Sonic Finches I have Kept. 31 



in which I have seen this feathered exquisite are the sal forests 

 of the United Provinces. All who have shot in those forests 

 must have noticed and admired this dove as it flits alons^' a fire 

 line. As it passes through alternate zones of shade and 



sunshine the colours of its plumage change like those in a 

 kaleidoscope, bronze, brown, purple, green predominating in 

 turn. 



In conclusion, mention must be made of the long-tailed 

 doves. These are not common birds, and many people spend 

 more than twenty years in India without seeing, or, at any 

 rate, noticing them. Their upper plumage is Ijarred black and 

 chestnut, hence they are called cuckoo-doves. The graduated 

 tail, as long as the body, renders their recognition easy. A 

 Icng-tailed dove having the upper plumage barred, seen in 

 Assam and the Himalayas east of Simla, is the Bar-tailed 

 Cuckoo-dove (Macropygia tusalia). There are two other species, 

 one of which is confined to the Andamans and Nicobars; the 

 other occurs in the forests of south Burma. The nesting habits 

 of the bronze-winged and the cuckoo-doves resemble those of 

 the common doves of India. 



Some Finches I have kept. 



By Wesley T. Page, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. 



(Continued from page i/). 



The first instalment of this article was written against 

 time, and went through without any proof revision. There are 

 several grammatical errors which I must ask readers to overlook 

 and correct as they read. 



Err.'Vtum : On page 12, lines 29 and 30, for " fitted up 

 seed hoppers," read filled up seed hoppers. 



Red-headed Finch (Amadina erythrocephnla) : This 

 species was acquired much later in my experience than the 

 preceding species. It is a largeish, sparrow-like as to form, 

 stoutly-built bird, yet not in any sense of ungainly contour, nor 

 c ■' inharmonious colouration. 



This species is closely related to the Ribbon Finch 



