146 



breast, shading off to almost white at the vent. The 

 beak is black, and the feet and claws very pale brown, 

 the latter being the darker. The box is about eight 

 inches long and 4^ inches wide, with a hole cut in one 

 end : the nest is built with a few pieces of stick and the 

 rest hay, and with no lining. When I found out they 

 had young, I got some flies and mealworms and put 

 into the aviary, but although I watched continually I 

 never saw them take anything but seeds ; when I got 

 a tuft of grass in seed and put that in the aviary 

 they would fly down to it, but so would the other 

 birds and therefore I don't expect they got much 

 of it. 



I believe mine is the third authenticated account 

 of breeding the Spice Finch. I imagined I was 

 first in the field, but on enquiry I find Lady 

 Dunleath bred this bird in 1901 and Mr. Gill in 1902. 



XTbc Milt) Canarv). 



(Serinus canaria). 



By W. Geo. Creswell, M.D., F.Z.S. 



(Continued from page 131^. 



v'^ ESCRiPTiONS of birds are always tedious when 

 I I fairly explicit, and generally meet with the 

 .— Ly fate of being skipped by the reader ; but feel- 

 ing that this chapter would be incomplete were 

 I to omit one of the bird under notice, I therefore give 

 the following particulars. 



Above, ashy brown, washed with yellow and 

 streaked with blackish brown down the centre of the 

 feathers. Rump, uniform olive yellow. Lesser wing 

 coverts, olive yellow. Median and greater wing coverts, 

 black, edged with yellow, the latter tipped with 

 whitish. Bastard wiiig and primary coverts, black, 

 margined with ashy yellow. Qnills, dark brown, edged 

 with ashy brown tinged with yellow on primaries. 



