WAXBILLS. 



ir,7 



internally, but eoctemally crunson like the inner 

 soconilarios ; flisjhts otherwise dusky brown with some- 

 what ashy ctl^'es; tail-feathers dull blackish o<;lgcd with 

 criniMJii ; tlie outer onos witli whity-brown edges; sidea 

 nf hea<l white, with ^i eriiiisoii streak trimi llii' lores 

 throui;h the evt" ; throat wliiLo; reniaijider of under 

 surface tawny brownish, nanximlj- barred witli whitish 

 on tho sides of the fore neck, broast, and flanks; centre 

 i)f breast and alKlonien |>aler aiul more butiiah ; thiglis 

 tawny buiff ; uiuler Uiil coverts deeip crimson barred with 

 tawniy aJid blaekisli; unil >r wing-coverts and axillaries 

 tawny buil ; flights below dusky, buffch along inner 

 webs: beak blackish with the tomium and Ixise of 

 mandible red ; feet <liisky ; irides luulwr-browTi. Femalo 

 not differentiated; probably slightly duller. Hab., 

 " Easteni Africa, between 7 degrees S. lat. and 16 degrees 

 N. lat." (Shelley.) 



Veiy little has l>e.en recorded respecting tho wild life 

 of this pretty Waxbill ; it has iisuolly been observed in 

 flocks Mid is" said to frequent the bush in preference to 

 tlie> reed beds. 



The Cmtessx Baklelli seciired specimens in Italy in 

 1903. a description of which she sent to me for identifica^ 

 tion; and in Angiust of the same year she wrote to 

 inform me that she had bred hybrids between this species 

 and the Grey Waxbill (A', cincrea). The nestlings hid 

 a rusty red band across the wing, and therefore would 

 bear a" greater resemblance to the male than the female 

 parent. 



As the Coi-don Uleu and allies are pal] ably far more 

 nearly reb.itixl to tho Violet-eared Waxbill than to the 

 preceding species, I prefer to follow Cajitain Shellev 

 with re.jard to fhr>se birds. The Rn.sy-runip°d Waxbill 

 xeems to mo clearly to show affinity to Pi/fclia in tho 

 broad crimson stripe on it^ wing. 



Crimson-winged Waxbill (Pytelia phccnicoptera). 



The upper surf.ice is vinous brown, greyer on the 

 biMd ; lower b;iek and upper taU-coverts, deep crimson; 

 lesser wing coverts, brighter; median and greater 

 coverts, greyish-brown edged with red; flight feathers, 

 excepting inner secondaries, ako edged with dull red ; 

 central tail feathers, crimson; remainder blackish, 

 edged with crimson; imder surface grey, barred with 

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

 black; legs, pale brown; iris, red. The female is lesa 

 brightly coloured than the male, the crimson colouring 

 less pronounced, especially on the margins of the mantle 

 and flights, where it is somewhat huffish ; under parts 

 browner, less ashy, much nuore distinctly and broadly 

 barreil with whitish. Hab., Senegambia to the Upper 

 Nile and Equatorial Africa. 



In its wild state this bird frequents tall forest and 

 scrub, otherwise nothing is known of its habits when 

 at liberty. It has no true song, but utters a peculiar 

 littlo flut,elike phra.se of three notes, the central one 

 being vibrant and prolonged; its call-note is ,1. sharp 

 whil, irhit. 



This bird is also known as the Aurora Finch, and 

 objections have been raised ajs to its being a Waxbill, 

 on the ground that it is somewhat etout, with short 

 tail and black beak. In all these points it approaches 

 the I/avendcT Finch, which is, if anything, .stouter, and 

 certainly has quite as short a tail, and a beak which is 

 mostly black. As vocalists also the two species are 

 about e^iuail. 



I purdhascd a pair of Aurora Finches on 

 August 7th. 1897, and found them tolerably tame and 

 confiding. I^nhappily. the female died on December 

 3rd, so that I had no chance of breeding the 

 species. In the following spring I turned the male out 



onto a good-sized aviary, where he divided his time 

 between sitting on a ledge in the sun and hiding under 

 a biisli. He died on June 22nd, 1898 ; on December 

 30th, 1899, I lost another male. In March, 1906, 

 an unknown friend sent^ me a male of the Northern 

 form /'. em i III, in which the under-wing and tail-coverts 

 are more distiJictly barred. P. phaiiicoptcra was bred 

 by Euss. Although not a nervous biixl the Aurora 

 Flinch is very fond of hiding in bushes, sw that when 

 one wishes to point it out to a friend it takes a goo<l 

 deal of finding; it seems to feed chiefly upon millet 

 and canary; but, like all the Waxbills, doubtless eats 

 sanall insects or spiders when it can get them : dt is 

 said to be fond of fresh ant-cocoons. 



Red-faced Waxbill (Pytelia afra). 



Above dull orange, slightly tinged with olive ; lower 

 back, rump, and upper tail-coverts crimson ; median 

 and greater wing-coverts ruTescent externally ; flights 

 dull hrown, with a vermilion shade on outer webs; 

 central tail-feathers crimson, the rennainder black, 

 crimson externally ; forehead, sides of head and throat 

 criimson; a grey loyenge-shaped patch enclosing the 

 eye; crown, nape, .sides of neck, and lower throat ash- 

 grey ; remainder of body below olive-yellow, somew'hat 

 golden towards sides ot neck, irregularly barred with 

 white, especdally on the abdomen ; under tail-coverts 

 somewliat dusky, broadly barred with white ; under 

 wing-covcrts whitish ; edge of wing yellowish ; flights 

 below dull blackish with greyish inner edges ; beak 

 crimson, base of upper mandible brown ; feet rosy flesh- 

 pink ; irides deep red. Female above browner, with 

 only a slight yellow shade on the nnantJe ; crimson of 

 face and throat replaced by greyish ash, the latter with 

 ill-defined narrow buff bars ; the whitish liars on the 

 remainder of body broader ; beak and feet dusky ; 

 iri<les light brown. Hab.. " Loa-ngo Coast into Ben- 

 guela, and in East Africa from Nyassaland to Southern 

 Abyssinia." (Shelley)- 



Shelley says ("Birds of Africa," Vol. IV., p. 170): 

 " In Benguela, according to Anohieta, it is known to the 

 natives of Galanga as the ' Cossocia,' and at the 

 Oapangombe River as the ' Kabalacaximgo.' " 



" At Zanzibar, Fischer met with the species in parties 

 of four to six, and found them breeddng in the orange- 

 trees. The nest resembled that of Spermestes xnifatus." 



The actual statement of Fischer ds to the effect that 

 the nest, which he found abundantly in May, June 

 and July, resembles that of Spermestes cticuUata, con- 

 sisting of the same materials ; its circumference is 

 greater by one half : with a side entrance. 



Reichenow tells us that the nests of S. cucullata are 

 dom»i structures, very large and -firmly compacted of 

 fine glass. 



Although this bird has, from time to time, been 

 exhibited at our bird shows, it is by no means so 

 f.amiliar an objeot as th^e crimso.r-winged species. 



The late Dr. Russ, uilder the impression that he had 

 secured a new species, redescribcd it in honour of his 

 friend Mr. August Wiener, and consequently it has 

 frequently been spoken of as Wiener's Waxbill. 



Crimson-faced Waxbill [Pijlelia melba).* 

 Above olivaceous-yellow ; lower rump and upper tail- 

 cove.rts crimLSon. shaded scarlet ; inner portion of quills 

 dull-brown ; tail black; the outer webs strongly suffu.sed 

 with ci-imson ; crown and nape, sides of neck and ear- 

 coverts slate-grey; forehead, front of cheeks, chin, and 



" I quite acree with Captain Sheiley that the nime Zonogattris. 

 proposed by Cabania for the next two species, should be ignored. 



