110 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



fork of a small bush, or amongst climbing plants not 

 far from the ground. It bears little resemblance to the 

 nest of a Finch, and might eatdly l«e mistaken for that 

 of a Warbler. It is compo.^d of dry grass-stalks, and 

 lined with horse-hair. It is rather deep, and very 

 neatly and carefully made, although it is so slender as 

 to he semi-transparent when held up to the light. The 

 inside diameter is two inches and a. quarter. Five is 

 the usual number of eggs, but sometimes only four are 

 laid, and occasionally as many as si.\. They vary in 

 length from .9 to .73, and in breadth from .63 to .55. 

 The ground colour is greenish blue, not >o pale as that 

 of the eggs of the Bullfinch ; the spots are also fewer, 

 smaller, and blacker than in typical eggs of the latter 

 spe<'ies. They are smaller than the eggs of the Bull- 

 finch, and are not likely to be mistaken for the eggs of 

 any other bird." 



My sister, the late Dr. Fanny Butler, brought me a 

 fine male of this species from India, and I found it most 

 confiding and gentle, but not especially attractive after 

 its first moult in captivity as the whole of its rose- 

 colouring was then replaced by dull yellow. I paired it 

 to a hen Canary, but it was evidently not strone, as it 

 never sang, and in the following winter it died. I 

 Taney the most suitable seeds for the Rose-finches in 

 captivity should be millet, canary, rice in the husk, 

 and oats (and possibly sunflower-seed) ; also green food 

 and small green caterpillars or blight. 



Sepoy Finch {Carpodacus sipani). 

 Brilliant scarlet; wings and tail dark brown more or 

 less margined with scarlet ; thighs deep brown ; under 

 tail-coverts with black bases to the feathers ; beak 

 yellow; feet flesh-brown, irides brown. Female, dark 

 brown, the feathers with olive-yellow margins; rump 

 liright yellow ; below pale olive-yellow, with dusky 

 centres to feathers ; the throat somewliat ashy ; lower 

 abdomen and under tail-covert-s ■white; tliighs dusky; 

 flights duskv with ashy inner margins. Habitat, 

 Central and Eastern Himalayas. 



Jerdon says of this species (" Bi.ds of India." Vol. 

 TI. , p. 395) : — " It is by no means rare about Darjeeling, 

 and haunts elevations from 5.000 to 10. COO feet, accord- 

 ing to the sea.son. I have generally seen it in pairs. 

 Tt frequents both forest and bushy-ground, feeds on 

 fruits and seeds of various kinds, and has a loud whist- 

 linff note." 



The above is all the information I have been able to 

 discover respecting the wild life. 



The Zoological Societv of London .secaired a specimen 

 of this Finch in .June, 1902. and I believe it has on one 

 or two occasions l>een exhibited at shows. The fact 

 that these Eose-finche'-- lose their beauty in captivity 

 Tather militates against their frequent importation. 

 Purple Rose-Finch {Carpodarvn purpvreux). 

 Above vinous ; upper back and lesser wing-coverts 

 with blackish centres ; lower l)ack and rump bright 

 rose-red ; upper tail-coverts somewhat ashy ; wing dark- 

 brnwn. the feathers mostly more or less marErined with 

 rosy; the greater coverts and secondaries whitish at or 

 near the tips; tail-fe;ithors similar to primaries; crown 

 and nape bright crimson, paler at sides, faintly indi- 

 cating an eyebrow streak ; lores and orbital feathers 

 ashy; sides of face otherwise, throat and breast, 

 crimson ; breast paler Iiecoming whit^- on the abdomen. 

 Tint ro.sy on sides ; flanks also rosy with an ashy tinge 

 an<' dark brown streaks; thighs greyish brown; under 

 tail-coverts, under wing-coverts, and axillaries white 

 washed with rose ; flights du.sky with ashy inner 

 ■margins. Female above brown with darker streaks 



more or less edged with whitish ; wing-feathers mostly 

 dark brown with paler margins; tail feathers 

 dark brown with whitish margins; lores whitish; a 

 narrow white eyebrow streak ; car-cxjverts with pale 

 centre; cheek.'! and under-surface white spotted with 

 brown, more streak-like on sides and flanks; under 

 wing-coverts huffish white ; flights dusky with whitish 

 inner edges. Habitat. "Eastern North America from 

 the Atlantic coast to the plains, breeding from the 

 Middle States northward" (Sharpe). 



J. G. Cooper (Geol. Surv. Calif., "Ornithology," Vol. I., 

 p. 155) &.iys that the nest of "('. purpureus of the 

 Eastern States is built in a low tree, composed 

 of coari-e gra.-s, lined 'with root fibres, and the eggs, 

 five in number, are of a ratlier pale green, with 

 scattered dots and streaks of dark brown or dull purple. 



" Tlie song of this bird (the race C. californicus) is 

 quite loud and varied, often resembling that of different 

 birds, such as Vircos and Dendroicas, for which I have 

 mistaken it. This would doubtless succeed as well in a 

 cage as the other species, but I have not seen any in 

 captivity, though the Eastern species is often sold in 

 cages by the name of Linnets. Their fo-xl consists of 

 all such seeds and berries as they can obtain, besides 

 buds of trees in times of scarcity." 



An example of this Finch was sent to me in July, 

 1896, by Mr. James H. Fleming, of Ontario, in company 

 witli some Pine Grosbeaks, by wliich large birds it had 

 l>een so maltreated on the voyage, that it did not long 

 survive its .reparation from them. Ril<^5 speaks of it as 

 being irnported singly by Reiche and Mi.ss Hagenbeck, 

 and being an admirable songs^ter and pleasing cage- 

 bird, but he says that, unhappily, it has not hitherto 

 been bred. 



Blood-st.mned Finch [Carpodacus mejiraiiiif). 



Above ashy brown ; the ccjitres of feathers of mantle, 

 upper back, and upper tail-coverts duskj' ; forehead and 

 a streak above ear-coverts, lower back and rump crim- 

 son ; wing-feathers dark brown with sandy bufBsh 

 margins ; t;iil-feathers dark brown with ■nliitr-brown 

 margins; front of face, clieeks and throat crim.*on ; 

 sides of neck ashy-brown ; imder surface of bndj' ashy 

 streaked with dark brown, abdomen paler; sides and 

 flanks sandy bufi streaked M'ith dusk\ ; under wing- 

 coverts and axillaries buffish with a tinge of reddish ; 

 flights belon- dusky with the inner margins ashy. 

 Female browner, the margins of the wing and tail- 

 feathers paje brown; no crimson in the plumage; the 

 crown with dark mottling; sides of face ashv-whitith ; 

 ear-coverts dark brown; under smface of body whiter 

 than in tlie male, the abdonifn unifonn whiti.sb with 

 the .sides and flanks Streaked like the brea.st; under tail- 

 covei'ts fulvous with dusky centres ; imder winij-coverts 

 and axillaries sandy buff; flights as in male. Habitat, 

 Mexico (Shai-pe). 



As Professor Ridgway regards the species described 

 by Cooper ,xs C. frontalis {" Orn. Cal. 1870," p. 156) as 

 in part referable to this bird. I will quote what is there 

 utated resjv^ting the habits of the Californi.in birtl : — 

 " This lively and musical little bird abounds in nearly 

 all the southern portions of Ciilifornia, and, according 

 to NoHberry, throughout the valleys northward up to 

 Oregon. It is everywhere the s|)ecies must peculiar to 

 the valleys, while the other two frequent the forest-clad 

 mountains. 



" I have found this species on the barren rocky hills 

 near tlie Colorado, and in plains near the coast, where 

 there is nn pKint higher than tlie wild mustard, nn tbe 

 seeds of which it feeds. It fi-eqmnts grove-; also, and 

 open forests on the summit of the co.ist ranges in 



