Finches. 211 



though he changes his plumage twice a year, as they 

 do. He is like them too in their habit of fluttering 

 their wings and hovering in the air over their hens or 

 other birds, uttering their call-note the while. Another 

 peculiarity of these birds is that they scratch on the 

 ground, and scrape it like poultry when seeking their 

 food. 



They will scarcely ever breed, but when once 

 acclimatized will live long in confinement They seem 

 to change their dispositions with their dress : in the 

 grey plumage they are harmless and peaceable, but 

 they are not pleasant inmates of an aviary, and should 

 never be kept with smaller birds, which they terrify by 

 their rushing movements, waving tails, and loud cries. 



THE BROAD-SHAFTED or PARADISE WHYDAH BIRD 

 ( Vidua Paradisea) is one of the species commonly kept 

 in cages. When wild, it is a very lively active bird, 

 always in motion, except when its beautiful tail has 

 fallen off, as it does after the breeding season is over ; 

 then it seems quite ashamed of itself, mopes and hides. 

 This habit and the colour of its plumage has made 

 some people suppose its correct name to be the Widow 

 Bird, and that it is mourning over the loss of its long 

 train ; but the name comes from that of a district on 

 the eastern coast of Africa. Without its tail, this bird 

 is the size of a Sparrow. The beak is lead-coloured, 

 almost black. The prevailing colour of the adult male 

 is a very deep brown-black, brownest on the wings and 



142 



