THF, SAFFRON FINCH. 19 



Dr. Russ says : " A pair in my bird-room brought up three young 

 ones. A 7 est placed tolerably high up in a thick bush against the wall, 

 formed of bents, flowering heads of reeds,* soft strips of paper and 

 thread, lined with horse-hair. Time of incubation, twelve days. Nestling 

 down, delicate bluish. Young plumage above, brown-grey, tinged with 

 greenish ; short tail, dull yellowish green-grey ; under body dull 

 brownish-white, spotted with fawn. After the first moult, slightly red ; 

 fully coloured for the first time in the third or fourth year." 



THE SAFFRON FINCH. 



Sycalis flaveola, LINN. 



T ATHAM calls this species the "Brazilian Bunting" and in the 

 J , song of this and the other species of Sycalis, and the fact that 

 they walk, instead of hopping, they certainly approach the Cardinal 

 Buntings: they also resemble Emberiza in this, in their violent court- 

 ship and their love for insect food. Bven the fact that they place 

 their nests in holes, is not altogether opposed to this resemblance; 

 since the nests of Emberiza are not infrequently placed in hollows or 

 niches in the sides of chalk-pits or steep banks ;f the eggs, however, 

 more nearly resemble boldly-marked examples of those of the genus 

 Passer, and this has probably induced some writers to designate them 

 as Sparrows, in spite of the fact that the birds themselves more nearly 

 resemble the Serin Finches. 



The Saffron Finch is found from Southern Brazil to Bolivia, in 

 Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Guiana, and Venezuela. 



The cock bird in adult plumage is of a bright greenish yellow 

 colour, the feathers of the mantle and upper back streaked with dusky 

 lines; the wing- feathers blackish, edged with brighter or duller yellow; 



* " Rohrfahnen," literally reed-banners. 



t Sycalis arvensis nests on the ground, under or near a tuft of high grass. 



