74 FOREIGN FINCHES IN CAPTIVITY. 



the true song: it is a cheerful scroopy whistling, interspersed with a 

 few jerky clear notes. All the South American species, so far as I know 

 them, sing precisely alike ; nor can their song be readily distinguished 

 from that of the Saffron Finch, excepting in its brevity. 



The traveller will probably explain that, in their native wilds, birds 

 sing much better than in captivity. Sometimes this is so, sometimes 

 the reverse is the case. But, however, freedom and native air might act 

 upon a Red-crested Cardinal, they could no more abolish the stopper- 

 screwing scroopiness from its song, than they do in the case of our 

 native Corn Bunting. 



According to Burmeister, this species " inhabits, singly or in pairs, 

 the damp bushy plains on the borders of the large rivers in the interior 

 of Brazil, namely the Rio St. Francisco below its confluence with the 

 Rio das Velhas." 



"The bird is found in an area, which extends southwards as far as 

 Monte Video, and makes its nest in dense thickets, builds a fairly large 

 nest with dry stalks, at a moderate height, and lays three to four longish 

 oval white eggs, closely sprinkled with greyish-green spots, darkest at 

 the larger end." 



Other writers speak of it as a wood-frequenting bird, rarely seen 

 either in the plains or swamps. Its nesting season is from the end of 

 October to the middle of November. 



The nest, according to Mr. E. Gibson, " is generally placed at the 

 end of a branch of a tala tree, about eight or ten feet from the ground. 

 It is a large shallow construction, built of wild vine tendrils or twigs 

 and wood, and lined with horse-hair. Sometimes the last material 

 greatly predominates ; and I have then seen the nest so frail that one 

 could see through the bottom of it. The uneasy approaches of the 

 birds frequently betray its situation, should an intruder appear in the 

 vicinity. Three is the largest and most usual number of eggs laid. 

 The clutches of eggs vary greatly in appearance, and still more so in 

 size." 



Mr. Gibson states further, that the commonest type of egg is of a 

 brownish ground-colour, thickly marked with brown spots ; whilst others 

 have a greenish ground-colour, with the spots inclining towards the 

 larger end, where they also form a dark zone. The latter would nearly 

 resemble those described by Burmeister. 



Mr. Hudson says of this species, as observed by him in the 

 Argentines : " The song has little variety, but is remarkably loud, and 

 has that cheerful ring which most people admire in their caged pets, 

 possibly because it produces the idea in the listener's mind that the 



