(YELLOW-SHOULDERED SONG-SPARROW.)
+Coturniculus manimbe+, _Burm. La-Plata Reise_, ii. p. 486 (Paraná);
_White, P. Z. S._ 1882, p. 600 (Corrientes); _Döring, Exp. al Rio
Negro, Zool._ p. 40 (R. Colorado); _Barrows, Bull. Nutt. Orn.
Cl._ viii. p. 131 (Concepcion). +Coturniculus peruanus+, _Scl. et
Salv. Nomencl._ p. 32.
_Description._--Above grey, mottled with rufous-brown; wing-feathers
black, edged with rufous; tail-feathers black, edged with dull grey;
a patch between the bill and eye and the shoulders bright yellow;
beneath, throat whitish; breast and belly and sides dull grey, white
on the middle of the belly; bill and feet horn-colour: whole length
4·9 inches, wing 2·4, tail 1·9. _Female_ similar, but less bright,
the yellow spot on the head scarcely perceptible.
_Hab._ Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina.
The prevailing colour of this little field-sparrow is grey, marked and
mixed with fuscous and brown; the shoulder and space between the beak
and eye are yellow. It is a common species in the northern portion of
the Argentine country, and appears now to be gradually extending its
range southwards. Many years ago I first noticed it on the pampas north
of Buenos Ayres; afterwards I found it in the immediate neighbourhood
of that city; then it began to spread over the plains to the south,
appearing every spring in greater numbers, but it is still far from
common. It has, I fancy, a limited migration, as I could never find one
in winter. It is solitary, and frequents open plains and fields; lives
on the ground, and never alights on a tree. The male has a favourite
perch, a tall weed or post, where he spends a great deal of his time,
repeating his song at intervals of half a minute; it is short and
pleasing, and has a slight resemblance to the song of the Yellow-Hammer,
but is more delicate and melodious. When approached, the bird flies down
and conceals itself in the grass.