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villages of Southern Nubia and the Eastern Soudan, 

 building its nest inside the houses, and resembling 

 our Sparrow in its general habits. Apart from the 

 breeding season these birds are found in large flocks 

 associating with Cordon Bleus, Combassous, etc., 

 round buildings, in gardens and fields, as well as in 

 the open country and the bush. The above-mentioned 

 explorer met with large flocks of these birds on the 

 Blue Nile in May, and Von Heuglin saw enormous 

 numbers of them in Dongola. During the breeding 

 season they frequent villages, and are rarely met with 

 in uninhabited districts or among the mountains, 

 though in Abyssinia their range is said to extend to 

 an altitude of 9,000 feet. Von Heuglin says, " the 

 " Bloodfinches " (as he calls them) "are dear little 

 " lively birds, which come trustingly into one's stable 

 " or even living-room, to pick up scattered corn or 

 " crumbs : their call-note is a quickly-repeated chirp, 

 " and their song is simple but not without melody. 

 " I noticed these birds but rarely in the trees or 

 " bushes during the day, as they prefer to pick about 

 " on the ground, in the ditches or dung-heaps, on 

 " the walls, roofs or windows of the houses, and they 

 " are very loth to leave any spot they have chosen as 

 " long as men remain in the neighbourhood. They 

 •' used, however, to resort to the cool shade of the 

 " lemon-trees every evening, and in these, at any rate 

 " during the hottest part of the summer, they were 

 " accustomed to pass the night, collecting about sun- 

 " down with eager twitterings, — a noisy concert of 

 '• shrill sounds which lasted some time before quiet 

 " was at last attained. The nest is placed on a rafter, 

 *' under the thatch, in a hole in a wall, or in a crevice 

 " in the matting-fences (which surround the native 

 " compounds), but its commonest site is in one of the 

 " many abandoned and half-ruined huts ; much more 

 " rarely it is found in bushes or tufts of grass, and 



