The Black Cuban Seed-finch.



57



THE BLACK CUBAN SEED-FINCH.


By W. Shore Baily.


The Black Seed-finch (Melopyrrha nigra), sometimes erro¬

neously called the Black Bullfinch, is a native of Cuba and is not very

frequently imported. It is somewhat smaller than our British Bull¬

finch, to which its massive bill gives it some resemblance. A sketch

of this bird by Mr. Allen Silver appeared in ‘ Bird Notes ’ in

February, 1911. The writer bred it in 1914, and published an account

in the same magazine. He w T as the first to breed it in England ; it

had, however, nested freely the previous year in Mr. Teschemaker’s

aviaries, the eggs in every case proving infertile, from which I am

inclined to think that this gentleman’s birds were all hens. The

sexes being alike, it is very difficult to pick out true pairs. Their

demeanour in captivity is very much like that of the Waxbills, their

movements being very sprightly and active. They spend much of

their time amongst the vegetation close to the ground. Their black

and white plumage is in striking contrast to that of most of the birds

usually kept in our aviaries, and as they are by no means backward

in coming forward when meal-worms are being handed out, they

usually attract the attention of visitors. As their name implies, they

are seed-eaters, but when feeding young they require a good deal of

live food. They are particularly fond of wasp-grubs, and are clever at

abstracting them from the comb. When the breeding season is over

mine live upon canary and millet, with the addition occasionally of a

little bread and milk. I winter them indoors, but think that they

would do equally well outside in a well-sheltered aviary.


N.B .—Since writing the above, Mr. Teschemaker has sent

me the wings of a sexed pair in which the secondaries of the male

were white almost to the extremities, whereas those of the female

were not.—W. S. B.



