104 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



Yeli/jwish Finch [Sycalis arvensis). 



Above pale olive-green, mantle and upper back broadly 

 streaked with bl;iekish-brown ; wing, excepting the 

 lesser coverts, which are greenish jellow, deep brown, 

 the feathers with i«ilc boi'ders ; tail similar; eyebrow- 

 stripe bright vellow ; l>elow, the throat and breast are 

 dull aishy buffish, the lower brea.st and abdomen bright 

 yellow ; " beak ami feet horn-colour ; irides brown. 

 Female, browner, the back less yellow, as also the lores 

 and eycbrowstriix" ; yellow of under parts paler. 

 Habitat, South Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, and Chili 

 to South Peru. 



Dr. Sharpe distinguishes three sub sjiecies of this 

 bird, among which <V. lull iventris (which has white on 

 the outer tail-feather) may )X)ssibly be fairly distinct ; 

 but when one has bred dozens of S. Aareola and seen 

 bow many plumages it assumes before attaining its final 

 colouring", and how it also varies in size, it makes one 

 very sceptical about the validity of sub-species based 

 upon slight colour-differences. I am not even sure that 

 the characters by which the sexes of S. arvaisis are 

 usually distinguished are constant, inasmuch as the last 

 specimen of mine which died (always supposed to be a 

 male on account of its brilliant colouring) proved after 

 death to be an undoubted female with fully developed 

 ovary, was larger and brighter than a male which died 

 six years previously, and almost as bright as a con- 

 siderably larger male which died two years previously. 

 Now, supposing this largest bird to be tyjncal 

 .9. arreiixix, w hat are we to do with the smaller and less 

 bright form (the female of which is brighter than its 

 male)? It will not lit the description of any one of the 

 sub-species. 



Messrs. Sclater and Hudson ('' Arg. Rep.," Vol. I., pp. 

 69-71) call this Si/calis luleohi, and describe its habits as 

 follows : — " This is a slender, graceful bird, less than 

 the Canary in size. 



"This species is resident and gregarious in the 

 Argentine Republic, and in autumn frequently congre- 

 gates in flocks of several thousamls. They are not so 

 universally difitributed as the Chingolo, and are not 

 wood-birds, but frequent open plairLs abounding in 

 thistles and other coarse herbage, which affords them 

 shelter. In cnltivatcd districts, where their food is 

 most abundant, they are excesisively numerous, and, 

 after the harvest has been gathered, frequent the fields 

 in immense flocks. While feeding, the flocks scatter 

 over a large area of ground, being broken up into small 

 companitv of a dozen or more bird.s. and at such times 

 are so intent on their fond that a person can walk 

 about amongst them without disturbing them. They 

 take flight very suddenly, Inir.sting into a thousand 

 chirping, .'■(olding notes, pur.sue each other through the 

 air, and, after wheeling about the field for a minute or 

 two, suddenly drop into the grass again and are silent 

 as before. 



" In August they begin to sing, here and there an 

 individual being heard in the fields, but when the 

 weather grows warmer they repair to the plantations in 

 vast numbens, and. sitting on the brauche.'-, .Mug in a 

 concert of innumerable voices, which produces a great 

 volume of confiified Round, ami which often continues for 

 hours at a time without int<'rmist,ion. 



"By-andby these pleasunt choir.'^ break up, the 

 birds all scattering over the plains and fie^lds to woo 

 and build, and it is then first discovered that the male 

 has a peculiar and very sweet soni;. Apart from his 

 fellows^ he acquires a different manner of singing, 

 soaring up from his stand on the Minimit of a bush or 

 stalk, and beginning his song the moment he quits his 

 perch. Ascending, he utters a .<series of long, melodious 



notes, not loud, but very distinctly enunciated and in- 

 creasing in volume ; at a height of fifty or sixty yards 

 he pauses, the notes becoming slower ; then, as he 

 descends with a graceful spiral flight, the wings out- 

 stretched and motionle.>is, the notes al.'O fall, becoming 

 lower, sweeter, and more impressive till he reaches tlie 

 earth. After alighting the .-ong continues, the notes 

 growing longer, thinner, and clearer, until they dwindle 

 to the merest threads of sound, and cease to be 

 audible except to a person standing within a few yards 

 of the songster. The song is quite unique in character, 

 and its great charm is in its gradual progress from the 

 somewhat thick ncAes at the commencement to the 

 thin, tremulous tones with which the bird returns to 

 earth, and which change again to the excessively 

 attenuated sounds at the end. 



"The nest is deep, well-built, and well-concealed, 

 sometimes resting on the ground, but frequently raised 

 above it. It contains live long, pointed eggs, with a 

 white or bluish-white ground-colour, and thickly spotte-J 

 with brown." 



I have quoted the full account of the song of this 

 bird, because it shows how exhilarating the climate of 

 Argentina must be when a very third-rate performance 

 can arou.se such enthusiasm in the mind of the listener. 

 Hea.rd in an English aviary the song ij a trifle more 

 musical than that of the Common Saffron-finch ; but, 

 like many of the songs of Argentine birds it is ju>t 

 that sort of thing which can be produced ity .screwing 

 round the lid of a circular wooden box.* The flight 

 is graceful and pleasing, resenibling that of the Grey 

 Singing-finch in its fluttering butterfly-like character. 



My birds built in 1907 in a (igar ne.'-tbox hung high 

 up in the small aviary where I kept them, but the hen 

 never settled down to lay and eventually died, leaving 

 the cock bird solitary. 



Millet, canary, and green food, with a little soft food 

 suit all the Saffron-finches well. 



We now come to the SERINS or CANARIES, which 

 do well upon the same food as Saffron-finches. 



Cape C'.vn.\ry {.Serinu.i canicollif). 



This species is yellow, greenish above, excepting on 

 the crown, nape, and lower back ; the nape is grey ; 

 the scapularies and mantle with dark shaft-streaks; 

 flights and tail-feathers blackish, with yellow outer 

 margins; beak pale horn colour; feet greyish-brown; 

 iris dark brown. Female browner on mantle and liack ; 

 Sitreaked with dusky brown; crown pale y.ollow with 

 dusky streaks ; below paler yellow. Habitat, Cape Colony, 

 where it is resident. Natal, the Orange Free, State and 

 Transvaal : introduced into Reunion. 



Messrs. Stark and Sclater (" Birds of South 

 Africa," Vol. I., pp. 168. 169) say :— This 

 well-known and favourite cage-bird is, in its wild 

 state, a common re-^ident in nearly all districts that 

 are overgrown with bushes or low trees varied with 

 open glades and clearings. It is perhaps more 

 abundant on the lnishcla<l slopes of hills and mountains 

 as well a.s in gardens and shrubberies, and I have met 

 with it in .some numbers anumg the low scrub on the 

 sandy coast of Little Naniaqiia. Land, In autumn .and 

 winter small flocks frequent the more open pasture .and 

 ploughe<l land, to feed, with other Finches and Weaver 

 birds, on small seeds and insects that they find on the 

 ground. The justly admired song of the Cape Canary 

 is prolonged and very sweet, and is compared by Dr. 



•• My little Kraiidson, uhu is a very musical diilii. remaiked that 

 it Bouii'led " like twiBting round a cork in a bottle," when I asVed 

 bim if he thought it WAB a pretty Bong. The eODg often reienitles 

 the running down of albroken watch-spring. 



