating<br />

flight like that of pipits, and, though they might alight for a brief<br />

space in bushes, soon dropped to the ground. As the primaries are<br />

little longer than the secondaries, and the tail is short, they present<br />

a curious appearance on the wing. After alighting in the grass the<br />

wings are flitted several times, and as the bird walks about the tail<br />

is frequently opened and shut in a nervous manner. Their call note<br />

is a low chuck. As many as 20 were encountered in one scattered<br />

flock.<br />

PSEUDOLEISTES GUIRAHURO (Vieillot)<br />

Agelaius guiraliuro Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat., vol. 34, 1819, p. 545.<br />

(Paraguay and Rio de la Plata.)<br />

The present species, distinguished by its yellow rump, is noticeably<br />

more yellow below than virescens when seen in the field. Near Laz-<br />

cano, Uruguay, February 5, 1921, I saw a flock of <strong>si</strong>x feeding on the<br />

ground in an open pasture, where I was not able to approach within<br />

gunshot. Near Rio Negro, Uruguay, on February 14, I collected an<br />

adult male from two found in a stretch of open camp dotted with<br />

bushes. From my limited experience, P. guirahuro seemed <strong>si</strong>milar<br />

in habits and general appearance to virescens, but its calls appeared<br />

clearer and louder and the song stronger. The birds may have been<br />

breeding near Rio Negro, as they rested in low tree tops and scolded<br />

me with twitching tails. The one taken is in worn plumage and<br />

has begun to molt the wing coverts.<br />

PSEUDOLEISTES VIRESCENS (Vieillot)<br />

Agelaius virescens, Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat., vol. 34, 1S19, p. 543.<br />

(Paraguay and Buenos Aires.)<br />

Ps&udoleistes virescens, marked from its congener guirahuro by<br />

its plain back and the restriction of yellow on the flanks, was en-<br />

countered in greater abundance than in case of the related species.<br />

It was seen during July, 1920, at Las Palmas, Chaco, but was not<br />

collected until I reached Lavalle, Buenos Aires. The species was<br />

common here from October 23 to November 15, and adult males were<br />

collected October 23, November 6 and 13. In Uruguay the bird was<br />

recorded at San Vicente, January 24 to February 2; Lazcano, Feb-

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