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178 Foreign Finches in Capfi'oit\.
thousands of individuals it was simple enough :—The young of both Red and
Black-heads are at first grey and subsequentl}- black-headed, but in P. mirabilis
the black is greyer or more rusty than in P. gouMice and after the moult
the red grows gradually in the face of the first, but not in the second. Then
again in old cock P. iiiirabilis, after a moult, the red will occasionally disappear,
showing onh' as a rustj- black ; but after a time the feathers, without another moult,
will gradually regain their normal colouring. ]\Ir. Thompson's pair may ha\-e
consisted of a young hen which had not acquired the red face pre\'iousl3', and of
an old cock which temporarily had almost lost it; but Mr. Abrahams was
not prepared to express au}- decided opinion respecting this one without full
investigation.
The production of two types from one pair of black-heads Mr. Abrahams
ascribes to a throw-back, or reversion, due to a cross in the previous generation ;
but the yellow form he assured me was onh' a phase of the red type and due to
a weak constitution.
Now all this is extremely plausible, probable, and cannot well be disproved ;
it resolves itself exactly into Avhat I have already- suggested, a parallel case to
the different coloured heads in a human familj-, which doubtless are due to the
intercrossing of different races. If the explanation is correct, the \-arieties of
Gouldian Finches are about equal in \'alue to the domesticated races of Pigeons ;
they are equally fertile iiiter se and therefore have no claim to be called species.
It, however, seems extremel}' probable, from the fact that the young of both
forms at first develop black heads, that the red-headed race is of comparativelyrecent
origin, has been evolved from the black, and has a tendency to crop up
as a simple variation from the black original; which, owing to the probable
preference shown to the more gaudj' males by the hens, would tend to increase;
until, finally, the black-headed phase would be obliterated.
As it has been supposed by some aviculturists that the influx of Gouldian
Finches into the English Bird-market in about 1891-2 represented their first
importation in anjf quantities; I would refer tliem to Dr. Russ' " Gefiederte
W e l t " for July 1887, where thejr will find I\Ir. Abrahams not only advertising
the receipt of a consignment of these birds, but giving a full account of the
change from the young green and grej^ plumage to the full adult dress of both
P. goic/dice and P. mirabilis; of these different changes in plumage his clerk,
since dead, made a number of coloured sketches which Mr. Abrahams has shown
me; these, I think, clearly prove his statement, that the varietj- or race is
indicated at the first moult.
The Gouldian Finch. 179
Altogether about half a dozen instances have been recorded of the successful
rearing of Gouldian Finches in Great Britain. The first to breed them was Mr.
Reginald Pliillipps and as I knew him to be a real lover of bii'ds and a careful
obser\-er, I wrote and asked him to send me, for the present work, as full an
account as possible of his experiences with these lovely Finches. To this request
Mr. Phillipps has responded so promptly, that I am now able to add his verj'
valuable record. Fie writes, April 28th, 1894, as follows :—
" During the last few years, Gouldian Finches, both Red and Black-faced,
have been very freeh' imported, and everybod\- seems to be acquainted with them ;
nevei'theless there are one or two points in their famil}^ life respecting which
a\-iarists are still in a state of vexation and perplexity. And probably it is to
this circumstance, as well as to the merits and beauty of the birds themselves,
that the interest in them—in spite of the lapses of many disheartened ones—has
been kept up in such a ver)- marked degree.
Some years ago, I had a prett}- flock of these birds. Red and Black, but
mostly the latter, flying loose in mj' bird-room, nuuibering seventeen in all.
They gave no trouble ; they had no ailments :— and these have alwaj^s been mjexperiences
of Gould's Finches so long as the}? have been allowed plenty of
liberty and exercise. As to the caged bird, and its supposed liabilit}- to disease,
others have had more opportunities of judging than I have—for a caged bird is
abomination :—and I, therefore, will leave it to these others to express their
opinions of the caged bird for themselves.
I have invariabh' found Gouldian Finches ready to nest and to lay, so ready
indeed that I long ago parted with mine, considering that there was not sufiiciently
more to learn about them to warrant me in giving up space that was so
soreh" needed for other feathered pets. Nevertheless, although so willing to nest,
aviarists in this country- have not been particularl)' successful in breeding
Gouldians. True, a few yotmg have been reared ; but the successes have been
wholly disproportionate to the number of failures. At first sight, this seems ver}-
strange. Here we have a case of the sexes being easily distinguishable, of both
sexes being readil}' obtainable, of birds easily fed and easily kept in health,
requiring no extremes of heat, and not only willing but eager to nest; and,
surely, when one has every thing ready to one's hand like this, there ought not
to be much difficulty in breeding and rearing the young in any place where
proper accommodation can be afforded. Mj' experience has taught me that they
will nest pretty nearly anjrwhere, and will make their nests in prettj' nearly anj'
thing, and of pretty nearly any thing in the way of dry grass that you may like
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