lUU 



KORELUX BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



tolerably abundant, being congregated in flocks of from 

 twenty to forty. When on the wiing it utters a very 

 feeble cry of Iwil, tail, twit, but at other times pours 

 forth a drawn-out, mournful note, like that of some of 

 the other UrassWnches." 



This species was bred in captivity by Mr. L. W. 

 Hawkins in 1900, and in the same year ilr. Phillipps 

 gave an illustrated acc-ount of the specdes in The Avicul- 

 tural Ma<jaziiu. 1st Ser., Vol. VI., pp. 259-262, in 

 which he says that it has from time to time nested 

 with him, but not satisfactorily. 



I poirchased a pair of the species in .May, 1905, and 

 turned them into an lindoor aviary; they carried about 

 hay at various times, and were often to be seen in the 

 con!i,)Mny of two hen Zebra Finches, sitting 

 in Hartz cages and pretending to have eggs 

 (their usual note is not unlike that of the 

 Zebra Finch) ; but up to the end of 1907 

 they had made no seriims attempt at breed- 

 ing."* 



LoNC-T.ill.ED Gr.isskinch {PllCpllUa 

 acut'irduila). 



Above rosy -brown, moie earthy on lower 

 back, wing-coverts and inner secondaries; 

 upper tail-coverts white ; the rump crossed 

 by a black band; flights blackish; 

 primaries with whitish outer margins ; tail 

 black; crown and sides of head .sdver grey 

 or greyish w liite ; loral spot, eyelid anil 

 throat bhck ; body below, from throat 

 backwards, rosy fawn-colour; thighs, vent, 

 and under tail-coverts white; a broad black 

 hand between the fawn of the breast and 

 the white of the vent ; under wing-coverts 

 and tdgL'~ of fliglits deep fawn-colour; beak 

 waxy yellow; feet fleshy-yellowish; irides 

 black. Female generally slightly smaller; 

 tail usually longer ; black gorget rather 

 smaller. Hab. , North Australia. 



In its wild state the Long-tailed Grass- 

 finch is said to inhabit the open plains 

 bo.-dering streams, and to feed on gras, and 

 ^other seeds. 



According to Campbell, the nesting habits 

 resemble those of /'. rinria ; and that is all 

 I have found recorded respecting the wild 

 life. 



Formerly this was a rare fipecies in the 

 bird-m.arktt, but in the nineties it began 

 to come to liand more and more frequently, 

 together with its .mbspecies I'nephila licrki 

 of HeinTotb iauranfiirostris. North); in 

 1905 and 1906 great numbers were brought 

 home by Mr. Payne, and the price dropjfed 

 to ICs. a pair. T pnrch.ised a pair in 1905 

 which died almost as scjon as I got them, and in 1906 I 

 purcha.«ed a .'econd pair, which lived, but never bi-ed. 



The snibspi'cjps (?) or rather variety with orange-red 

 beak and fi'et I receive<l a female of, about the year 

 1897, which I paiix'd with a cock Parson Finch. 



A nest was built in which both birds roosted together, 

 but I believe no eggs were deposited. Eventually a 

 large tumour formed at the base of the upper mandible, 

 ■which so weakened the Long-tail that one morning 

 (26th .lime, 1898) I found her floating dead in the water- 

 pan in an inch and a-half of water. 



In England the Ijong-tail>d Grassfinch was first bre<l 

 by Mr. Todd, but subsequently several other avicul- 

 turists were equally successful. 



• It has been bred by Mr. D. SeUi-Smith and Mr. T. N. Wilton. 



Parson Finch {Poephila cincia). 



The head is silver-grey, the beak, chin, throat, and 

 fore-chest black ; the back fawn colour shading into 

 vandyke-brown on the wings and rump ; upper tail 

 coverts black, broadly tipped with wdiit<?, tail black, the 

 two centre feathers pointed and terminating in a short 

 bristle; under parts of body fight rufous brown; vent 

 and un<ler tail-coverts wdute ; feet salmon red. The 

 cock usually differs from the hen in its slightly broader 

 head, which is of rather a whiter tint, and the greater 

 extent of the black patcli on the Ihroit ; the sexes are 

 nevertheless not eisy to determine. Hab., North-east 

 and South Australia. 



In its wild st ite this bird frequents open grassy plains 



LOXG-TAILED (iRASSFINCHES. 



and forms its nest in long gra.ss or Pandanus bushes, 

 laying five white eggs. In captivity it js one of the 

 most attractive of -aviary birds, though sonu-what 

 aggressive, (interfering with the nests of other birds, 

 and violently attacking any bird (no matter how large) 

 which approaches its own. I was much amused one day 

 to see a ooek Parson Finch in a grievous rage fly at a 

 Tiar-shouldered Dove ;uid pluck a couple of feathers 

 from its back ; yet the s;ur.e impudent little mite made 

 a fast friend of a Bronze-winged Pigton, close to 

 which he used to sit sometimes for a great part O'f each 

 day. 



.ludging by the self-satisfie<l actions of this very Tit- 

 like Finch, it would seem to be one of the most con- 

 ceited of the feathered race; but this assertive impu- 

 dnce is one of the greatest charms of the bird. 



