*THK RED-CRESTED FINCH. 57 



followed. In 1896 I turned both birds into an out-door aviary; here 

 again the hen built and the Bunting pulled her nest out. I then 

 turned in a cock Canary when the Bunting's wife promptly deserted 

 him, paired with her natural mate and reared three young, of which 

 two survived: these showed no taint of the Indigo Bunting. 



The illustration of the cock bird is from the skin of a specimen 

 formerly living in the author's collection and from two living examples. 



THE RED-CRESTED FINCH. 



Corypkospingus cn'status, GMKI,. 



A LTHOUGH not uncommon at Buenos Ayres, this beautiful little 

 t\ Bunting seems to be rarely imported. In 1893 I received three 

 cock birds in a consignment from La Plata, but they reached me 

 somewhat out of condition and required careful attention to restore 

 them to vigour ; indeed, even when they had apparently quite recovered 

 from the effects of the journey, one specimen, which I exchanged for 

 two hens of the Pileated Finch, shortly afterwards died, and as winter 

 approached a second became asthmatic and sleepy, and was only restored 

 to comparative health by the use of brandy and glycerine mixed with 

 its drinking water.* 



The general colour of the upper surface of the male is lake-brown, 

 more crimson on the head and towards the tail ; the wing-coverts are 

 brown, the edges tinted with lake-reddish ; the primary-coverts and 

 flight-feathers dull brown, with narrow crimson-tinted edges ; the tail- 

 feathers blackish, similarly edged : a black-edged satiny carmine crest 

 on the crown, as in C. pileatus ; lores and feathers round the eye dusky ; 

 eyelid whitish ; base of cheeks and chin whitish ; back of cheeks, throat 

 and under surface of body crimson-lake ; thighs somewhat greyish ; 

 under wing-coverts whitish ; axillaries somewhat greyish ; flights below 



* When any bird is so far gone that, at the approach of darkness, it retires to a corner, and 

 (turning its face to the wall) appears to be occupied with devotions, there is nothing like three 

 or four drops of brandy and water (half aud half) for recovering it. 



