THK BLUISH FINCH. 89 



My White-throated Finch, on one occasion, tried to make up to a 

 hen Green Amadtivade, but she refused his attentions. I have since 

 obtained hens of its own species ; therefore have a chance of breeding 

 it, nests have already been built of fine tough fibre. 



Dr. Russ gives no additional information respecting this species 

 in his larger work. 



The illustrations are taken from the author's living specimens. 



THE BLUISH FINCH. 



Spermophila cccru/cscciis, BONN KT VIEILL. 



THIS little Grosbeak is not so prettily coloured as the White-throated 

 Finch. I imported three male specimens from La Plata in 1893 : 

 unfortunately they suffered on the journey, probably owing to the fact 

 that they were sent to England in an all- wire cage ; and during their 

 moult two of them died : the persecutions which they were subjected to 

 by S. albigularis, .probably did them little good in their feeble condition. 



The Bluish Finch is a native of Southern Brazil, Paraguay, the 

 Argentine Republic and Bolivia. The general colour of the adult male 

 is " dark ashy grey with obsolete dusky centres to the dorsal feathers ; 

 lesser wing coverts like the back ; median and greater coverts and 

 bastard-wing dusky blackish, edged with ashy grey ; primary-coverts 

 and quills browner, edged with ashy ; upper tail coverts a little browner 

 than the back ; tail feathers brown margined with ashy ; crown of head 

 ashy grey, rather darker than the (remainder of the) head ; forehead 

 blackish, this shade overspreading the crown almost to the occiput ; 

 eyelid white above and below ; lores, feathers below the eye, and ear- 

 coverts black, the latter washed with ashy posteriorly ; cheeks and throat 

 white, with a black patch on the chin and upper throat ; rest of under 

 surface white, with a black band across the fore neck ; sides of upper 

 breast mottled, with black centres to the feathers ; sides of body and 

 flanks washed with ashy grey, the latter mottled with dark ashy grey 



