268 FOREIGN FINCHES IN CAPTIVITY. 



edges ; the inner secondaries with tawny borders ; below dusky, with 

 whitish edges. Length 4,^, inches. 



The male in winter plumage closely resembles the female, but 

 the wings are darker, and, of course, its slightly superior size 

 remains. 



According to Mr. Abrahams, Southern birds are somewhat larger 

 than those from the West, and their colours are more distinct ; " the 

 white is purer, more intense, while the black is richer and more 

 deep ; the bill is larger and of a brighter red. Again, the breast, 

 right up to the throat, is a pure white, whereas, the Western bird has 

 a patch of black on the throat." 



Dr. Sharpe, however, says : " In some specimens the black spot 

 on the chin is larger than in others, and the black patch on the sides 

 of the upper breast forms a half- crescent on the latter. The spot on 

 the chin varies in size, and is sometimes absent altogether "" cer- 

 tainly it is not peculiar to the birds of any one locality. The amount 

 of white on the inner greater coverts, and the tail-feathers, also varies 

 considerably." 



It would, therefore, seem that in these differences we have to 

 deal with characters which, in a long series, prove not to be constant; 

 though Mr. Abrahams' long experience, tends also to show, that 

 certain features are prevalent in the Southern birds. 



According to Mr. Ayres (Sharpe and Layard): "This Finch is 

 not uncommon south of Mangwati, usually in pairs; and is also found, 

 though more sparingly, in the Rustenberg and Origstadt districts of 

 the Transvaal. During the breeding season, when the wonderful tail 

 of the cock bird is fully developed, he will sometimes rise, until 

 nearly out of sight, when he suddenly descends with much velocity, 

 and, if approached, makes off with ease and swiftness." Mr. Aiiders- 

 son remarks, that it is " rather a scarce species, much more so than 

 V. regia ; it only occurs during the rainy season, and is generally 

 seen in pairs or very small flocks. Its food consists of the seeds of 

 grass." The author, in his first edition, says : " They feed on grass- 

 seeds, and are only to be found in open grassy country ; they rarely 

 perch on trees, though a pair in my aviary were always on the 

 perches, the female having taken the highest perch in the whole cage. 

 The female amuses me, by the way in which she scratches on the 

 sandy cage-bottom. How she does it I cannot tell, her motions are 

 so queer; but she apparently springs forward and spurs backwards, 

 and the sand and seed fly in showers, at each repetition of the 

 manoeuvre. I have frequently observed the hovering motion, described 



