94



Oji the Breeding oj the Painted Finch.



that anything will come of it, so I bring this record of dis¬

appointments to a close forthwith.


* * *


Supplementary. —An adult female I have examined since

writing the foregoing had, in addition to the narrow eyebrow, a

broader line of scarlet below, running forward and expanding

into the scarlet lores. The under parts, including the under

aspect of the tail, were rich black, with the spots for the female as

given in the B. M. Catalogue ; but, with the exception of quite a

few scarlet-tipped feathers in the centre of the breast, there was

not a trace of red anywhere, differing materially from the males in

this respect. The upper aspect of the tail-feathers was rather

brown-black than black; and the red markings weie confined to

a faint edging of the outer webs—thus differing curiously from

the fledgeling. This bird, although a female, had a small tri¬

angular patch of white or whitish at the base of the lower

mandible, a mark not mentioned in books. It seemed to be

smaller, of a different shape, and more black underneath than in

the fledgeling ; doubtless I am mistaken—but I especially noted

that I could not make out the patch on the latter to be triangular

as I considered it ought to be.


The bill of the fledgeling was not long and slender as in

the adult. What useful put pose in the economy of the species

does the very long bill serve? That the Painted Finches should

prefer spray millet to any other food I am able to offer does not

help us much ; but I think the way in which, like the Regent

Bird, they pluck off and swallow the tops of blades of growing

grass is unusual among finches. Probably the wild birds have a

partiality for some particular food. The parents here fed the

young bird—as far as they went—on such small insects as they

were able to obtain.


The eggs, so far as I know them, are small for the size of

the bird ; I compared one with a Cuba Finch’s, and found the

latter to be almost the larger; they are, of course, white.


The alarm-call is a rapid running repetition of the cuck



note.



