NEW SOUTH WALES 101 



The Finches are a wonderful family. One (1) 

 of them will live only in the cooler forests, another 

 (2) only on the hot dry plains. A species (3) may 

 be modest in plumage, another (4) extremely 

 beautiful. When young (5) they may have no 

 colour and when adult (5) a splendid splash. Then 

 there is the distinctly spotted bird (6) as well as 

 the clearly defined broad pattern (7). 



They are friendly birds, building near the dwell- 

 ings of man and beast, even occupying the lower 

 flat of a hawk's nest. The nests are bulky, and 

 disorderly, considering the family is so aesthetic 

 in its dress. 



1. Red-eared Finch. 5. Red-browed Finch. 



2. Chestnut-eared Finch. 6. Spotted-sided Finch. 



3. Plum-head Finch. 7. Fire-tailed Finch. 



4. Crimson Finch. 



The eggs are numerous and white. Two species 

 are faintly tinged with blue. In Africa the true 

 finches have pale-bluish eggs. 



The Gouldian Finch of Northern Australia is the 

 most beautiful of all grass-seed feeders, and one of 

 the most finely-coloured of all known birds. The 

 colour scheme is variable under two heads, as some 

 young will have scarlet heads while others in the 

 same nest will have solid black heads. Dichromatic 

 is the term to apply. 



