f i l l >
j| 2 II
t 'ill
1 )ih3
i l l
' •Ii II
ÌÌ!
Mii'i
:. I
t?
-•--Mi'íl¡l£"
. 1 / '
G R E E N AMADUVADB WAXBILL, .6.?.
i/Sòicéo^i^zcc-yhrjno^^ùJ
THE GREEN AMADUVADE.
Stictospiza formosa, LATH.
J ^ ^ ^ ^ - ^ ^ ^ l ' ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ t h i s the "Lovely Finch," but Jerdon speaks of it as the "Green
Waxbdl ' : the first name is applicable, but too vague ; the second is far
more appropriate but „.ust, I fear, give way to the better known dealers' nan.e.
i he Green Amaduvade inhabits Central India.
The male bird above is olive green ; the flight feathers, excepting tlie inner
secondanes, dark brown; upper tail-coverts yellower green; tail feathers blackcheeks,
throat and under surface of bod)- bright yellow, gradually becoming deeper
lu tint on tlie abdomen and under tail-coverts; sides of body regularlv barred with
white on a black ground ; under wing-coverts creamv whitish ; edge of win-s
yellow; flight feathers below greyish. Length 4 i iuches. Beak deep waxy red
legs grej-ish flesh-coloured, iris pale brown.
The hen is duller than the cock, the upper parts grever, the under parts
much ^vhlter; the sides would be better described as barred with smoky olive on
a white ground (than white on black), the white bars being wider than the blackish
olivaceous ones. Length 4 inches.
to me b^• the Hon.
Wa ter de Rothschild in about the ..ear i8go; in December, 1891, one "of the hens
built a nest in a box (of the cigar-box pattern) in the Waxbill aviary, laid four
eg^s and began to sit steadily; a Parson-finch, however, took it into his head to
help her to mcubate them and so frequently turned her out of the nest that after
a day or two, she deserted it. During the spring of 1892 three of these Waxbills
died lea..ng me with oid,' one cock bird; but during the following winter I
purchased half a do.en from a friend at a very moderate rate. I ascribed the
death of the three mentioned above, entirely to the fact that I had discontinued
to use sea-sand for a time, on the score of economy: very false economy 1
C°"ipared with other Waxbills, I should regard the Green Amaduvade as
decidedly hardy; it never seems to have anything the matter with it; even those
R
If
Jl
' f
J . I
I
il
' I
^ I
!!