_Hab._ S. Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina. This interesting bird, the only _Icterus_ found in the Argentine Republic, ranges south to Buenos Ayres, where it is migratory, and appears in small flocks of six or eight individuals in September; but soon after arriving these little companies break up, and the birds are subsequently found singly or in pairs in the woods along the Plata River. The sexes are alike in colour, but the male is considerably larger; the whole plumage is an intense black, excepting a rufous spot on the shoulder, seen only when the bird is on the wing; the bill is black and curved, the body slender, and the tail long. It is a loquacious bird, most of its tones being low and pleasing; exceedingly restless in disposition, incessantly passing from tree to tree, jerking its long tail and clinging to the branches in various attitudes, while searching for insects in the decayed bark. While thus engaged it utters a great variety of chirping and guttural sounds, interspersed with short agreeable notes. It also has a song of considerable merit, low and varied in tone, with a peculiar ventriloquism in many of the notes which produce a confusing idea on the listener that the bird approaches and recedes alternately whilst uttering them. While singing the bird continues moving, but always concealed in the thick foliage, and it is probably this constant turning about of the singer, and the notes coming through leafy screens of varying density, which makes the ventriloquism and gives so much light and shade to its mysterious melody. The first bird of this species I shot was wounded very slightly in one wing and fell into a stream; to my very great surprise it began singing its usual song while floating about on the surface, making no attempt to swim. After fishing it out it continued to sing at intervals in my hand: how strange it was to hear this bleeding captive bird warbling out soft, sweet notes which seemed to express only pleasant emotions! Yet it was evident that the bird was fully alive to its danger, for it struggled violently to escape and bit my finger savagely with its sharp beak.