AFRICAN FINCHES. l ? 



" Caged at my window the little birds sing, 

 Wild with delight at the coming of spring." 



Among the various colors we have the ashen gray, 

 turquoise blue, crimson, ruby, emerald green, mal- 

 tese, the rich reddish brown, the wine color, the 

 cinnamon and white, invisible green, and black and 

 white, the orange and slate, the delicate fawn ; in 

 fact, colors of every conceivable hue, many of them 

 shaded with a darker color of the same, giving the 

 effect to the plumage of scallop shells, laid one over 

 the other. Added to these you have the little white 

 Chinese finch, the coal black Cuba finch, the coral 

 red finch ; and among them ail you have the neutral 

 tints of every color. 



" To charm the sense, and soothe the pensive heart, 

 And bid sweet dreams and gentlest fancies start." 



These finches are thoroughly happy in each 

 other's society, and sit all together in a row, packed 

 as closely as possible, caressing and pluming each 

 other. If you place a small box or nest in the cage, 

 and supply them with cotton-batting, thread, or 

 horse-hair, they will make a charming little nes"t, 

 which, if the weather be cool, several will occupy, 

 " cuddling " closely together, often sleeping for 

 hours. 



The pleasure to be derived from watching the 

 little creatures is certainly very great. Most of 

 them are the sweetest songsters ; and it seems at 



