GRASSFINCHES. 



165 



well in a fligiht cage, and that 

 millet in the ear is absolutely- 

 necessary to their health ; they 

 always bei;in to fail if it is with- 

 drawn for a few days. 



The yuun^ are fed chiefly upon 

 seed rejjurgitated from the crops of 

 the parents ; 1 believe that the 

 latter also get a certain amount of 

 minute insect-life from the bushes ; 

 they never, however, seem to touch 

 either green food or any soft 

 mixture. 



There is a wide gap between the 

 preceding and the other speoie.s of 

 Poejjhila, and I could wish that 

 the latter had been referred to a 

 different genus. The (louldian 

 Finch has the typical song of a 

 Gra-ssfinch ; the Ma.sked and 

 probably the White eared Gra.ss- 

 finches have nearly the note of the 

 Zebra -Hnch, but the 1'a.rsoji-finch 

 and Long-tailed Grassfinch have a 

 musical little song, consisting of 

 €ight notes ; the four last have 

 certain colour-cbaract«rs in coni- 

 mon. but not one of them has the 

 slight^'st resemblance to a Gouldian Finch. 



White-eared Grassfinch (Poephila leucotis). 



Above ruddy cinnamon brown ; crown a little darker ; 

 rump and upper tail-ooverts white, black at the sides ; 

 flights bl.ickish, primaries edged with "whitish, remain- 

 ing feathers externally cdonamon brown; tail black; 

 head all round bla.ck behind the beat ; back of cheeks 

 and ear-coverts white; sides of neck, throat and breast 

 rosv huffi.sh ; sides of breast and remainder of body 

 below while, with a large black patch on the flank.9 ; 

 flights below dusky, -with rufescent inner webs ; beak 

 pale yellow ; feet coral red : irides dark brown. Female 

 very similar, but apparently a somewhat slimmer bird 

 Ilab., North Australia. 



According to Cimpbell, the nest and ejgs of this bird 

 are undescribed, and all that Gould tells us about it is 



\Vihtk-i;arku (Jbassfinch. 



Masked Grasskincii. 



that, " like other members of the genus, it inliabits the 

 open spots of country and feeds on grass-seeds." 



Mr. Reginald Phillipps, who had five examples of the 

 species, published a full and interesting account of them, 

 illustrated by a coloured plate, in The Avicultural 

 Magazine, 1st ser., Vol. IV., pp. 169-172 and 185-188. 

 His binds built several nests — or " squatting-places," as 

 he calls them — in which there was a lining of feathers ; 

 but with no satisfactory re-sult. It is evident that Mr. 

 Phillipps regards P. hucotis as extremely closely related 

 to P. persona/a, but nevertheless distinct. Both have 

 the tiny trumpet-note of the common Zebra-finch, to 

 which I believe them to be more nearly related than to 

 P. qouidice, although placed in the same genus with 

 the latter. I have never had an opportunity of securing 

 specimens of P. hucotis. In my opinion it would be 

 advantngeous to adopt Beichen- 

 baoh's name of C'hlcelia for P. 

 mirabilis. 



Masked Grassfinch (Poephila 

 personata). 



Above rosy-brown, much more 

 cinnamon on the crown ; rump and 

 upper tail-ooverts white ; (lights 

 brown, with rosy-brownish outer 

 borders ; tail black ; head aU round 

 black close to the beak, as in F. 

 leucotis ; sides of face and under 

 surface rosy-brown ; the abdomen 

 and under tail-coverts white ; a 

 large black patch on the flanks ; 

 flights below dusky, rufescent 

 along inner web; beak clear 

 ochreous ; feel flashy red ; irides 

 red. Female slightly smaller and 

 duller, with less cinnamon tinting 

 on the crown. Ha.b. , North and 

 North-west Australia. 



According to Gilbert ("Gould's 

 Handbook to Birds of Australia," 

 Vol. r., p. 423), "it inhabit? 

 grassy meadows near streams, feed- 

 ing on grass-seeds, etc. It was 



