82 Some Colony Bints. 



with arc, or have been, kepi in l'2nglisli aviaries. — Ed. B.N.] 



As I concluded my first urtich- (Dec 1912) by a 

 descrijition of the Twa-twa, I may vvell take up the thread 

 agaiJi by giving some account of its near relative the Tua-tua. 

 The Tua-tua (pronounced tower-tower) {Oryzoborus torrij 

 das), vulgarly called the bastard twa-twa, or the Twa-twa's 

 slave, proclaims at 'Once its near kinship to the Twa-twa. It 

 is, however, neither so large nor so elegant in form; and 

 moreover, from the lower part of the breast to the tail, it is 

 dark red. From this feature it evidently derives its specific 

 of torridus, toasted or scorched. I suppose it derives its 

 vulgar name of bastard twa-twa from the mistaken notion, that 

 it is a cros's between that bird and some other inferior type. 

 In nature, however, hybrids never occur. I suppose again 

 that it is called Twa-twa's slave on account of its compara- 

 tive inferiority. 



It has a large beak, though not so relatively large as 

 the Twa-twa's, and being black instead of slaty white is not 

 so conspicuous. There is a white stripe on the primary fea- 

 thers, but it is almost covered by the wing coverts. The 

 wings underneath arc white also. It has the same habit of 

 whisking his tail from side (to side and of spreading it out; 

 and the tail is full and broad: I had almost said bushy. As 

 in the case of the Twa-twa, the hen and the young birds are 

 a warm brown, darker on the wings and tail; it is thus 

 almost indistinguisliable from several other brown hen 

 Finches; but the beak which has a ridge or keel where it 

 joins the s'kull above, is unmistakable. The single note of the 

 Tua-tua is exactly that of the Twa-twa, and its song, though 

 not so loud^ is perhaps more musical. But is is not such a 

 persistent singer. 



It is an amiable aviary bird and the one in my posses- 

 sion returned to the cage when I chanced to let it escape. 



The Fire-finch. One of i^he most beautiful of our 

 L'inches has the awkward namie of " Scarlet-crested Finch " 

 {Coryphospingus cristaius). I prefer to call it the Fire-jincli 

 and it justifies this title,, being very much the colour of a 



