THE GOULDIAN FINCH. 1 73 



Black, and Yellow-faced Gouldian Finches are all of the same variety, 

 the different colourings being simply the colourings of the same bird 

 at different periods of its life. I am greatly behind the times, for I 

 have never seen a freshly imported Gouldian Finch with a yellow 

 face, although I have seen many badly moulted specimens bearing 

 many funny colours, or no colours at all to speak of. So far as the 

 Reds and the Blacks are concerned, I do not myself see any reason 

 for supposing that they are other than distinct varieties.* 



" I cannot do better than close this brief account of these birds 

 by quoting portions of a letter, with which I have been most kindly 

 furnished, by Mr. Norman B. Roberts, of The Knowle, Sheffield, the 

 gentleman who has had my two young Red-faced Gouldian Finches 

 since the 5th September, 1891. Here the slow coming into colour 

 may have been caused by the comparatively cold climate, and the 

 want of the brilliant Queensland sun, just at the season when it was 

 most needed. In a former communication, written in 1892, Mr. 

 Roberts had said : ' I have them oiit of doors, and the average tem- 

 perature for Sheffield, during the first six months of this year, has 

 only reached the low rate of 44.71 degrees; we have, in fact, had no 

 summer weather, with the exception of one week at the commencement 

 of June. They have not attempted to breed since last Christmas, 

 when I had them in the house, and they commenced to build, when 

 of course I discouraged them.' Any way, some red did appear on 

 their faces at the first moult, and much more at the second, which 

 does not quite fit in with the theory that the young commence with 

 black faces for neither of these two young birds has ever had a 

 wholly black face and gradually assume the red faces as they advance 

 in years. It must be remembered that the faces of even newly 

 imported hens are blackish, though not black. 



"The letter referred to, dated the 24th of April, 1894, runs as 



follows : ' The birds are both quite well and happy, never 



having ailed anything since I had them. They are very great pets, 

 and are more prized than any of our other birds. They have moulted 

 each year, from April to June .... they have just commenced ; and 

 I am hoping that their colors will be brighter than they have hitherto 

 been. The first moult (May, 1892) gave them all their adult plumage, 

 with the exception of the red on the heads ; the hen's face became 

 black with a brick red sort of tinge, and the cock's face remained the 



* The suggestion was not that these differently coloured birds were of the same " variety," 

 but of the same species; the other view was abandoned when the true explanation was made 

 evident. A.G.B. 



