26 



tives of the weaving finches ; the one from Australia and 

 the other from Tropical Africa. Either of them one 

 would call "little Grey Waxbills with red faces," and I 

 should think that when in bad plumage it must be 

 difficult to distinguish the two species. The former is 

 one of the Australian Grassfinches, but miist surely be 

 a connecting link with the true Waxbills ; the latter 

 is closely allied to the Aurora- or Red-winged Finch, aud 

 their similarity is well shown in the plate in Dr. Butler's 

 " Foreign Finches." I know of no goodcoloured plate 

 of the Rufous-tailed Finch exce]>t that in Gould's- 

 "Birds of Australia," but there is an excellent little cut 

 of a pair in Dr. Butler's smaller book on " Foreign Cage 

 Birds." 



Two other rai e Australian exhibits were the WhiTK- 

 KARED and DouBLK - banded Fixchp:s. The latter, 

 though never \evy common, are, I think, rarer in the 

 bird market than the}- were, say, ten years ago ; but in the 

 former the reverse is certainly the case, their importation 

 in any number onh- beginning some four years ago. 

 With their rich brown plumage and yellow^ beaks they 

 are attractive little birds, and desirable for their own 

 sake apart from their rarity. The Double-banded, or 

 Bicheno's Finch as it is more commonly called, has been 

 repeatedly bred in captivity, and Dr. Butler figures a 

 Bicheuo-Zebra Finch hybrid. 



The Reddish Finch from vSouthern Brazil is one 

 of the smallest and most attractive of the little South 

 American Grosbeaks [Speymopliila). In his rufous and 

 black plumage he differs markedly from the majority of 

 the other members of the genus, in which the scheme of 

 colour is mainly a combination of black, grey, and white. 

 The hen, as with other allied species, is a plain 

 olive-brown bird, without any very definite markings. 

 Nothing is known as to its habits in freedom, but in 

 captivity it thrives well on a plain seed diet, is a harmless 

 and inoffensive occupant of an aviar}', and has a pretty 

 little song. 



The OrjvK Cuba Finch, another small grosbeak. 



