F I. N C H.
method'of catching them: they have no> more t a do than to-
fupport a large hollowed gourd, the bottom uppermoft, on a ftick,
with a firing leading to fome covered’ places and ftrewing under
it fome Millet ; the little birds, haftening in numbers to pick.it
up, are caught beneath the trap, by the ftick being pulled away
by the obferver at a diftance. "The femail? are daid tofmg nearly
as well as the-males. They are pretty familiar birds, and, when
once uled to the climate,..will frequently live five-or fixyearsin
a cage. They have been, bred in Holland by the'fanciers of
birds.
From what has been faid, the reader will think with, me, that'
it is quite poffible that the two laft may be only one fpecies, de-
fcrihed, ia.djffer.ent periods, of. their.changes,.
Q S B E C K * mentions five fmall birds, which he takes to Be.
Finches*
The firft had the head, back, and wing coverts, purple: the
under fide of the body yellow : prime quills and'tail fine blue:-
the fecondaries green f on the ears a white fpot.
The fecond like thefofmer, but the back and tailpurple.
The third with a green head1, and' a purple breaft and tail.
Fourth, the breaft o f a light'greenr the head; and lefler wing-
coverts, brown.
The fifth had the head,-back, wing coverts, and tail, of a fine
deep brown : the under fide of the body,.and under wing coverts,,
fine crimfon.
WHITE-EARED
E.
7 • See Voy% yoI. ii. p. 329, 33a«
Each
F I N C H, 3Ti
Each of thefe birds had a white fpot on the ears; hence it is
iprobable. they may be varieties of each other : at leaft, we fhall
follow QJbeck’s fuppofition of their being fo, till juftified by
fuller authority for the alteration.
The defcription is taken from fome Chineje drawings.
Fringilla alario, Lin. Syft.i. p. 319.. 9,
’Le petit Moineau tlu Cap de B. Eiperanc^, Brif. orn. iii. p. io5. pi. 5. f. 2*
Sparrow from the Cape of 'Good Hope, Albin. iii. pi. 67.
■ ti f G G E R than the Houfe Sparrow : length four inches one-
third. The bill pale afh-colour: head and neck black; the
black ending in a point on the breaft: the breaft itfelf, and the
•reft of the under parts, white: thighs rufous: upper parts .of
the body chefnut: quills blackilh ; inner part pf the lefler ones,
and under the wings, chefnut: tail of this laft colour; and the
four outer feathers marked with a longitudinal blackilh fpot at
the tip : the lhape of the tail rather forked : legs brown.
Inhabits the Cape o f Good Hope.
85,
CAPE F,
D e s c r i p t io n .
Black«
Fringilla Maia, Lin. Syft% i. p. 323. 35. gg.
Xe Maia de la Cuba, Brtf. orn. iii. p. 214. t>6. pi. 7. f. 3. (the female.*)— CUBA F,
Buf. oif. iv. p. 105. pi. 3.— P/. enl. 109. f. 2. (the female.)—
sRaii Syn. p. 155.—Will. orn. p, 386.
T .E N G T H three inches three quarters. Bill grey : the D e so h * t io k .
head, neck, and under parts of the body, blackilh : back,
and upper parts, of a purpliih chefnut, brighteft on the rump :
acrofs the breaft a purpliih chefnut band: tail of the fame colour
: quills grey brown, edged with chefnut: legs lead-colour.
S f 2 The