1 6 FOREIGN FINCHES IN CAPTIVITY. 



THE SCARLET ROSE-FINCH. 



Carpodacus erythrinus, PALL. 



STRICTLY speaking, perhaps this beautiful bird ought not to be 

 included in the present work, inasmuch as two examples have 

 been captured in Great Britain ; one on the Brighton Downs in 1869, 

 the other at Hampstead in the succeeding year. It is, however, one 

 of the birds usually offered for sale in the market of Calcutta, and 

 consequently is tolerably frequently imported in consignments of Indian 

 birds.* Its range extends through Northern Europe and Siberia to 

 Kamtschatka, to the south of which localities it winters, especially in 

 India and the Burmese Peninsula. To Western Europe it is an 

 occasional visitor. 



There are two objections to this as a cage-bird : after the first 

 moult all the rose-colouring disappears, and is replaced by yellow ; and 

 there is nothing specially beautiful in its song : indeed a specimen 

 which my sister, the late Dr. Fanny Butler, brought me from India, 

 never got beyond its rather plaintive, though musical call-note. 



The prevailing colour of this Rose-Finch is crimson, most brilliant 

 on the head, throat, breast, and hinder part of the back ; on the 

 abdomen it is bright rose, which fades into buffish white on the under 

 tail-coverts. The wings and tail are brown, with vinous margins to 

 the feathers. Length 51% inches. Beak and legs fleshy brown ; iris 

 hazel. 



The general colour of the hen is brown, darkest on the crown, 

 nape, wings, tail, throat, and breast ; the feathers of the head also have 

 dark centres ; the back and rump are slightly olivaceous ; the tips of 

 the wing-coverts, the margins of the innermost secondaries and of the 

 throat and breast feathers, with the remainder of the under surface, 

 are paler. 



Mr. Seebohm says of this species : " The song of the Scarlet 

 Rose-Finch is a very striking one, and not to be confused with that 



* Moreover, I strongly suspect that the supposed British examples were merely liberated 

 cage-birds. 



