SQ Some Colony Birds. 



fill in shape, bein.c^ slonder and having a longer and more 

 shapely tail; the head nlso is small and neat. 



The commoner species is th(> Spcrniophila lincola. In 

 this, the head, wings, throat, and tail are velvet black; the 

 breast, greyish white, fading into white on the vent. Besides 

 the so-called jnoustache, there is a white bar running along 

 the crown of the head from the beak^ and a small white patch 

 on the wings, that is, on the upper part of the primaries. 

 The under-wings are white, a nd the secondaries are partly 

 white though the colour does not appear externally; the 

 rump is grey. The hen is a light Olive-brown, lighter still 

 below; the beak, horn colour and not bhT^k, 



The single note of the bird is loud and like the chirp 

 of a Sparrow; but it has a pretty song of about fifteen notes; 

 no't, however, so varied as that of the White-throat. It is a 

 charming cage-bird, easily tamed and amiable in disposition 



The other Moustache Finch {Sprrmophila ocellafa) is 

 much rarer and is not distinguished by the unitiatcd from' 

 the foregoing. However;, it is mot so slim; there is no line of 

 white over the head; and along the sides are round spots upon 

 a ground of black fading into grey. From this latter feature 

 it derives it specitic name of ocellata, that is, " ey6d " or 

 marked with eye-like spots. 



The Black-throated Sacki. There are several 

 species iof Tanagers rightly named eiiphonia, " sweet-voiced," 

 The smallest {Eiiphonia miiiuta) is a tiiuy 'bird hardly three 

 inches in length, from tip to tip of beak and tail. The tail of 

 all these birds is short, (extending very little beyond the under- 

 tail coverts, and their general contour is Swallow-iikc, being 

 round and full. The head, back, wings, and tail of the minula 

 are deep blue, with a green sheen on the primaries; the throat 

 is deepei blue rather than black. The breast is a rich yellow, 

 the under-tail coverts white, as are also the under-wings. The 

 forehead is yellow and gives tho bird the air of wearing a 

 jockey cap( with a square peak turned back. The bill, more 

 like a Swallow's than a Finch's, is slaty blue. The sexes are 

 alike, or nearly so. The bird soon becomes accustomed to a 

 cage, for, in spile of its small size, it is very intelligent and 



