117 



JLbc IDinaceoua 3fire:^fincb. 



Lagonosticta vinacea. 

 By W. P. Pycraft, A.L.S., F.Z.S., etc. 



'^wjr'i.TOGETHER twenty - one species of the Fire- 

 iHI finches have been described, and these are all 

 1--*^ confined to Africa. Concerning the life- 

 ^ history of the majority of these species we 



have still much to learn. To Dr. Hopkinson we owe 

 some exceedingly interesting observations on their 

 general habits, which will be found in the first 

 volume of Bit'd Notes, but as j^et we know little con- 

 cerning their breeding habits. 



Of the five species found breeding in South 

 Africa two are known to build domed nests of dried 

 grass in thick grass tufts, near the ground. The more 

 northern L. minhjia, however, builds an extremely 

 artistic little nest under the rafters in roofs, in holes 

 in walls, and crevices. 



The Fire - finches belong to the sub - family 

 EstrildiiicB, characterized, among other things, by the 

 fact that the male and female are nearly alike in 

 plumage at all seasons, and have an autumn moult 

 only. 



The EstrildincB thus differ from the PlocemcB on 

 the one hand and the Viduincs on the other ; inas- 



