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T^T^ITftiOUT question the best performer among all Singing Finches; its
V » meFody is lively, vigorons, full of sweet'notes and deficient in all liarsi
or nnpleasant ones. Compared Avith Srr/////s Imco^ygim, the ordinarj' type of
domesticated Canary is little better than a discordant screamer: there is, in truth,
as wide a difference between the musical productions of these two Serins, as
exists between the plaj-ing of a flute by a skilled professional and the tooting on
a tin-whistle by a street-urchin.
The Grey Singing Finch inhabits North-eastern ' and. Equatorial Africa.
The general colouring of the upper surface is smoky grey, with dull brown
centres to the feathers; the rump white, separated from the grey of the back by
a blackish band; upper tail coverts and tail feathers brown, with greyer edgeslesser
^Ting-coverts ash-grey, remainder of wing brown, the feathers with paler
edges; crown of head and front of neck pale smoky grey, distinctly streaked with
brown; back of neck without streaks; throat ashy whitish, browner on the front
of the chest, where there are a few dusky spots; breast and abdomen white, the
flanks slightly greyish and streaked with brown; under wing-coverts and axillaries
greyish browm, with whitish edges- flight feathers below smoky, their inner edges
yello-wish grey. Length 4,1 inches. Beak and legs flesh browmish, iris brown.
The sexes appear to be absolutely alike; but Mr. Abrahams unhesitatingly
selected a pair for me, and his selection proved to be con-ect: he informed me at
the time, that the only reliable difference was in the ^vhite centre to the throat of
the male, showing as a pure white spot wlien the bird was singing, but not easy
to distinguish at other times.
This pair of Grey Singing Finches nested in a German canary-cage, building
a verjr neat little structure of scraps of moss, grass roots, and cow-hair, on the
floor of the cage- unhappily the hen died with her second egg. I subsequently
picked up two additional sjEcimens for a few shillings, both of which eventually
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