(YELLOW CARDINAL.)
+Gubernatrix cristatella+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 482
(Paraná); _Scl. et Salv. Nomencl._ p. 31; _White, P. Z. S._ 1883,
p. 38 (Cordova); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn. Cl._ viii. p. 130
(Concepcion, Entrerios).
_Description._--Above light olive-green, the back marked with a few
black stripes; four middle tail-feathers black, edged with olive,
all the rest of the tail-feathers bright yellow, tipped with dull
olive; broad superciliaries and lower part of the head bright
yellow; crown, crest, and throat velvet-black, the black extending
to the chest; beneath yellow, washed with olive-green on the breast
and sides; bill and feet black: total length 8·0 inches, wing 3·8,
tail 3·7. _Female_ less brightly coloured; white on the head where
the male is yellow; breast grey.
_Hab._ Paraguay and Argentine Republic.
The Yellow Cardinal is a graceful sprightly bird, with a strong
melodious voice, and is one of our favourite cage-birds. It visits
Buenos Ayres in small flocks in spring, but is a rare bird with us.
There is little variety in its song, which is composed of four or five
mellow notes of great power, and in tone somewhat like the whistle of
the Blackbird of Europe.