ROSE-FINCH. 



109 



parts replaced by pale browmish coffee-colour, very pale, 

 but less brown on rump; upper tail-coverts and tail 

 clear coffee-reddish, the rectrices witli more or less 

 broad black shaft-streaks ; a little black on cheeks and 

 back of ear-coverts, otherwiye the sides of face and ear- 

 coverts are brownish-grey ; throat and breast greyish- 

 white, mottle<l. exceptinj; at the sides, with black ; re- 

 mainder of IkxIv below dull white, broadly washed on 

 sides and flanks with s;indy butK.sh ; under surface of 

 flights deep silky grey ; under wing-cc vert.s and axillaries 

 slightly rufescent ; under tiiil-feathers paler than above. 

 Habitat, Cape Colony, the Trsnsvaal, and Great 

 Najnaqua Land. 



Whether the imported specimens of this species belong 

 to two more or less defined races or not I cannot say, 

 but it is certain that the two male skins which I have 

 consiidered gootl enough to preserve differ rcri^.arkably 

 in size, and not a little in colouring. I imderstand that 

 Dr. Sharpe recognises two species of Alarir> Finches, but 

 I find no not« of the fact in Shelley's " Birds of Africa," 

 Vol. III. ; therefore it would seem that they must have 

 been separated since 1902. 



Messrs. Stark and Sriater thus describe the habits of 

 the Alario Finch: — "These pretty little Finches are of 

 gentle and confiding habits, and wlien feeding allow a 

 verj- close approach without showing any s.ymptonis of 

 alarm. They are fond of perching on low bushes, but 



The Aijvato Finch. 



obtain the greater part of their food, consisting of grass 

 and other small seeds, from the giound, where they 

 often intermingle with the flocks of Waxbills and other 

 small Weaver Finches. The males frequently utter their 

 low but sweet song from the top of a bush, chiefly in the 

 spring, but, according to Dr. Rus,s, it is, in caged birds, 

 continued the whole year.* He describes it as being 

 soft, flute-like, but low-pitched. In Great Namaqua 

 Land Andersson found the Mountain Canary always in 

 the neighbourhood of water. Rickard remarks: — "1 

 fancy this is the species much prized by the lads in Port 

 Elizabeth, who called it the ' Namaqua ' ; it only 

 appears at long intervals, but in considerable numbei-s 

 when it does occur ; it sings we!l and becomes very tame. 

 " In confinement this speoiee breeds both with the 

 Cape .and the Common Canary. In a wild state it 

 builds a small and neatly-constructed cup-shaped nest in 

 a low bush of dry grass and small stalks, lined with fine 

 grass and the down of plants. The eggs, three to five in 

 number, are p:ile bluish-green, spotted at the large end 

 with several shades of reud'sh brown. They average 

 0.68 by 0.50. The youn^ are hatched in eleven days, 



* The various notes respecting the writings of Riiss in " The 

 Birds of South Africrt " are taken from my *• Foreign Finches 

 in Captivity."— .\. G. B. 



and remain in the nest for about three weeks. They are 

 fed on partly-digested food from the crops of the old 

 binds for some time after they leave the nest. Two 

 broods are reared in tho season, the fir.st laying being iu 

 Novembei-, the second in January." 



N'ot only is the natural song of this species especially 

 sweet, but its imit.:itive facu'ty is considerable; my 

 two males having picked up the song of the Canary and 

 the I..innet respectively. In addition to its merits as a 

 vocalist, the Alario Finch is a long liver and very hardy. 

 I certainly lost my first T)air rather soon, the cock having, 

 broken his skull by flying about recklessly in the dark, 

 whilst the hen caught cold and died in about eighteen 

 months. Hut a second cock bird, purchased when the 

 first was yet living, was in my possession over eight 

 years; and a third whicii was given to me also lived a 

 good many years. Mules produced from an Alario cock 

 bird with a hen Canary nearly resemble they- South 

 African parent, the colouring of whose pluma^ie reminds 

 one of a Three-coloured Mannikin in the arrangement of 

 its colours. 



The name Mountain Canary adopted by Messrs. Stark 

 and Sclater lis a translation of the Boer name (Berg- 

 Canarie). 



We next come to the ROSE-FINCHES and their 

 allies, which lead n:iturally to the true Bullfinches. 

 St'ARLET Itu.sK-FlNCH (Cnrporiacus eri/t/iriniis). 



The prevailing colour of this beautiful bird in 

 summer is crimson, most brilliant on the head, hinder 

 parts of back and rump, throat, and breast; the feathers 

 of the upper back and mantle and the wing-coverts with 

 dusky centres ; the remaining wing-fsathers and tail- 

 feathers dark brown with more or less rose-tinted mar- 

 gins ; the abdomen is bright rose, fading to luiffish white 

 on the under tail-coverts : beak and feet fleshy horn- 

 brown ; irides hazel. Female generally brown, "darkest 

 on tho crown, nape, wings, tail, throat, and breast ; 

 feathers of the head with dark centres; back and rumu 

 sli.ghtly olivaceous ; tips of wiing-coverts, margins of 

 innermost secondaries and of throat and breast-feathers, 

 with remainder of under surface paler. Habitat. 

 Northern Europe and Siberia to Kamtschatka, wintering 

 to the south, particularly in India and Burma. Acci- 

 dental in Western Europe. 



Two examples of this species have been captured in 

 England, but it is quite possible that they may have 

 been escaped cage-birds. 



Jerdon ("Birds of India," Vol. II., p. 399) says: — 

 " It visits the pla-ns during October, and leaves in A.oril. 

 In March many are taken in fine breeding livery. In 

 the extreme south I have chiefly seen it in bamboo 

 jungle, feeding on the seeds of bamboo on several occa- 

 sions, and so much is this its habit that the Telugu 

 name signifies ' Baml)oo Sparrow.' In other parts of the 

 country it frequents alike groves, gardens, and jungles, 

 feeding on various seeds and grain ; also not nnfrequently 

 on flower buds and young leaves. .Adains states that iii 

 Cashmere it feeds much on the seeds of a cultivated 

 vetch. Now and then it is seen in large flocks, but in 

 general it associates in small parties. It breeds iu 

 Northern Asia. It is frequently caught and cased, and 

 has rather a pleasing song. Blyth says: 'The 7'»/i has 

 a feeble twittering song, but soft and pleasing, being 

 intermediate to that of the Go'dfinch. and that of the 

 small Redpoll Linnet; the call-note resembling that of a 

 C'anarv-bird.' " 



Seebohm says ("Hist. British Birds," Vol. II., p. 48) : 

 "The food of this \>iYd consists of sjeds of various 

 kinds, grain, and the buds of trees. In spring it eats 

 insects, and in autumn, ben-ies and other fruit. 



" The rest of the Scarlet Rcse-Finch is built in the 



