LITTLE OKOSUEAKS. 



147 



at end witli ashy ; lower eyebd Hath a, tiny white spot ; 

 cheeks, sides of neck, and under parts white; a black 

 collar and .^i^des of bre;ist ; sides of boily aiid flank-s 

 ashy; thighs bla<:kish ; flight-s below bK-u-kish, ashy oil 

 inner edges jukI towards base; feet fleshy-bkackish. 

 Female above olive-brown, y«llower <in rump ; ■\\ing 

 and tail-feathers with paler uilges; lores and feathers 

 round eye whitish; ear-coverts pale and streaked with 

 whitish ; iiiider surface ochrticeous, browner on sides 

 and flanks; centre of bieist and alxlomen yelloHish 

 white; axillaries and under -wing-coverts white, edged 

 with yellow; flights below dusky, ashy whitish along 

 inner edges. Hab., Guiana and Amazonia. 



Iiurn)eist«r gives no information respecting the wild 

 life, nor can I discover anj-thing in other works. This 

 species also has been exhibited at the Ixmdon Gardens. 



Bluish Finch (Upermojjhila aurulescens). 



The Bluish Finch chiefly ditfers from the White- 

 tliroated Finch in its slightly inferior size and black 

 chin-iKitch, but it also wants the white spot on the 

 primaries. Fenule pale olive-brown ; wings and tail 

 darker; below jmler tinged with ochraceous ; middle 

 of body ainwst white. Hab., South Brazil, Patagonia, 

 I'aj-agibay, Argentina, and Bolivia. 



Mr. Hudson {" Argentine Ornithologj'," Vol. I., p. 45) 

 observes that " these birds aie always most abundant 

 in plantations, preferring peach trees, but do not 

 associate in flocks ; they are exceedingly swift and 

 active, overflowing with life and energy, their 

 impetuous notes and motions giving one the idea that 

 they are always in a state of violent excitement. The 

 male has a luud, st;irtled chirp, also a song competed 

 of eight or ten notes, deiiveretl with such vehemence 

 and r.ipidity that they run into each other and sound 

 more like a scream than a song.* There is not a more 

 clever ardiitect than this species; and whilr many 

 SynaUnxes are laboriously endeavouring to show how 

 stately a mansion of sticks a little bird can erect for 

 itself, the Screaming Finch has successfully solved the 

 problem of how to construct the most perfect nest for 

 lightness, strength, and symmetry with the fewest 

 niat-erials. It is a. small, oup-shaped structure, 

 suspended hammock-wise between two slender upright 

 branches, and to which it is secm'ely attached by fine 

 hairs and webs. It is made of thin, pale-coloured, 

 fibious roots, ingenioaisly woven together — reddish or 

 light-coloured horse-hair being sometimes substituted; 

 and so little material is used that, standing under the 

 tree, a per.^on can easily count the eggs through the 

 bottom of the neet. Its apparent frailness is, however, 

 its best protection from the prying eyes of birds and 

 mammals that prey on the eggs and young of small 

 birds; for it is difficult to detect the slight structure, 

 through which the sunshine and rain pass .so freely. So 

 light is the little basket-nest that it may be placed on 

 the open hajid and blovni away with the breath like a 

 straw; yet so strung that a man can .suspend his weight 

 from it without pnJIing it to pieces. The eggs are three 

 in number, white and spotted with black, .sometimes 

 bluish-brown spots are mingled with the black. "* 



Formerly this bird was very rarely imported ; but of 

 late years it has come more frequently in consignments 

 from Argentina. In 1893 I imported" three males from 

 La Plata; but they suffered from exposure in an all- 

 wire cage during the journey; after their arrival they 

 were much persecuted by my White-throated Finches. 

 Two died in their moult and the third did not live very 



* M». Hudson calls Ihla bird "Screaming Finch." 



long. Not being good songsters they are not likely to 

 become very popular. 



GrrruiWL Finch (Spermophila gutturalis). 



The nude ia olive-grten above, with a black bead; 

 wings and tail greyish -brown, brc;ist and abdomen 

 yellcra-ish-white with a faint greenish cast, flanks 

 greyi.sh; be;ik silver-grey, feet and iris greyish- 

 brown. The feuude is dull brownish-olive, paler and 

 more yellow below, the bre;ist slightly ruddy, the wing 

 and tail-fe;ithers blackish, with pale margins; beak, 

 horn-grey, feet brownish flesh coloured, iris brown. 

 Hab., Brazil, Guiana, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, 

 Venezuela, and Panama. 



According to T. K. Salmon (P. Z. S.. 1879, p. 507) this 

 bird " nests in low bus hp.s. The nest is built at a height 

 of four or five fei«t., nf stems of dry grass rather loosely 

 put together, in which two eggs are laid." Messrs. 

 Sclatcr and Salvin de.^ribe the eggs as '"pale greenish 

 white, marked with large blotches of several shades of 

 rich bro'wn ; axis .7, diam. .5." 



Mr. W. A. Forbes (The Ibis, 1881, p. 336) says: — 

 " This little Spermophila was very abundant in the 

 garden at Estancia, frequenting the reedy and marshy 

 parts, where it congregates in small flocks, feeding on 

 the seeds of the grasses, sedges, and other similar 

 plants. I also saw it abundant afterwards at Quipiipa, 

 as well as in the low bu.sh-covered courtly round 

 Garanhuns, so that it is by no means confined to the 

 seaboard or even to the neighlx)urhood of water. It is 

 often kept as a oage-bird." 



I>r. E. A. Goeldi, writing of birds observed up the 

 Oiipim River {The Ibis, 1903. p. 481), says-.— "The small 

 Finches Sperino]jhila i/utturaiis and S. hi/poleura 

 constantly sang on the higher branches of the trees 

 aromid the buildings." 



This bird is a good, though not frequent, singer. It 

 is long-lived and not specially quarrelsome. Accordinfr 

 to Bumieister it frequents open pastures in order to feed 

 on grass-seeds. My second pair of this species died 

 during the cold days of June, 1898, but my first pair 

 lived much longer ; the male dying in January, 1901, 

 and the feniiile in Febru.iry, 1905, having been in my 

 possession since about 1895 or 18%. Judging by itis 

 general resemblance to the Mannikins of the Old World, 

 one would suppose that SpermnphUa and Phonipara 

 might be the nearest Frinqillidij' to the Finches cf the 

 family Ploeeidce and that the species of Munia were the 

 oldest types of that family ; if so, they must have given 

 off two lines of descent, the one through the Gra.«- 

 finches and Waxbills. the other through the Weavers 

 and WTiydahs; in the la.st-mentioned it is strange how 

 the sera tching habit of the Buntings of the Song-Sparrow 

 type reappears. 



OcELL.iTED, OK Bl.\ck-headkd Lined Finch (Spermo- 

 phila oeellafa). 

 Above glossy greenish-black ; j-ump crossed by a white 

 band ; wings and tail black, with greenish black edges ; 

 the inner primaries and inner secondaries white at base 

 of inner web, forming a double speculum ; the inner 

 one, however, concealed by the greater coverts ; an ill- 

 defined broken white streak in the middle of the fore- 

 head ; cheeks white, forming a broad .stripe; throat and 

 sides of neck glos.sy black; fore-neck mettled with 

 white ; rest of under parts white ; the sides and flanks 

 slightly mottled with black; thighs black externally; 

 edge of wing below mottled with black ; flights blackish 

 edged with ashy, white at base ; beak black ; feet dull 

 black ; irides dark brown. Female above dull olive- 

 brown ; slightly paler on rump and upper tail-coverts ; 



