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92 Foreign Finches in Captivity.
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Dr. Russ tells us that S. albigidaris has been bred by Dr. Franken in Baden-
Baden and Harres the Architect in Darmstadt. He describes the song as monotonous,
but euphonious; both sexes utter sparrow-like chirrups.
" Peaceable in the bird-room. Dr. Pranken's pair built a verj' loose nest of
Agave-fibres. Mr. Harres' hen took possession of an incomplete, still open,
Napolean-Weaver's nest situated in a thick tangle of twigs, and thoroughly lined
it with wadding. Egg gTeenish blue, brown-speckled (Dr. F.). Young plumage
almost like that of the adult female, clearer and paler. Head, ear-coverts and
back dusty mouse grey; a similarlj- coloured streak across the breast; throat,
belly and body below white; feet grey; beak horn bro^\^l; eyes black; feathering
soft and downy. The hen alone incubates. Duration of incubation twelve days;
the j'oung remain in the nest eleven to thirteen days after hatching."
My White-throated Finch, on one occasion, tried to make up to a hen
Green Amaduvade, but she refused his attentions. I have since obtained hens of its
own species ; therefore have a chance of breeding it, nests have alread}- been built
of fine tough fibre.
Dr. Russ gives no additional information respecting this species in his larger
work.
The illustrations are taken from the author's living specimens.
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T H E BLUISH FINCH.
Spcrniophila ccrru/csccits, Bonn E'i' "^"irili,.
t - j ^ H I S little Grosbeak is not so prettily coloured as the White-throated Finch
I imported three male specimens from La Plata in 1893 : unfortunately they
suffered on the jonniey, probabl)- o^ving to the feet that the)^ were sent to England
111 an all-wire cage; and during their moult two of them died: the persecutions
which they ^^-ere subjected to b^- 5. a/tngu/aris, probably did them little good in
their feeble condition.
The Bluish Finch is a native of Southern Brazil, Paraguav, the Aro-entine
Republic and Bolivia. The general colour of the adult male is '' dark ashy o-rey
with obsolete dusky centres to the dorsal feathers ; lesser wing coverts like'tlie
back; median and greater coverts and bastard-wing dusky blackish, edged with
ashy grey; pnmary-coverts and quills browner, edged with ashy; upper tail coverts
a little browner than the back ; tail feathers bro^vn margined with ash^• • crown of
head ashy grey, rather darker than the (remainder of the) head; forehead bLackish
this shade overspreading tlie cro.vn almost to the occiput ; evelid white above and
below; lores, feathers below the eye, and ear-coverts black, the latter washed with
ashy posteriorly; cheeks and throat white, with a black patch on the chin and
upper throat; rest of under surface white, with a black band across the fore neck •
sides of upper breast mottled with black centres to the feathers • sides of body
and flanks washed «-ith ashy grey, the latter mottled with dark ash^• o-rey bases to
the feathers ; thighs and under tail-coverts white ; under wing-coverts L d axillaries
white, with a du,sky patch near tlie edge of the wing; quills below dusky ashy
along^the edge of the inner web." A^ B. Sharpe. The beak is pale yellow the
legs flesh-tnited; ins greyish brown. Length 4,3, inches.
Dr. Sharpe describes the hen as " Diiferent from the male. General colour
above olive-brown : wing-coverts, quills, and tail-feathers dusky-brown, edo-ed Math
olive-brown bke the back; eyelid and feathers below the eye dull whitish^ cheeks
and under surface of body ochreons brown, washed with oHve-yellow tlie throat
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