SISKINS. 



97 



in breeding it successfully in their bird-rooms. Dr. 

 Russ says that it was first imported by Karl Hagen- 

 beck under the name of " Little Cardinal," and subse- 

 quently single specimens or pairs reached Chr. Hagen- 

 beck, Jamrach, Bekemans, and. others. 



Mr. Heer thus describes his success in breeding the 

 species : " The female only laid two eggs,* but hatched 

 out both, and both had already successfully left the 

 nest when one which was already recognisable as a male 

 lost its life by an unfortunate accident. The other 

 youngster, a female, is flying strongly about the bird- 

 room, and is almost as large and vigorous as the old 

 birds. The Black-headed Siskins (German name, but. 

 already applicable to another species) had driven a 

 pair of Zebra-finches out of their nest-box, upon the 

 nest of which, containing five eggs, they built a new 

 one, and then hatched their two young. I discovered 

 this on examination of the nest after the young had 

 flown. 



" The pair lived, in like manner to their allies, the 

 whole year through in a palpably conjugal relationship, 

 so that the pair, though not appearing to trouble much 

 about one another, yet always remained near together. 

 At the approach of the nesting season, in July in my 

 bird-room, the male began to show great affection, as 

 he fed the female from the crop, and always followed 

 her closely. The latter collected threads and stalks into 

 an open nest -box . . . and formed a flat cavity, 

 chiefly of wadding, linen threads, and cowhair. The 

 clutch consisted once of three and the second time of 

 four eggs. In the first brood, however, she only brought 

 up two young, and in the second only one. These 

 broods must be the only ones, up to the present time, 

 which have been recorded, as the bird so far occurs 

 in few collections." 



And what a poor record it is ! The eggs are not de- 

 scribed, the duration of incubation is not indicated, 

 the nestling plumage is not noticed, t 



Mr. Astley has published an amusing account of the 

 Hooded Siskin, illustrated by a coloured drawing, in 

 The Avicultural Magazine, 2nd series, Vol. I., pp. 47- 

 51. 



In 1906 Captain Pam and others brought home five 

 examples of this species, two of which were presented 

 to the London Zoological Gardens and the others de- 

 posited there. If London dealers would take the 

 trouble, doubtless' they could secure plenty of specimens. 

 In 1877 Miss Hagenbeck is said to have exhibited several 

 pairs at a breeders' society in Hamburg. 



PINE SISKIN (Chrysomitris pinus). 



Above brownish olive ; every feather with blackish 

 centre ; median coverts, blackish brown tipped with 

 white, greater coverts with yellowish-white ; flights and 

 tail-feathers blackish-brown, more or less yellow at base 

 and with the outer edges yellowish-green and their 

 inner edges yellow ; ear-coverts brown ; remainder of 

 sides of head and under surface whitish with dusky 

 streaks, excepting on centre of abdomen and thighs ; 

 under wing-coverts and axillaries yellowish white ; 

 flights below dusky, edged with yellowish, brighter 

 yellow towards base; beak, feet, and inides brown. 

 Female similar, but yellower and less strongly streaked 

 on the under parts. Habitat, North America, wintering 

 in Mexico. 



J. G. Cooper f" Orn. Calif.," Vol. I, p. 172) says: 

 " They are found both among the coniferous trees and 

 those that are deciduous, feeding on the seeds of 



* Subsequently we discover that she laid three, but only 

 hatched two. 



t Dr. Russ, however, gives the following 1 description of the 

 2-e: Shape oval; colour delicate bluish or greenish white, 

 finely dotted with red-brown. Lengih 14 mm., breadth 11 mm. 



spruces, alders, willows, and juniper-berries." Gentry 

 states that the wild life corresponds with that of other 

 Siskins, including the European species, but its flight 

 and actions more nearly resemble those of the Purple 

 Rose-finch. The call-note is a sharp penetrating swiirr 

 or zirr, which it utters during flight. 



Audubon says that the song is soft, varied, and 

 melodious, and to some extent resembles that of the 

 American Sdskin. Its food consists of the seeds of 

 grasses and other plants, and in the autumn of juniper 

 berries, coniferous and other seeds, and in spring, espe- 

 cially when hatching, of plant-lice and other insects, also 

 all kinds of tree-buds and shoote of conifers. 



According to Brewer, the breeding season is in May ; 

 the nest is formed of fibres, rootlets, stalks, and grasses, 

 and neatly lined inside with hairs and wool. The clutch 

 consists of four longish-oval eggs of a pale green colour, 

 marked especially at the large end with bright rust- 

 colour. 



Russ received a single specimen of this Siskin from 

 Moller, of Hamburg, in 1877, but it has always been rare 

 in the trade. In 1907 the London Zoological Society 

 received four examples as part of an exchange wit-h the 

 New York Zoological Park. 



TOTTA OR SOTTTH AFRICAN SISKIN (Chrysomitris totta). 



Above chocolate, the back with indications of darker 

 centres to the feathers ; rump olive-yellow ; upper fcail- 

 coyerts brown, with darker centres and whitish edges ; 

 tail black tipped with white ; wing-coverts chocolate ; 

 flights brown, externally black, with a subterminal 

 black marking and white tips ; crown olive-yellow ; lores 

 grey ; sides of face and ear-coverts grey with an olive 

 tinge ; cheeks olive-yellow with brown streaks ; under 

 surface olive-yellow; the throat sometimes with a few 

 dusky spots ; sides, flanks, and thighs washed with 

 brownish ; axillaries and under wing-coverts .greyish- 

 yellow; beak pale brown, feet and irides brown. Female 

 generally browner and less yellow, the crown chocolate 

 streaked with blackish ; throat and upper breast greyish 

 brown with a yellowish wash and dusky spots. Habitat, 

 Cape Colony. 



Messrs. Stark and Sclater (" Birds of South Africa," 

 Vol. I., p. 182) give the following account of the habits 

 of this Sdskin : " Although by Dr. Sharpe separated 

 from the Canaries (Serinus), and placed with the Siskins 

 (Chrysomitris), this little bird resembles the former in 

 its habits, and when kept in confinement readily inter- 

 breeds with the Cape Canary (8. canicollis). The song, 

 although of a certain merit, does not equal that of the 

 Cape Canary in tone or quality. 



" It is of somewhat local distribution, abundant in 

 certain localities and quite absent from others appa- 

 rently equally well adapted to ite habits. It may be 

 often met with on bush-covered hillsides, and appears to 

 prefer hilly to more level ground. It feeds on small 

 seeds, buds of trees, and insects. The nest is placed in 

 a bush from two to four feet above the ground, and is 

 built of grass-stems, small rootlets, and pliant twi^s, 

 lined with down and occasionally a few hairs. The 

 eggs are four or five in number, pale bluish-green 

 sparingly spotted and sometimes zoned with reddish- 

 brown of two shades. They average 0.72 by 0.54." 



Of late years this has not been an especially rare bird 

 in the trade, and a fair number of specimens have ap- 

 peared at our shows : I have not been tempted to pur- 

 chase it myself, but have had it sent to me in the flesh 

 for identification. In appearance I consider it one of 

 the least attractive of the Siskins. 



DESERT TRUMPETER BULLFINCH (Erythrospiza 



githaginea). 



The upper parts of the male mostly ashy brown, with 

 narrow rosy edges to the feathers, but the rump and 



G 



