110 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



fork of a small bush, or amongst climbing plants not 

 far from the ground. It bears little resemblance to the 

 nest of a Finch, and might easily be mistaken for that 

 of a Warbler. It is composed of dry grass-stalks, and 

 lined with horse-hair. It is rather deep, and very 

 neatly and carefully made, although it is so slender as 

 to be semi-transparent when held up to the light. The 

 inside diameter is two inches and a quarter. Five is 

 the usual number of eggs, but sometimes only four are 

 laid, and occasionally as many as six. They vary in 

 length from .9 to .73. and in breadth from .63 to .55. 

 The ground colour is greenish blue, not so pale as that 

 of the eggs of the Bullfinch ; the spots are also fewer, 

 smaller, and blacker than in typical eggs of the latter 

 species. They are smaller than the eggs of the Bull- 

 finch, and are not likely to be mistaken for the eggs of 

 any other bird." 



My sister, the late Dr. Fanny Butler, brought me a 

 fine male of this species from India, and I found it most 

 confiding and gentle, but not especially attractive after 

 its first moult in captivity as the whole of its rose- 

 colouring was then replaced by dull yellow. I paired it 

 to a hen Canary, but it was evidently not strong, as it 

 never sang, and in the following winter it died. I 

 fancy the most suitable seeds for the Rose-finches in 

 captivity should be millet, canary, rice in the husk, 

 and oats (and possibly sunflower-seed) ; also green food 

 and small green caterpillars or blight. 



SEPOY FINCH (Carpodacus sipani). 



Brilliant scarlet ; wings and tail dark brown more or 

 less margined with scarlet ; thighs deep brown ; under 

 tail-coverts with black bases to the feathers ; beak 

 yellow ; feet flesh-brown, irides brown. Female, dark 

 brown, the feathers with olive-yellow margins 1 ; rump 

 "bright yellow ; below pale olive-yellow, with dusky 

 centres to feathers ; the throat somewhat ashy ; lower 

 abdomen and under tail-coverts white ; thighs dusky ; 

 flights duskv with ashy inner margins. Habitat, 

 Central and Eastern Himalayas. 



Jerdon says of this species (" Birds of India." Vol. 

 II., p. 395) : "It is by no means rare about Darjeeling, 

 and haunts elevations from 5,000 to 10.000 feet, accord- 

 ing to the season. I have generally seen it in pairs. 

 T t frequents both forest and bushy-ground, feeds -on 

 fruits and seeds of various kinds, and has a loud whist- 

 liner note." 



The above is all the information I have been able to 

 discover respecting the wild life. 



The Zoological Societv of London secured a specimen 

 of this Finch in June, 1902. and I believe it has on one 

 or two occasions been exhibited at shows. The fact 

 that these Rose-finches lose their beauty in captivity 

 rather militates against their frequent importation. 

 PURPLE ROSE-FINCH (Carpodacus purpvrnis). 



Above vinous ; upper back and lesser wing-coverts 

 with blackish centres 1 ; lower back and rump bright 

 rose-red : upper tail-coverts somewhat ashy ; wing dark- 

 "brown. the feathers mostly more or less margined with 

 rosy; the greater coverts and secondaries whitish at or 

 near the tips ; tail-feathers similar to primaries : crown 

 and nape bright crimson, paler at sides, faintly indi- 

 cating an eyebrow streak ; lores and orbital feathers 

 ashy; sides of face otherwise, throat and breast, 

 Crimson ; breast paler becoming white on the abdomen, 

 "but rosy on sides : flanks also rosy with an ashy tinge 

 and dark brown streaks ; thighs greyish brown ; under 

 tail-coverts, under wing-coverts, and axillaries white 

 washed with rose ; flights dusky with ashy inner 

 -margins. Female above brown with darker streaks 



more or less edged with whitish ; wing-feathers mostly 

 dark brown with paler margins ; tail feathers 

 dark brown with whitish margins ; lores whitish ; a 

 narrow white eyebrow-streak ; ear-coverts with pale 

 centre ; cheeks and under-surface white spotted with 

 brown, more streak-like on sides and flanks ; under 

 wing-coverts buffish white; flights dusky with whitish 

 inner edges. Habitat, " Eastern North America from 

 the Atlantic coast to the plains, breeding from the 

 Middle States northward" (Sharpe). 



J. G. Cooper (Geol. Surv. Calif., "Ornithology," Vol. I., 

 p^. 155) says that the nest of " C. purpureus of the 

 Eastern States is built in a low tree, composed 

 of coarse grass, lined with root fibres, and the egg:-, 

 five in number, are of a rather pale green, with 

 scattered dots and streaks of dark brown or dull purple. 



" The song of this bird (the race C. calif ornicus) is 

 quite loud and varied, often resembling that of different 

 birds, such as Vircos and Dendroicas, for which I have 

 mistaken it. This would doubtless succeed as well in a 

 cage as the other species, but I have not seen any in 

 captivity, though the Eastern species is often sold in 

 cages by the name of Linnets. Their food consists of 

 all such seeds and berries as they can obtain, besides 

 buds of trees in times of scarcity." 



An example of this Finch was sent to me in July, 

 1896, by Mr. James H. Fleming, of Ontario, in company 

 with some Pine Grosbeaks, by which large birds it had 

 been so maltreated, on the voyage, that it did not long 

 survive its .separation from them. Russ speaks of it as 

 being imported singly by Reiche and Miss Hagenbeck, 

 and being an admirable songster and pleasing cage- 

 bird, but he says that, unhappily, it has not hitherto 

 been bred. 



BLOOD-STAINED FINCH (Carpodacus mexicanus). 



Above ashy brown ; the centres of feathers of mantle, 

 upper back, and upper tail-coverts dusky ; forehead and 

 a streak above ear-coverts, lower back 'and rump crim- 

 son ; wing-feathers dark brown with sandy buffish 

 margins ; tail-feathers dark brown with whity-broiwn 

 margins ; front of face, cheeks and throat crimson ; 

 sides of neck ashy-'brown ; under surface of 'body ashy 

 streaked with dark brown, abdomen paler; sides and 

 flanks sandy buff streaked with dusky; under wing- 

 coverts and axillaries buffish with a tinge of reddish ; 

 flights belosr dusky with the inner margins ashy. 

 Female browner, the margins of the wing and tail- 

 feathers pale brown, ; no crimson in the plumage ; the 

 crown with dark mottling ; sides of face ashy- whitish ; 

 ear-coverts dark brown ; under surface of body whiter 

 than in the male, the abdomen uniform whitish with 

 the sides and flanks streaked like the breast ; under tail- 

 coverts fulvous 'with dusky centres ; under wing- coverts 

 and axillaries sandy buff; flights as in male. Habitat, 

 Mexico (Shanpe). 



As Professor Ridgway regards the species described 

 by Cooper as C. frontalis (" Orn. Cal. 1870," p. 156) as 

 in part referable to this bird, I will quote what is there 

 stated respecting the habits of the Csrtifornian bird: 

 " This lively and musical little bird abounds in nearly 

 all the southern portions of California, and, according 

 to New'berry, throughout the valleys northward up to 

 Oregon. It is everywhere the species most peculiar to 

 the valleys, while' the other two frequent the forest-clad 

 mountains. 



" I have found this species on the 'barren rocky hills 

 near the Colorado, and in plains near the coast, where 

 there is no plant higher than the wild mustard, on the 

 seeds of which it feeds. It frequents groves also, aiid 

 open forests on the summit of the coast ranges in 



