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of the small foreign birds is most ready to nest, and 

 give us a pleasing picture of happy family life ; I 

 refer to the Firefinch, so well known to all fanciers, 

 the little red bird, whose main colour varies between 

 blood-red and carmine, while the upper back, wing- 

 coverts, and upper surface of his tail are dark reddish 

 brown washed with olive-greenish. A gloss}^ red bill 

 with black ridge, a bright yellow eye-ring and lovely 

 white spots on the sides of the breast are additional 

 attractions, and altogether he is one of the most 

 beautiful of the small Tropical birds which are 

 brought alive to Europe ; a lovely mite at all times, 

 but more especially when his plumage is gleaming in 

 the sun. The hen is a uniform darkish brown, lighter 

 below, and distinguished by a red rump, upper tail- 

 coverts, and eyebrows, and like the cock also has spots 

 on her sides. 



In size the Firefinch is about the same as the 

 Grey Waxbill, but is rather more solidly built. 



As it is such a noticeable little bird, it is one of 

 the few small foreign birds about which plenty of 

 information is to be found in the works of different 

 travellers, as Hartmann, Von Heuglin, Speke, and 

 others. Its habitat extends over all Middle Africa 

 from the East to the West Coast, in fact, like the Grey 

 Waxbill, it is found over the whole of the Tropical 

 portion of the Continent (<^). 



Dr. Robert Hartmann likens it to our House- 

 Sparrow, as it shows a distinct preference for the 

 habitations of man, and is alwavs to be seen in the 



(b). Dr. Russ gives rather an extensive range. The Common 

 Firefinch is confined to West Africa, the alHed L. brimneiceps 

 replacing it in the East and South. In habits the three species 

 are absolutely identical, and the following descriptions of tlieir 

 life in a state of nature, which strictly refer to L. brumieiceps, 

 are equally applicable to the other species. — K. H. 



