56



Dr. E. HOPKINSON,



met with, while in two others it is found associating in about equal

numbers with the common firefinch.


This discovery, which has taken me thirteen years to make

and which came too late to allow much catching this season, enabled

me nevertheless to bring home ten examples. Another year, if

circumstances permit my visiting and spending sufficient time at one

of these places, I feel sure I could get as many as I wanted.


The places where one finds these birds are also close to fresh

water, but, in addition to this, there must be some other attraction,

although one cannot exactly say what that may he, unless indeed it

be the absence of long grass, so beloved of most of our little birds,

both seed and insect eaters, but which apparently is disliked by

these firefinches. The common firefinch one may meet with almost

anywhere, near water or away from it, in the villages, on the farms,

or in the “bush,” but rufopicta is only to be found in those very

few localities which completely fulfil its requirements, whatever

these may be.


I now know the general look of such a place so well, that I

can usually spot one at once on the march, and have my surmise

justified after a short halt to watch, by the appearance in the open

of some of these birds. Such a spot has a gentle slope towards the

river or to a line of shallow swamp-pools ; the vegetation consists

of low thorns and other small bushes, particularly a small leaved

evergreen, commonly known as the * Mandingo tea-bush,’ while the

ground itself is free from the usual long tropical grass, but sparsely

covered with a sort of twitch and other straggling grass-like plants.

If, in addition, a bare and rocky ironstone ridge overhangs such a

place on at least one side, one may feel sure that one has found a

haunt of these firefinches. It was in a place which fulfils all these

requirements, that I found them practically the only waxbill pi’esent.

It is quite a small area, as less than a hundred yards away on either

side, without any very obvious change in the general character of

the surroundings, except perhaps that the grass becomes rather

coarser and taller, not a single rufopicta will be seen, though common

firefinches, cordons and other waxbills abound.


Some years ago, in “ Bii'd Notes,” in an attempt at a trans¬

lation of Dr. Russ on the firefinches, I gave his very full desci'iption



