WAXBILLS. 



157 



internally, but externally crimson like the inner 

 secondaries ; flights otherwise dusky brown with some- 

 what ashy edges ; tail-feathers dull blackish edged with 

 rinion ;*the outer ones with whity-brown edges; sides 

 of head white., with a crimson streak from the lores 

 through the eye ; throat -white ; remainder of under 

 surface tawny brownish, narrowly barred with whitish 

 011 the sides of the fore neck, breast, and flanks; centre 

 of breast and abdomen paler and more buffisOi ; thighs 

 tawny buff ; under tail coverts deep crimson barred with 

 tawny and blackish; under wing-coverts and axillaries 

 tawny buff; flights below dusky, buffish along inner 

 webs; beak blackish with the tomium and base of 

 mandible red ; feet dusky ; irides umber-brown. Female 

 not differentiated; probably slightly duller. Hab., 

 " Eastern Africa, .between 7 degrees S. lat. and 16 degrees 

 X. lat." (Shelley.) 



"Very little has been recorded respecting the wild life 

 of this pretty Waxbill ; it has usually been observed in 

 flocks and is said to frequent the bush in preference to 

 the reed-beds. 



The Contessa Baldelli secured specimens in Italy in 

 1903, a description of which she sent to me for identifica- 

 tion; and in August of the same year she wrote to 

 inform me that she had bred hybrids -between this species 

 and the -Grey Waxbill (E. cinerea). The nestlings had 

 a rusty red band across the wing, and therefore would 

 bear a greater resemblance to the male than the female 

 parent. 



As the Cordon Bleu and allies are palpably far more 

 nearly related to the Violet-eared Waxbill than to the 

 preceding species, I prefer to follow Captain Shelley 

 with regard to those birds. The Rosy-rum ped_ Waxbill 

 seems to me clearly to show affinity to Pytelia in the 

 broad crimson stripe on its wing. 



CRIMSON-\VIXGED WAXBILL (Pytelia phcenicoptera}. 



The upper surface is vinous brown, greyer on the 

 head ; lower back and upper tail-coverts, deep crimson ; 

 lesser wing-coverts, brighter; median and greater 

 coverts, greyislh-brown edged with red ; flight feathers, 

 excepting inner secondaries, ako edged with dull red ; 

 central tail feathers, crimson; remainder blackish, 

 edged with crimson ; under surface grey, barred with 

 white ; under wing-coverts and axillaries, white ; beak, 

 black ; legs, pale brown ; iris, red. The female is less 

 brightly coloured than the male, the crimson colouring 

 less pronounced, especially on the margins of the mantle 

 and flights, where it is somewhat buffish ; under parts 

 browner, less ashy, much miore distinctly and broadly 

 barred with whitish. Hab., iSenegambia to the Upper 

 Nile and Equatorial Africa. 



In its wild state this 'bird frequents tall forest and 

 scrub, otherwi'se nothing is known of its habits when 

 at liberty. It has no true song, but utters a peculiar 

 little flute-like phrase of three notes, tJhe central one 

 being vibrant and prolonged ; its call-note is a sharp 

 whit, whit. 



This bird is also known as the Aurora Finch, and 

 objections have been raised as to its being a Waxbill, 

 on the ground that it is somewhat stout, with short 

 tail and black beak. In all these points it approaches 

 the Lavender Finch, which as, if anything, stouter, and 

 certainly has quite as short a tail, and a beak which is 

 mostly black. As vocalists also the two species are 

 about equail. 



I purchased a pair of Aurora Finches on 

 August 7th. 1897, and found them tolerably tame and 

 Confiding. Unhappily, the female died on December 

 3rd, so that I had no chance of breeding the 

 species. In the following spring I turned the male out 



dnto a good-sized aviary, where he divided his time 

 between sitting on a ledge in the sun and hiding under 

 a bush. He died on June 22nd, 1898 ; on December 

 30th, 1899, I lost another male. In March, 1906, 

 an unknown friend sent me a male of the Northern 

 form P. emini, in which the under-wing and tail-coverts 

 are more distinctly barred. P. phcenicoptera was bred 

 by Russ. Although not a nervous bird the Aurora 

 Fdnch is very 'fond of hiding in bushes, so that when 

 one wishes to point it out to a friend it takes a good 

 deal of finding; it seems to feed chiefly upon millet 

 and canary ; but, like all the Waxbills, doubtless eats 

 small insects or spiders when it can get them : at is 

 said to be fond of fresh ant-cocoons. 



RED-PACED WAXBILL (Pytelia afro). 



Above dull orange, slightly tinged with, olive ; lower 

 back, rump, and upper tail-coverts crimson ; median 

 and greater wing-coverts rufescent externally ; flights 

 dull 'brown, with a vermilion shade on outer webs ; 

 central tail-feathers crimson, the remainder black, 

 crimson externally ; forehead, sides of head and throat 

 crimson; a grey lozenge-shaped, patch enclosing the 

 eye ; crown, nape, sides of neck, and lower throat ash- 

 grey ; remainder of body below olive-yellow, somewhat 

 golden towards sides of neck, irregularly barred with 

 white, especially on the abdomen; under tail-coverts 

 somewhat dusky, broadly barred with white ; under 

 wing-coverts whitish ; edge of wing yellowish ; flights 

 below dull blackish with greyish inner edges ; beak 

 crimson, base of upper mandible brown ; feet rosy flesh- 

 pink ; irides deep red. Female above browner, with 

 only a slight yellow shade on the mantle ; crimson of 

 face and throat replaced iby greyisih ash, the latter with 

 ill-defined narrow buff bars ; the whitish bars on the 

 remainder of body broader ; beak and feet dusky ; 

 irides light brown. Hab., "Loango Coast into Ben- 

 guela, and in East Africa from Nyassaland to Southern 

 Abyssinia." (Shelley). 



Shelley says ("Birds of Africa," Vol. IV., p. 170): 

 " In Benguela, according to Anchieta, it is known to the 

 natives of Galanga as the ' Cossocia,' and at the 

 Capangombe River as the ' Kabalacaxungo.' " 



" At Zanzibar, Fischer met with the species in parties 

 of four to six, and found them breeding in the orange- 

 trees. The nest 'resembled that of Spermestes scufatus." 



The actual statement of 1 Fischer is to the effect that 

 the nest, which he found abundantly in May, June 

 and July, resembles that of Spermestes cucullata, con- 

 sisting of the same materials ; its circumference is 

 greater by one half ; with a side entrance. 



Reichenow tells us that the nests of S. cucullata are 

 domed structures, very large and firmly compacted of 

 fine grass. 



Although this 'bird has, from time to time, been 

 exhibited at our bird shows, it is by no means so 

 familiar an object as the crimson-winged species. 



The late Dr. Russ, under the impression that he had 

 secured a new species, redescribed it in honour of his 

 friend Mr. August Wiener, and consequentlv it has 

 frequently been spoken of as Wiener's Waxbill. 



CRIMSON-FACED WAXBILL (Pytelia melba}.* 

 Above olivaceous-yellow ; lower rump and upper tail- 

 coverts crimson, shaded scarlet ; inner portion of quills 

 dull-brown ; tail black ; the outer webs strongly suffused 

 with crimson ; crown and nape, 'sides of neck and ear- 

 coverts slate-grey ; forehead, front of cheeks, chin, and 



* I quite agree with Captain Shelley that the nime Zonogaxtris, 

 proposed by Cabanis for the next two species, should be ignored. 



