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have repeatedly found, with birds generally but especially

foreigners, that it is the protected specimens, and those kept in

the warm, that have the glorious bloom and softness and rich¬

ness of colour which one sometimes beholds. It seems to me,

too, that this species would be rather sensitive to artificial

treatment. Moreover, as regards the tails, as I observed years

ago in the Shama, birds kept in the warm will undoubtedly

throw out longer tails than will those which live in the open

aviary. Altogether I think the case non proven, and that we

should do well to suspend judgment for a while; and in the

meantime perhaps some of the gentlemen who exhibit these

beautiful specimens may be willing to give us their views on the

subjedt. Am I far wrong in suggesting that in the Parson and

Long-tailed Grassfinches we have an example of a species sub¬

dividing into two distiudt species or sub-species ? The specimens

of the original parent which found their way North (or vice versa

as the case may have been) seem to have developed into the

magnificent Long Tails under the influence of a tropical climate,

while those going South have degenerated into the stunted¬

tailed Parson.


Mr. Hawkins’ Long Tails were good, with red bills, but

not so good as others I have seen. They were an undoubted

pair, and that brings us to another point. The female and only

the female of this and of other undoubted pairs exhibited from

time to time, so far as I could see, had the white mark at the tip of

the two outer feathers on each side of the tail. Only quite

recently I have noticed that it is stated in the Museum Catalogue

of Birds, at page 376 of Vol. XIII., that the young of this species

have “ all but the centre tail-feathers broadly tipped with white.” I

have never seen any but the two outer on each side tipped or

touched with white, for the form that the white mark takes differs

considerably at different times even in the same bird. But be

this as it may, the Catalogue is inaccurate in inferring that only

the 3 7 oung have the white tips, for my two old females have the

white tips now as plainly marked as when I first noticed the

peculiarity. I have had two adult males and three adult females ;

the latter have always had the marks, the males never. Of my

three hybrids referred to by Mr. Setli-Smith, I examined them

on October 22, and then two were strongly marked while the

other, the best of the lot and apparently a male, had a faint

touch of white on only one feather. They have all three

adopted the long tails of the mother ; but somehow their

general appearance and movements are those of the Parson Finch,

and also the call notes. Their bills have slightly changed colour.



