Some Colony Birds. 85 



of insect pests. Alas, in those happier climes, it devours more 

 grain in harvest time than is compensated for by its insect 

 destroying propensity in the nesting season : and it increases 

 apace. '. 



The White-Throat or Ring-Nerk is a stumpy bird with 

 a large head; it is like a cock Sparrow in form though gener- 

 ally smaller. The head, back, wings, and tail, are dull 

 black; the throat, v/hite ; the breast, vent, and rump, light 

 grey. There is a ring of white running from the ends of the 

 throat feathers around thn neck and broadening on the shoul- 

 ders, but not meeting at the back. It is almost as if he 

 had a AvTiite beard the ends of which were blown over the 

 shoulders. The white feathers of the throat do not quite 

 merge into the grey of the breast, there being ridges of black 

 feathers from the shoulders and almost meeting as they taper 

 to a point in front. There are also two stripes of white across 

 the upper part of the wings: the first, along the upper wing 

 coverts ; and the second across the lower wing coverts and 

 extending along the bases of the primaries as far as the 

 second feather. The hen is a uniform olive-brown, darker on 

 the wings and tail. There is a light brown bar on the 

 wings, corresponding to the upper white stripe of her mate. 

 It is distinguished from all other brown hen Finches by the 

 shape and colour of the beak, which is bkuk, blunt, and 

 rounded, like a typical Jewish nose. 



The song of the White-throat is a bubbling cascade 

 of music, sweet and melodious. This fully compensates for 

 it? inelegance of form; and he is a continual singer. It is 

 extremely fond of a bath, and, I may say, of cage life, for 

 it will return again and again if set at liberty. He is ami- 

 ably disposed toward other birds; but, of course, does not 

 sing so persistently as when kept alone. Many song birds 

 in an aviary will not sing at all. 



The Moustache Finche.s. There are two species of 

 these birds^ so-called from the more or less moustache-shaped 

 lines of white running from the corners of the mouth. They 

 remmd mc rather of mutton-chop whiskers. In length tlicy 

 are a little less than the White-Throat, but they are beauti- 



