146 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



1907. Mr. Page also had a specimen. It resembles the 

 following species, excepting for the absence of the black 

 cap. 



RtDDiSH Finch {Spermojihila iugri>-inirunt\a). 



The Reilflish Finch i.* one of the smalle.-it cagcbirds; 

 it is cinnamon iu colouring, with the crown to the nape 

 black, giving it .somewhat the asj)ect of a miniature 

 Bnlltinch, the throat and centre of under .surface paler 

 cinnajnon than the remainder of the body ; the flights 

 are black with greyish-brown borders, the middle 

 primaries white at the base, forming a white patch 

 when the wing is clo.sed : tail feathers black. tipi:ed and 

 fKlged with pale brown ; bo^-ik blacki.sh. feet dark brown, 

 iris brown. The female is olive brown, the centre of 

 body yellowish-white, becoming ochreous buff on under 

 tailcoverts; flight and tail feathers brown edged with 

 olive. Hab , Southern Brazil. 



Mr. W. A. Forbes (The Ibis, 1881, pp. 335-336) says 

 that he obtiiined this bird at Recife frequenting the 

 same localities as .S'. r/uttui(dis and S. hi/poleurn. He 

 says " the Brazilians call it ' Caboclo,' a name applied 

 to the tamed aboriginal Indians in Pernambuco. It may 

 sometimes be seen in Recife in cages with crowds of 

 sundry other Spermophilce, Canaries {Si/calis), Car- 

 dinals (Paroaria), etc." 



Burmeister says of it (" Syst. Ueb.," III., p. 251) :— 

 " Comiroiv, in the whole of Brazil in small and larger 

 flights, esjiecially to be noticed in numbers on the 

 millet-fields; they keep quite quiet; when scared off 

 they fly away without a cry. I have never heard a 

 song, though' I have so frequently observed it in the 

 environs of New Freiburg. I also met with the bird 

 at Lagoa Santa." 



Tlic nidification appears to be undescribed. 



The male is a sweet singer, though not often heard 

 in an aviary ; possibly in a flight cage it might be a 

 more frequent performer. It is perfectly harmleiiS, 

 and a great addition to any aviary of tiny song birds. 

 Its habits in a wild stat« appear to be similar to those 

 of its congeners. It ouoht to be more freely imported, 

 as it is not a rare bird in Brazil. 



This is one of the prettiest and most pleasing, but 

 one of the least fi^eely imported, of the better known 

 tlpi'i-mophlhe., and therefore is rarely to be obtained at 

 a low price, although I was fortunate' in this respect. 

 I jiirked my bird out of a crowd of Spermop/iila: sold 

 indisc-riminately at 3s. apiece. I was amused, the year 

 following, to note an advertisement by the same dealer 

 offering a specimen of this rare little Finch for 20s. My 

 bird lived to a great age, but towards the end of its 

 life became .slovenly in its toilet, so that its skin was 

 not worth preserving. v 



Collared Finch [S prrmophUa cuculhia). 

 Above black ; scapulars grey ; lower back grey shaded 

 with ochreous. which becomes pure ochreous in a belt 

 acrcss the rump ; wing-feathers blackish, odged with 

 ashy; inner lesser coverts and tips of inner median 

 coverts ochreous ; inner primaries externally white at 

 base ; upper tail-coverts blackish bordered -with dark 

 grey ; tail-feathers blackish edged with brown, paler 

 at tips; lores, a patch below front of eye, cheeks and 

 throat creamy-buff, the latter more ochreous; a half 

 collar of ochreous at sides of neck ; a broad black band 

 behind throat, under surface of body behind the black 

 band tawny buff, pale excepting on under tailcoverts ; 

 thi>;hs white, black behind ; under wing coverts and 

 axillaries white ; flights below <lusky. white towards 

 ba.ee of inner web ; beak greyish-horn, blackish at base, 

 yelIow^i.<-h at tip. Female above brown, slightly oliva- 

 ceous on head and back ; wing and tail-feathers dark 



brown with paler margins ; sides of head and under 

 parts pale tawny buff, paler on abdomen ard deeper on 

 under tail-coverts ; under wing-coverts and axillaries 

 huffish white. Hab., Northern Brazil to Guiana. 

 (Shariie.) 



According to Burmeister ("Syst. Ueb.," III., p. 248), 

 this bird inhabits the outskirts of woods, especially 

 near settlements. 1 can find no other note of its wild 

 life. 



A pair of this Spermophila reached the London 

 Zoological Gardens in 1884. 



Bl.\ck-b.\ndf.d Finch {Spermophila torqueula). 



Above black ; lower back and rump pale tawny ; inner 

 primaries white at base of outer web ; tail fringed at 

 end with pale brown ; a white half collar at sides of 

 neck ; cheeks and under surface tawny reddish, paler 

 on throat; a black collar behind throat ; thighs wliite, 

 black behind ; under wing-cx)verts and axillaries white ; 

 flights below dusky, with ashy edges becoming white 

 at base ; beak and feet blackish ; irides brown. Female 

 above jiale olive-brown, more ashy (m head and neck; 

 wings and tail dark brown with olive-brown edges to 

 the feathers ; tips of great<'r wing-coverts and margins 

 of inner secondaries slightly rufescent ; sides of head 

 and front of body below paler brown than ujiper sur- 

 face ; the abdomen, lower Hanks and under tail-coverts 

 paJe tawnv bullish ; under wing-coverts and axillaries 

 greenish white; flights below as in male. Hab., Mexico. 



I have found no notes on the wild life of this bird ; 

 a male was presented to the I.K)ndon Zoological Society 

 in 1895 by Mr. A. J. Chalmers. 



Spectacled Finch (SpermophUa ophthalmica). 



Atx)ve shining black ; feathers of lower back and 

 rump grey, subterminally banded with black and tipped 

 with white ; lesser wing-coverts white-edged ; greater 

 coverts with a linear white streak at ends ; bastard wing, 

 primary-covert.'i and quills white at base, visible 

 and forming a distinct speculum on middle primaries; 

 a small white spot f)elow eye ; cheeks, throat and sides 

 of neck white ; a black band behind throat spreading 

 on sides of chest- remainder of undir surface white; 

 the flanks slightly mottled with black ; flights below 

 blackish ^vitli inner edges white broadening towards 

 base ; beak and feet ])robably black ; irides reddish. 

 Female above pale brown ; head and mantle greyer ; 

 me^lian and greater wing-coverts blackish with rufescent 

 ]>ale brown margins ; remaining feathers of wing dusky 

 with paler borders; upper tail-coverts and tail-featliers 

 pale brown, with ])aler margins ; lores bufiisa yellow ; 

 eyelid buffy white ; -ear-coverts, cheeks, and under 

 parts jiale "buffish-brown, paler at centre of breast and 

 abdomen ; sides, flanks, thighs, and under tailcoverts 

 pale brown ; under wing-coverts and axillaries white, 

 the foni>er slightly stained with brown. Hab., Ecuador. 



Mr. W. (toodfellow (The /6i'.*. 1901, p. 473), in an 

 account of a journey which he took through Colombia 

 and Ecuador, says :— " Very common at Santo Domingo 

 in October, where during the midday hours they- 

 assembled in large Hocks on the gra.ss around the huts.'' 



Tliis species has been exhibited at the London Zoo- 

 logical Gardens, but it is naturally rare in the bird 

 market . 



LiNEATED Finch (SpermojyMla lineata.) 



Above shining greenish black; the lower back and 

 rump ashy with dusky subt«mijiiU markings to tho 

 feathers ; lesser wing-coverts edged with whiti.sh ; 

 median and gi^eater coverts tipped with white, the 

 former broadly; inner primaries wliite at base of irmer 

 web ; upper tail-coverts with ;Lshy fringes ; tail edged 



