. Bird-lore . ious and other moresubtle influences, of spring in the North Temperate Zone, j The Red-breasted Trupials {Trupialis militaris) passed in straggling flockslike Robins returning to their roost, and their flight-note recalled that of aRobin, but their llight-song was more like that of a Mcadowlark. One did notoften get a view of tlu-ir brightly colored breast, hut wlien seen it flashed like arailway signal. With the more familiar sights and sounds there were mingled others whichhad no place in ones memorx- of a si)riiig at the North. Everywhere the gray Diuca Finches {Diuca dimn) we
. Bird-lore . ious and other moresubtle influences, of spring in the North Temperate Zone, j The Red-breasted Trupials {Trupialis militaris) passed in straggling flockslike Robins returning to their roost, and their flight-note recalled that of aRobin, but their llight-song was more like that of a Mcadowlark. One did notoften get a view of tlu-ir brightly colored breast, hut wlien seen it flashed like arailway signal. With the more familiar sights and sounds there were mingled others whichhad no place in ones memorx- of a si)riiig at the North. Everywhere the gray Diuca Finches {Diuca dimn) were abundant. Whiletheir song hears a slight resenfl)lance to that of our Rose-breasted (Irosheak,tin- iiirds thcmsclvts ari (|iiilr unlikr. V\^v hiuia is douhlk-ss the most abun-dant of Chilean land-birds. One sees it everywhere, along the roadsides, ontelegraph wires, in gardens, in the bush-covered foothills, in cages and in themarkets, for it is \alued both as a pet and as a source of food. There is ajipar-. KL TLRCO 338 Bird - Lore enlly no law protecting the Diuca, and the ItaHan element in the Chileanpopulation traps it, as well as other small birds, by thousands. A visit to theSantiago market showed strings of Goldfinches, White-throats, Diucas, andThrushes which, plucked, were sold for about thirty cents a dozen. The Diucahowever, is apparently too well adapted to its environment to be perceptiblydiminished in numbers by the activities of market hunters. At Apoquindo, in the foothills of the Andes, about nine miles east of Santi-ago, I found more characteristic features of Chilean bird-life. Here there wasno cultivation and the scrubby vegetation occupied the slopes and ground was white with frost each morning, and the air was fresh andinvigorating. When the sun climbed from behind the Cordillera there was aringing chorus of spring song. The ever-present White-throats contributedtheir sweet, plaintive notes; Mockingbirds called sharply, chucker-chuck,chuck
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