^^ Introductkm.
. to bear of new facts respecting tlie life history of the species which he studies
the fancier too often disregards, or even regards with contempt, the life-long labour^
of those whose aim is to arrange species according to their af&nities by a carefnl
stndy of their structure. If only each of the two classes of students eonld be
brought to look with respect and gratitude upon the exertions of the other I am
convinced that both would obtain information which would be useful to them A
knowledge of structural afEnities would certainly be useful to the breeder of
mules, and would enable the ordinary aviarist to judge correctly which species
would be most suitable associates, more particularly in respect to food- on the
other hand the student of the dead skins, would, from a knowledge of the habits
actions and songs of the living specimens, be less inclined to give undue
importance to slight structural peculiarities.
•All knowledge is science; therefore, in the present work, I do not intend to
Ignore the work of the Museum scientist, although it may be convenient not
to follow his classification in all its details* Moreover, as already hinted, inasmuch
as the rules for the arrangement of groups of species kno^vn as genera, are and must be
based solely iipon stnietiire, without reference to living characteristics; the birdfancier
(who studies the nesting peculiarities, actions, dispositions, modes of courting,
and song of his feathered pets) must perforce consider comparatively slight peculiaritie^
- of beak, or the relative length of claws and feathers, when they dissociate birds
which correspond in their whole living economy, as of secondary importance.
A Finch, in the strictest sense of the term, is a member of the sub-family
Frmgillinoe, and is characterized by the possession of a stout conical beak, together
with the absence of the first flight feather in the wing:t the latter limb is" lonoand
pointed, .vith the second, third, and fourth primaries of nearly equal length"
the foot is short, scaled in front, but not at the back.
Compared with other allied birds to which the title of Finch has been assigmed
but most of which actually belong to the family of Weavers, very few living typical
Finches ever get into the hands of amateur aviarists; indeed, owing to their
modest colouring, there is but little demand for them; consequently, unless remarkable
for the sweetness of their song, tlie majority of such as do by chance find
their way to the dealers, are sold to the various Zoological Gardens of Great
Britain and the Continent..
Sh J p e !™' ' th e following pages are but slightly modified reproductions of those by Dr.
t T h e flight feathers eonsist of primaries and secondaries; the number of the former being normally ten-
I r ^ T T T K ^ or any other t™e Finch, will reyeal the fact t nine, t h e first p r ima r y b e i n g omi t t ed . h a t t t onl^y lpJuoi>Lbests,seebs
Introduction. m
A very small portion of this work, therefore, can be devoted to the Fringillinm,
or even to the family Fringillidce-. charming though these are, it cannot be
denied that their cousins the Weavers, of the nearly allied family Ploceida:, have
taken the hearts of all bird-lovers by storm, and are more generally recognised as
"Foreign Finches" than the rightful heirs to the title.
Of all the Weavers, the so-called "Ornamental Finches" are justly most
admired; entirely unlike any of our British birds, they are often extremely
beautiful in colouring and design; their songs, though not especially meritorious,
are quaint and entertaining: their love dances are highly diverting; their actions
are often sprightly; lastly the majority of them are by no means difficult to keep
either in cage or aviary.
According to Dr. Sclater, in his Introduction to a Monograph of the Genus
Calliste, "a Tanager is a dentirostral Finch; that is, a bird which, having all the
essential characters of the Finch, is yet so far modified, as regards certain parts
of its structure, as to fit it for feeding, not on grains and seeds, which are the
usual food of the Fringillida:, but on soft fruits and insects, the habitual food of
the Sylviadce" (Warblers). The family Tanagridos, therefore, which contains the
most brilliantly coloured of all Finch-like birds, is represented here by the three
most regularly imported species, and by one rarely imported.
On the other hand the singular family Icteridce, which links the Finch-like
birds to the Starlings, seems to me so far removed from the typical Finches, and
to show so much of the Starling in the character of the legs, and in the acrobatic
actions of its members, that it hardly seems to have a claim to be considered in
the present work. Of this family I have kept the Bobolink, the Silkj' Cow-bird,
and the Red-breasted Marsh-bird and cannot say that I have found any of them
specially interesting pets; they are extremely nervous, require a good deal of
insect food, and their vocal performance, with the exception of that of the Bobolink,
which is amusing though excruciating, is in no respect remarkable.
Aberrant Finch-like birds some of them are it is true; the genus Dolichonyx
(containing the Bobolink) being, both in summer and winter plumage, not unlike
the typical Weavers, whilst the Cow-birds are more Bunting-like, and the Redbreasted
Marsh-bird strongly resembles the Military Triipials, and therefore more
nearly approaches the true Starlings.
I propose to consider the Fringilloid birds in the following order:—Tanagers,
True Finches, Buntings, Grosbeaks, Weaving-Finches (including Waxbills, Grass-
Finches and Mannikins), Whjrdahs, and Weavers. If the work were to be extended
I should proceed next to the Icteridce and so on to the Starlings.