THE GREEN CARDINAL,
Giibcnialrix cristafa VlEILL.
"NHABITS tlie Argentine Republic to Northem Patagonia.
The adult male above is yellowish green, with the shoulders and anterior
part of back streaked with black; the lesser wing-coverts, towards the top of the
wing, golden 3''ellow; median coverts black, tipped with yellow and bordered externally
with green; greater coverts and inner secondaries blackish, yellowish green
externally, yellow on the margins and whitish towards the tips; bastard wing,
primary coverts and quills blackish, edged with yellowish green; purer yellow on
the primaries, which have whitish edges to the outer webs; upper tail coverts dusky,
greenish externall}-; central tail-feathers blackish, edged with j-ellowish green; the
next pair blackish, with a yellow spot at the end of the inner web; the remainder
yellow with blackish shafts, the outer feather streaked with black at the end of the
outer web; centre of crown black, crested; occiput 3-ellow; nape and back of neck
uniform yellowish green; lores black; a broad ej'ebrow and the eyelid golden 5i'ellow;
a black spot behind the eye; ear-coveits uniform j-ellowish green; cheeks golden
yellow; throat black; sides and front of neck golden yellow; chest and sides of body
yellowish green; breast, abdomen and under tail-coverts golden yellow; thighs yellow;
under wing-coverts and axillaries golden yellow; quills Ijelow blackish, yellow along
the inner edge. Length inches; beak slate-grey, the upper mandible inclining
to black; legs slate-grey; iris black, or nearlv so.
The hen, of which I received a very fine example from La Plata in 1893, differs
in its paler, duller, and browner colouring; a broad streak from the beak over the
eye, the eyelid, a broad moustache bounded by the cheeks and the black patch on
the throat, and a narrow collar bordering the latter, snow-white.
Both sexes of this species sing fairly well; but the song is extremely like that
of the Red-headed Cardinals and co:isequently is not remarkable for melody. When
•other birds are singing on a sunny morning, these Cardinals usually accompany them.
Mr. Hudson, who calls this species the "Yellow Cardinal" says that it "is a
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