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

BIRDS OF ARGENTINA, PARAGUAY, URUGUAY, AND CHILE 399
Another (preserved as a skeleton) taken at the Riacho Pilaga, Formosa,
August 18, was of equal size. Two immature birds, shot at
Tapia, Tucuman, April 7 and 11, do not have the wing fully developed
but are placed with this form on geographic grounds. According
to a revision of this genus by Todd,®^ true cyanea^ characterized
by shorter wing (less than 80.5 mm.), ranges from Pernambuco
and Rio Grande do Sul, west to Goyaz and Paraguay. These
birds were found near the ground in heavj^ thickets where they were
located with difficulty.
An adult male, taken July 23, had the bill black, becoming slate
gray number 5 at base of mandible; iris Rood's brown; tarsus fus-
cous; toes dull black.
PAROARIA CRISTATA (Boddaert)
Frinffilla Dominwana Gristata, Boddaert, Tabl. Planch. Enl., 1783, p. 7,
(Brazil.)
Mathews and Iredale °^ have indicated correctly that Loxla cucul-
lata Latham 1790, long in vogue for the species laiown to avicul-
turists as the Brazilian cardinal, is preoccupied by Loxla cucullata
Miiller, so that the species must be titled as indicated above.
P. cristata was found as follows : Santa Fe, Santa Fe, July 4,
1920; Las Palmas, Chaco, July 21 and 30; Riacho Pilaga, Formosa,
August 8 to 16; Formosa, Formosa, August 23 and 24; Kilometer
80, west of Puerto Pinasco, Paraguay, September 6 to 20 (three skins
jDreserved) ; Lavalle, Buenos Aires, October 30 and November 2
(one taken) ; La Paloma, Uruguay, January 23, 1921; San Vicente,
Uruguay, Januarj^ 26 to 31 (one taken) ; Lazcano, Uruguay, February
5 to 9. Specimens from the Province of Buenos Aires have
slightl}'' larger bills than those from Paraguay. I have not seen
skins with authentic localities from Brazil. The species was common
in a number of localities visited in the Chaco and in eastern
Uruguay, and was found occasionally on the pampas, where groves
and thickets furnished cover. The birds fed often on the grovmd
in wet localities, or on vegetation floating on little ponds where they
walked about with ease as their large feet and long toes prevented
their sinking deeply. At such times their bright colors contrasted
handsomely with their green background. The species was common
as a cage bird and was held in high esteem for its pleasant song.
A male, taken September 7, had the upper part of the maxilla and
tip of the mandible deep mouse gray; sides of maxilla and rest of
mandible whitish, tinged very slightly with gray; iris pecan brown;
tarsus and toes fuscous black.
87 Auk, 1923, pp. 58-69.
osAustr. Av. Rec, vol. 3, Nov. 19, 1915, p. 38.