THE PAINTED FINCH. 145 



their liveliness bears no comparison with that of the Grey Astrild and 

 others." 



The bird is illustrated from skins of specimens formerly living in 

 the author's collection. 



THE PAINTED FINCH. 



Emblema picta, GOULD. 



THE Painted Finch is a native of Northern and Central Australia 

 and, though seldom imported hitherto, is a very beautiful species. 

 The general colouring of the upper surface of the male is pale brown, 

 the flight-feathers darker; the hinder back and upper tail-coverts bright 

 scarlet; the tail-feathers blackish, tinged with scarlet on the margins; 

 the lores, a narrow eyebrow, the feathers below the eye and the front 

 of the cheeks scarlet; the throat and under surface of body black, but 

 a few feathers tipped with scarlet on the chin and front of throat; the 

 centre of the neck and chest also scarlet; breast and abdomen spotted 

 with white at the sides ; the flanks brown ; under wing-coverts yellowish, 

 under tail-coverts black. Length 4^ inches. Upper mandible black, 

 tipped with scarlet, lower mandible scarlet, with a blue patch at the 

 base. 



The fien is very similar, but has no scarlet on the cheeks or 

 throat; the latter, as well as the front of the neck, black, spotted 

 with white; the under surface of the body browner and more plentifully 

 spotted with white, the breast with only a tinge of scarlet. Length 

 4 inches. 



Herr Wiener says that, in 1869, he had occasion to employ a 

 journeyman wire -worker who, one day spoke to him of "Julian 

 Finches." He proceeds as follows: "They proved to be a pair of 

 Painted Finches, and were probably the first ever brought alive to 

 Europe. I purchased them, as a matter of course, and kept them for 

 a little while. Again, in 1873, I heard, when in Liverpool, that a 



M 



