All Rights Reserved. May and June, 1923 



BIRD NOTES. 



THE 



Journal of the Foreign Bird Club. 



Some Finches I have kept. 



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

 {Continued froin page ^J). 



Cherry Finch {Aide}nosyne modesta). This species has 

 been known to aviculture for many, many years, but even during- 

 the period when there were no restrictions to the importation 

 ol AustraHan birds, it was neither plentiful nor regular in its 

 appearance on the English bird market. A few have recently 

 appeared, so these reminiscent notes will not be inappropriate. 



It belongs to the same genus as the African and Indian 

 Silverbills, and is very similar to them in form and general 

 characteristics and also in the form and character of its nest, 

 though it is not easy to persuade either species of Silverbill to 

 build a natural nest in a tree or bush in captivity, for they 

 almost invariably choose a Hartz travelling cage as a nest site. 

 The Cherry Finch on the other hand, with me, has always chosen 

 a natural nesting site, on the fairly numerous occasions it has 

 attempted to reproduce itself in my aviaries. 



Our frontispiece, skilfully drawn by Mrs. A. M. Cook, 

 depicts an episode in my aviary during the troublous year 1917. 



The Cherry Finch is a modestly pretty bird, decidedly 

 handsome, though quietly coloured, is certainly an attractive 

 bird. 



Description. Male. — Upper parts brown, the rump is barred with 

 white, and the upper tail-coverts spotted with the same colour ; tail blackish 

 brown with white terminal spots on the outer feathers ; wings brown, flights 

 dusky brown with paler outer margins, in.ner secondaries with terminal 

 white spots ; crown dark l^rown, with the fore jiortion plum or cherry colour ; 

 eye region and ear-coverts white, the latter barred with brown ; under parts 

 white with a black gorget, and the sides of neck and flanks barred with brown ; 

 beak black ; legs dusky flesh-colour ; iris deep chestnut. 



