BROAD-SHAFTED WHIDAH-FINCH. 1 73 



Finches of the same country, are imported into 

 France by the Senegal traders, and sold to the 

 marchants des oiseaux of Paris. We were, indeed, 

 not a little surprised, during a residence in that city, 

 to find between a hundred and fifty and two hun- 

 dred of these inhabitants of the torrid zone flying 

 and sporting about in a small dark dirty room, 

 transformed into a sort of aviary, in one of the 

 meanest houses on the Quay Voltaire, two rooms 

 only of which were tenanted by a marchand des 

 oiseau his birds living in one, and himself and 

 family in the other. We have even been assured 

 that these ingenious people, who are really practical 

 ornithologists, contrive to breed several of these 

 African natives in their dingy quarters. 



The upper plumage of the species before us is 

 deep brownish-black, much paler on the wings, and 

 even upon the lateral tail-feathers. The head, ears, 

 chin, and throat, are enveloped in a hood of this 

 colour, which extends down, but narrows upon the 

 middle of the breast. There is a broad collar on 

 the upper part of the neck, of a rich orange-rufous, 

 which unites with a deep tinge of the same colour 

 on the sides of the neck and breast ; and this, again, 

 fades into a pale buff on the body, belly, and thighs, 

 leaving the under tail- covers, like the upper, black. 

 The four lateral tail-feathers on each side are gra- 

 duated, each being about a quarter of an inch 

 longer than the others ; the two next, however, are 

 enormously long, often measuring twelve inches 

 from the base, and about three-quarters of an inch 



