102 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



It leeds chiefly on seeds, but also to a large extent on 

 insects. Its nest is a rather bulky structure, compactly 

 built of dry Haifa grass, wool, and leathers, and the 

 eggs, ■which are usually three in number, are said to 

 closely resemble those of the Tree Sparrow." 

 Ykllow Sparrow {Passer lufetii']. 



H©a<l, neck, and under surface bright yellow ; re- 

 mainder of body above chestnut, shading off into yellow 

 on the Tump ; upper tail-coverts ashy-brown; lesser 

 wing-coverts dull yellow; remainder of wing brownisli- 

 black ; the mwlian and greater coverts tipped with buff, 

 tinged with chestnut; primaries narrowly edged with 

 buff ; secondaries broadly bordered with chestnut : 

 wings below dull brown, the inner edges of the flights 

 browJiish buff; under wing-coverts mostly white; tail 

 brown, with paler borders ; under tail-coverts brownish 

 buff, with dark centres; beak honi-coloured ; feet pale 

 brown; irides brown. Female with the yellow and 

 chestnut of the upper parts replaced by pale brown ; 

 under parts buff, washed with brown on the sides of 

 head, neck, and Iwdy. Habitat. S.K. Africa. 



Von Heuglin again likens this biixl in habits, not* and 

 eggs to the House-Sparrow, but he tells us that the 

 eggs are tiiree or four in number, white spotted with 

 brown.' 



According to Captain Shellev ("Birds of Africa," Vol. 

 III., p. 259). "the Hon. N." C. Rothschild and Mr. 

 A. F. R. Wollaston found these beautiful yellow 

 Sparrows exceedingly abundant at Shendi, increasing 

 in numbers towards the end of March. Flocks of fifty 

 and upwards might be seen at any time flying north- 

 wards along the. river bank ; they were never seen to 

 proceed in the other direction. They are very partial 

 to water, and might sometimes be seen in enormous 

 flocks bathing in the shallow pools of the river.'' 



"On the White Nile, according to Mr. Witherby, 

 ' This species was common and well distributed. 

 Generally to be foimd in small flocks of twenty or so. 

 it was very wild, and frequented the bushes and trees 

 in the more open country. When flying it has a 

 twittering Linnet-like not«, while in the trees it chirps 

 like a Housj-Sparrow. We saw an enormous flock of 

 the.'!© birds in some tall bu-shes on the river-bank near 

 Kawa. They were exceedingly restless, rising in clouds 

 from the bushes as we ajuproached and .settling again 

 further on, only to rise when wo nejired them.' " 



Dr. Ruiss inmented that only males of this iSpaiTow 

 were ini)x>rte<l ; he received three from Lintz of Hai.i- 

 burg, and a fourth from Miss Hagenbeck. It has been 

 exhibited at the London Zoological Gardens, and of late 

 years has been secuied by several private students of 

 bird life. Dr. Ru.ss considered it by no means spiteful, 

 but Mr. Seth-Smith came to an opposite conclusion 

 with respect to it. The Yellow S|)arrow was bred by 

 Mrs. Howard Williams in 1904, and an account of her 

 experience published in the Aviriiltural Mamzine 

 N.S., Vol. III., pp. 75-77. 



Goi.t)?:n Sparrow (I'nxxrr eiirhloi-ux). 

 Bright yellow; wing coverts paler yellow ; flights and 

 tail-feathers dark bixxwn with pale borders, broiid on 

 the secondaries; beak and feet pale broiwn ; irides 

 brown. Female pale brown ; a few dark markings on 

 mantle; sides of Jiead buff, .slight Iv browner on the 

 ear-coverts ; under parts buff, yellower on the throat. 

 Habitat, Ara bia and Eastern Abyssinia. 



*o^o" **■ ^'"■<='™' Cr/i« Avicuhural Magazine, N.a Vol IV 

 p. 2^^) eays:— "I took o??!) of tho latter recontlv, tho npst 

 WM von; roughly built of tw.jrs. partially .l.iwn«i nml lined 

 wun cotton, tgs-s, three in numlier, m.ire round than oblonir, 

 mrty white streaked and blotched with dark chocolate all otcr •' 



According to Colonel Yerbury (see Shelley, " Birds of 

 Africa," Vol. III., p. 260), "one or more big flocks 

 iiave established themselves now in Aden itself, breed- 

 ing in tho thorny trees at the tanks and alongside the 

 gaol wall. They are gregarious, and build a thick nest 

 of thorny twigs." This lx»autiful little Sparrow has 

 been exhibited at the London Zo<jlogical (iardens, but 

 Dr. Russ seems to have overlooked the fact, and speaks 

 of it a.s unlikely to be imported. Now that it has 

 c^tiiblished itself at Aden it .^eems to be extremely 

 likely to become much l)etttr known in the trade than 

 formerly. Th? Gnntessa Baldelli appears to li.ive 

 secured specimens in Italy in 1903. (See Avicultttral 

 Mai/azitw, N.S., Vol. I., p. 305.) 



Like all the Sparrows, this iipecies would probably 

 do well ui>on millet, canary, oats, and hemp, with a 

 few living insects, their larvae and pupae, or spiders; I 

 should also give a little fruit and soft food. 



Next to the Sjiarrows Dr. Sharpe has placed the 

 Serins or Canaries ; but, unless Prof. Ridgway is correct 

 in regaixling the ,Saffron-finche.^ as Buntings,* it seems- 

 to me that thej', both in their nesting-habits and in 

 the colouring of their eggs, show much closer affinity 

 to the Sparrows ; moreover the Rose-finches with their 

 Canary-like call-notes should not, I think, be widely 

 divorced from the Serins. 1 shall therefore take Si/calis 

 next.. 



S.\rFRON'-FiNCH [Sj/calis Aaveola). 



The cock is of a bright greenish yellow above, the 

 feathers of the mantle and upper back being strs-aked 

 with dusk}' lines; the wing leathers blackish, edged 

 with brighter or duller yellow ; the tail feathers also 

 blackish ivith bright yellow outer and paler yellow 

 inner edges ; the crown of head and back of neck 

 bright greenish yellow, the forehe,id bright orange, 

 the cheeks and throat yellowish orange ; undiT surface 

 of body bright yellow, the sides being slightly greenish; 

 the beak horn brown, the lower mandible being )>ale ; 

 the iris of eye greyish brown; the legs brownish flesh 

 coloiu'ed ; entire length about 5i inches. The hen is a 

 little duller above and paler below than the cock, but 

 otherwise is very simihir. Habitat, Southern Brazil to 

 New Grenadv and Venezu;'la. 



When in the neighbourhood of towns these birds and 

 their close .allies freijuently build large nests, lined ivith 

 horsehair, in holes in walls ; but if in the open country 

 they select holes in decayed trees or dcs?rt<'d nests of 

 ether birds in wnich to Vjuild. Their eggs, which some- 

 what resemble those of a Sparrow, are usually five in 

 number. In an aviaiy the cigarlK>x ty|)e of receptacle 

 is preferred for nesting purjjoses. If kept in a large' 

 cag.3 or Crystal Palace, .aviarj- with Canaries, the Saffron- 

 finch is ■unbearable ; he charges the jx>or things inoes- 

 Siintly, and makes their featheis fly wholesale; but in 

 a large .aviary, with Weavers and other strong ,si)ecies, 

 I have found him very innocent — e.vcepting towards 

 members of his own genus — and even amusing, but 

 especially in the breeding season at roosting time, for 

 then the cock and hen play a game of liide-and-seek, 

 only they always hide in the same receptacle, usually 

 .'i German Can :uy -cage ; the cock crouches down in a 

 Canary nest-lK>x whilst the hen hides, suddenly he darts 

 across to the opening, and out she bolts ])a.st him ajid 

 take.^ possession of his Irox ; he follows her ami sihe darts 

 b.ick, and so the giime goes on imtil both are wearj'. 

 The song of this bird is not particularly pleasing, though 

 hearty. 



This bird has been called Brazilian Sparrow, but the 

 only respect in which it resembles a Sparrow is in the 



* I made the same su^^e«tion myself many years ago. 



