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156 Foreign Finches in Captivity.
naturalist than to the aviarist.
Pytelia vielba (now referred to another genus) \vith which Messrs. Finsch and
Hartlaub at first confounded P. afra, is said h}- Capt. Shellej- to frequent the
low Mimosa bushes, mostl)^ in pairs. It is liighly probable that P. afra would do
the same thing ; as other, far more remote, African Waxbills do.
Mr. Andersson observes, respecting P. mclba :—" This Finch is found sparingly
in Damara and Great Namacpia Land, and usually occurs in pairs ; its favourite
resort is low bush and old abandoned village fences, wdience the Damaras call it
the ' Ki'aal bird.' Its food consists of seed and insects."
Hcugiin sa3-s :—" The variegated Pytelia lives in the warmer parts of Northeast
-A.frica, on the Sambar coast, in Bogos eountr)-, the low-lying regions of
Habesch, on the white and blue River, in Kordofan, also in southern Nubia and
northern Takah. It seems to be resident ; its summer and wdnter dress hardly
differ. It is always found singh- or in pairs among clumps of trees, in thick
scrub and bushes ; dry sandy districts suit it better than other localities and it
leads a perfectl}' Cjuiet, retiring life. We have not observed it at great elevations,
and jnst as little on the grassj- levels ; although it onl}' flies a few feet at most
above the ground, it onljr descends to the earth for a second, does not run much
here and there upon it. It has an extremely gentle disposition, is in no respect
timid, moreover its monotonous song is onl}- occasionallj' heard, at the commencement
of the rain}' season, sounding from the bare parts of the thorn-bushes. I
have been able to learn nothing respecting its nesting habits."
The preceding obser^'ations upon an allied species give us an inkling as to
the probable behaviour of the Red-faced Finch in a wild state; but afford no
clue as to its nidification. Fortunately this has been noted by Dr. G. A. Fischer,
who says :—" The nest of Pytelia einereigula f=P. afraj, which I found abnndantthat
of Spermestes cueidlata,
greater by one half ; with
ly in Orange-trees in jMa\-, Jiine and Juty, resembles
consisting of the same materials ; its circumference is
a side entrance."
Dr. Russ says that Dr. Fischer found and killed the species at Zanzibar, in
four to six examples, in the vicinit}- of the negro huts : so far proving its
similarity in habits to P. melba. One would have thought that Dr. Fischer, with
the chance which he had of making copious and exact notes on the habits,
nidification and food of a species, which he must have recognised as a raritv ;
would have published something more than the extremely meagre note respecting
its nest which I have quoted above. To aifirm that it resembles that of Spermestes
cucullata, without describing either in detail, is, to say the least of it, rather
; II i
ir
The Pied-faced Finch. 157
tantalising.
I have, however, discovered a short note on the nesting of 5. cucullata by
Dr. Reiclienow, from which it appears that the nests are domed structures, very
large and firmly compacted of fine grass. No mention is made of any entrance
tube such as occurs in the majority of the nests of Waxbills and some, at least,
of the Grass-finches.
In the " Fremdländischen Stubenvögel " Dr. Russ quotes from a letter
received by him from the Prince of Coburg, in which the latter informs him that
an example of the female of Wiener's Astrild previously living in the Imperial
Menagerie, was preserved in the Zoological Museum under the name of Pytelia afru,
Gmel., and he goes on to say that P. afra and P. ivieneri therefore appear to be
the same ; as is partty made clear by the description of the former in Reichenbach's
" Singvögel." It would seem that Dr. Russ remained unconvinced by the receipt
of this letter ; for he followed it up with a desci'iption of the species under the
name of Aigintha. ivieneri.
Illustration from skin in the Natural History Museum.
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