ROSE-FINCH. 



109 



parts replaced by pale brownish coffee-colour, very pale, 

 but less brown on rump ; upper tail-coverts and tail 

 clear coffee -reddish, the recta-ices with more or less- 

 broad black shaft-streaks; a little black on cheeks and 

 back of ear-coverts, otherwise the sides of face and ear- 

 coverts are brownish-grey ; throat and breast greyish- 

 white, mottled, excepting at the sddes. with black ; re- 

 mainder of body below dull white, broadly washed on 

 sides and flanks with sandy buffish ; under surface _of 

 flights deep silky grey ; under wing-coverts and axillaries 

 slightly rufescent ; under tail-feathers paler than above. 

 Habitat, Cape Colony, the Transvaal, and Great 

 Xamaqua Land. 



Whether the imported specimens of this species belong 

 to two more or less defined races or not I cannot say, 

 but it is certain that the two male skins "which I have 

 consddered good enough to preserve differ remarkably 

 in size, and not a little in colouring. I understand that 

 Dr. Sharpe recognises two species of Alario Finches, but 

 I find no note of the fact in Shelley's " Birds of Africa," 

 Vol. III. ; therefore dt would seem that they must have 

 been separated since 1902. 



Messrs. Stark and Sclater thus describe the habits of 

 the Alario Finch : " These pretty little Finches are of 

 gentle and confiding habits, and "when feeding allow a 

 very close approach without showing any symptoms of 

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



THE ALARIO FINCH. 



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 Weaver Finches. The males frequently utter their 

 low but sweet song from the top of a bush, chiefly in the 

 spning, but, according to Dr. Russ, it is, in caged birds, 

 continued the whole year.* He describes it as being 

 soft, flute-like, but low-pitched. In Great Namaqua 

 Land Andersson found the Mountain Canary always in 

 the neighbourhood of water. Rickard remarks: " 1 

 fancy this is the specdes much prized by the lads in Port 

 Elizabeth, who called it the ' Namaqua ' ; it only 

 appears at long intervals, but in considerable numbers 

 when it does occur ; it sings well and becomes very tame. 

 " In confinement this specdee breeds both with the 

 Cax>e and the Common Canary. In a wild state it 

 builds a small and neatly-constructed cup-shaped nest in 

 a low bush of dry grass and small stalks, lined with fine 

 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 by 0.50. The young are hatched in eleven days, 



* The various notes respecting the writing's of Buss in " The 

 Birds of South Africa " are taken from my " Foreign Finches 

 in Captivity." A. G. B. 



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

 fed on partly-digested food from the crops of the old 

 binds 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." 



Not only is the natural song of this. species especially 

 sweet, but its imitative faculty is considerable ; my 

 two males having picked up the song of the Canary and 

 the Linnet respectively. In adddtion to its merits as a 

 vocalist, the Alario 'Finch is a long liver and very hardy. 

 I certainly lost my first pair rather soon, the cock having, 

 broken his skull by flying about recklessly iin the dark, 

 whilst the hen caught cold and died in about eighteen 

 months. But a second cock bird, purchased when the 

 first was yet living, was in my possession over eight 

 years ; and a third which was given to me also lived a. 

 good many years. Mules produced from an Alario cock 

 bird with a hen Canary nearly resemble their South 

 African parent, the colouring of whose plumage reminds 

 one of a Three-coloured Mannikin in the arrangement of 

 its colours. 



The name Mountain Canary adopted by Messrs. Stark 

 and Sclater ds a translation of the Boer name (Berg- 

 Canarie). 



We next come to the ROSE-FINCHES and their 

 allies, which lead naturally to the true Bullfinches. 

 SCARLET ROSE-FINCH (C 'arpodacus erythrinus). 



The prevailing colour of this beautiful bdrd in> 

 summer is crimson, most 'brilliant on the head, hinder 

 parts of -back and rump, throat, and breast ; the feathers 

 of the upper back and mantle and the wing-coverts with 

 dusky centres ; the remaining wing-feathers and tail- 

 feathers dark brown with more or less rose-tinted mar- 

 gins ; the abdomen is bright rose, fading to buffish white 

 on the under tail-coverts ; beak and feet fleshy horn- 

 brown ; irides hazel. Female generally brown, darkest 

 on the crown, nape, wings, tail, throat, and breast ; 

 feathers of the head with dark centres ; back and rump- 

 slightly olivaceous ; tips of wdng-coverts, margins of 

 innermost secondaries and of throat and breast-feathers, 

 with remainder of under surface paler. Habitat, 

 Northern Europe and Siberia to Kamtschatka, wintering 

 to the south, particularly in India and Burma. Acci- 

 dental in Western Europe. 



Two examples of this species have been captured in 

 England, but it is quite possible that they may have 

 been escaped cage-birds. 



Jerdon ("Birds of India," Vol. II., p. 399) says: 

 " It visdts the plains during October, and leaves in April. 

 In March many are taken in fine breeding livery. In 

 the extreme south I have chiefly seen it in bamboo- 

 jungle, feeding on the seeds of bamboo on several occa- 

 sions, and so much is this its habdt that the Telugu 

 name signifies ' Bamboo Sparrow.' In other parts of the 

 country it frequents alike groves, gardens, and jungles, 

 feeding on various seeds and grain ;also not unfrequently 

 on flower buds and young leaves. Adams states that in 

 Cashmere dt :feeds much on the seeds of a cultivated 

 vetch. Now and then it is seen in large flocks, but in 

 general it associates in small parties. It breeds in 

 Northern Asia. It is frequently caught and cased, and 

 has rather a pleasing song. Blyth says : ' The Tuti has 

 a feeble twiittering song, but soft and pleasing, being 

 intermediate to that of the Goldfinch, and that of the 

 small Redpoill Linnet ; the call-note resembling that of a 

 Canary -bird.' " 



Seebohm says (" Hist. British Birds," Vol. II., p. 48) : 

 " The food of this bird consists of seeds of various 

 kinds, grain, and the buds of trees. In spring it eate 

 insects, and in autumn, berries and other fruit. 



"The nest of the Scarlet Rose-Finch is built in the 



