SERINUS ALARIO. 215 



Cape Town, Malmesbury, Knysna, Port Elizabeth, and else- 

 where in the Colony, being perhaps most abundant in the 

 Karroo. They are gentle and confiding in their habits and 

 when feeding allow a very close approach without showing any 

 symptoms of alarm. They are fond of perching on low bushes, 

 but obtain the greater part of their food, consisting of grass 

 and other small seeds, from the ground, where they often 

 intermingle with the flocks of Waxbills and other small Finches. 

 The males frequently utter their low but sweet song from the 

 top of a bush, chiefly in the spring, but according to Dr. Russ 

 it is, in cage birds, continued the whole year. " In confine- 

 ment this species breeds both with the Cape and the Common 

 Canary. In a wild state it builds a small and neatly con- 

 structed cup-shaped nest in a low bush, of dry grass and small 

 stalks, lined with finer grass and the down of plants. The 

 eggs, three to five in number, are pale bluish green, spotted at 

 the large end with several shades of reddish brown. They 

 average 0'68 x 0'50. The young are hatched in eleven days, 

 and remain in the nest for about three weeks. They are fed 

 on partly digested food from the crops of the old birds for 

 some time after they leave the nest. Two broods are reared in 

 the season, the first laying being in November, the second in 

 January." 



This Finch is best known to the Dutch colonists as the 

 " Berg-Canarie." It was, according to Mr. Richard : " much 

 prized by the lads in Port Elizabeth, who called it the 

 ' Namaqua ' : it only appears at long intervals, but in con- 

 siderable numbers when it does occur; it sings well and 

 becomes very tame." My authority for extending its range 

 in eastern South Africa to the Zambesi rests on a specimen in 

 the British Museum labelled "Zambesi (Meller)." We have 

 no right to doubt the correctness of this locality, and I may 

 here mention that Mr. Distant has kindly shown me a bird of 



