Finches. 189 



He calls it " Le Moineau de Brazil? following Buffon ; 

 but Swainson says that the idea that the bird came 

 from America probably originated from the practice of 

 the Portuguese colonists of importing these little birds 

 from Africa, and selling them in South American ports. 

 Their real home is in tropical Africa, up to 23 N. lat. 

 They are very common in Dongola, Soudan, and 

 Abyssinia, and on the banks of the Nile, and take very 

 much the place of our Sparrows in that country, build- 

 ing, like them, roughly-constructed nests in the straw 

 roofs and among the rafters of the houses, and are 

 equally bold, venturing even into the interior of the 

 dwellings to pick up crumbs ; and they are described 

 by travellers as fearlessly approaching them when 

 encamping out of doors, to secure the remains of their 

 meals. They are often seen in flocks, associating with 

 the little Fire Finches, and feeding with them on the 

 fields of durrah, where their ravages excite the anger 

 of the native population. I cannot make out the 

 origin of the name " Cambasso," unless it is derived 

 from Vieillot's name of " Le Moineau Camba-jou" 

 Buffon confounds it with several other blue-black birds, 

 under the title of " Le Pere Noir" which properly be- 

 longs, I believe, to the Jaccarini Finch of South 

 America. It is also called the " Steel Finch," and by 

 the Germans the " Satin Bird." The winter plumage 

 of the male is of a glossy blue-black, with a few white 

 spots on the flanks ; the bill and legs are pale flesh- 



