AMADINA GOULDIiE.
Gouldian Finch.
Amadina Gouldia, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Socv January 23, 1844.
N o v e l t y in itself has attractions, but when with novelty, beauty and elegance are combined, the attractions
are augmented beyond measure. With this trite observation I here introduce to the notice of the ornithologist
a species not only the most heautiful o f the family to which it belongs, but which has its plumage
adorned with colours and markings th at render it conspicuously different from every other bird known ; it
is in fact beyond the power of my pen to describe or my pencil to portray anything like the splendour of
the changeable hues of the; lilac band which crosses the breast o f this little gem, or the scarcely less beautiful
green of the neck and golden-yellow o f the breast, the latter colour being only equalled, certainly not surpassed,
by the crest-feathers of the Golden Pheasant. Whenever this bird becomes so far common as to
form a p art of our preserved collections, o r to add a living lustre to our aviaries, it cannot « 1 to become
a. general favourite. It is therefore with feelings o f no ordinary nature that I have ventured to
dedicate this new and lovely little bird to the memory of her, who in addition to being a most affectionate
wife, for a number o f years laboured so h a rd and so zealously assisted me with her pencil in my various
works, but who, after haviug made a circuit of the globe with me, and braved many dangers with a courage
only equalled by her virtues, and while cheerfully engaged in illustrating the present work, was by the Divine
will of h er Maker suddenly called from this to a brighter and better world ; and I feel assured th at in dedicating
this hird to the memory of Mrs. Gould, I shall have the full sanction, o f all who were personally
acquainted with her, as well as o f those who only knew her by her delicate works as an artist.
A single specimen of apparently an adult male and two immature birds are all that ever came under my
notice ; for the former my especial thanks are due to my esteemed friend Benjamin Bynoe, Esq., Surgeon
R.N., late o f H.M.S. the Beagle, who obtained it in the Victoria River, on the north-west coast of Australia.
The 'young birds were procured by Mr. Gilbert at Po rt Essington. These three examples are probably all
th at have been collected, and from the remote situation of the country of which it is a native, a long period
is likely to elapse before the species becomes common.
*. rJ'|i js would seem to be a very local species,” says Mr. Gilbert, “ for, I only met with it on Greenhill
Island at the head of Van Diemen’s Gulf, where it inhabited the edges of the mangroves and th ick ets: when
disturbed it invariably flew to the topmost branches o f the loftiest gums, a habit I bave not before observed
in any other member of the genus. Its note is a very mournful sound, added to a double twit. Those I
observed were feeding among the high grass in small families of from four to seven in number, and were
very shy. The stomach is tolerably muscular, and the food consists of grass and other seeds.”
The adult has the forehead, lores, ear-coverts and throat, deep velvety-black; from behind the eye, round
the occiput, and down the sides of the neck, a mark of verdigris-green, gradually blending into the yellowish
green of the upper surface and wings; across the breast a broad band o f shining lilac-purple, below which
all the under surface is shining wax-yellow; bill flesh-white at the base, tipped with blood-red; feet flesh-
colour.
The young bird has the head g r e y ; upper surface light oliv e; under surface pale b u ff; chin white ;
primaries and tail brown ; irides dark brown.
The figures are of the natural size.