FRINGILLID^K. 185 



brilliant yellow rump, contrasting with his otherwise intensely black 

 plumage, render him peculiarly conspicuous. The female resembles 

 the male in the winter dress, being a light-brown, with a dark stripe 

 down each feather. 



Having kept several in cages, I am enabled to describe the moult 

 which takes place. The first thing which changes is the bill : the black 

 commences to show at the tip of the lower mandible, which gradually 

 dark CDS, from its usual horn-colour, to the deepest black ; before this is 

 accomplished the upper mandible has begun to- blacken, and a few 

 black feathers are visible round the neck ; the breast next shows a 

 change, and a feather or two on the back darkens, and thus by degrees 

 the whole bird changes to its splendid black. This transformation 

 commences about July, and is complete in September, which is the 

 nesting season. The moult back again, begins in the same manner. 



This species lives well in cages. I had one which had been about 

 six years in confinement, and effected his escape after all, from the 

 warping of his cage-bottom, owing to its being exposed to the sun after 

 my pet had enjoyed his bath. He would come to the cage-bars 

 whenever my wife approached them, his long legs drawn out to their 

 full extent, his bright black eye glittering even in the midst of his deep 

 black plumage, watching for his morsel of bread. On his being 

 addressed as *' Fink," he instantly replied, stretching his neck to the 

 utmost, and uttering the most piercing, discordant shriek. We used to 

 laugh, and say he would some day dislocate his neck in his attempts 

 to sing, in rivalry to the canaries. After his bath, or when enraged, 

 which was pretty often, he would erect the feathers of the back at 

 right angles to his body, and then looked beautiful, the light shining 

 through the brilliant yellow, setting it off to great advantage. * 



The nest is constructed of grasses, and is domed, with an entrance 

 near the centre. The eggs, four or five in number, are very pale 

 verditer, thickly marked everywhere with dark, greenish-brown blotches 

 and spots : axis, 10'" ; diam., 7'". 



369. PlOCeUS Oryx. (L.) Euplectes Oryx, Swain., 

 PyromeldncTUryx ; Red Grenadier Grosbeak, Guv., 

 Vol. 2, p. 136; small var., Eu. Sundevalli, Bp. ; 

 Emberiza Oryx, Gmel. ; Red Fink of Colonists. 



(5 , in breeding plumage : upper parts, brilliant scarlet ; 

 lower parts, with the exception of throat, and vent, which are 

 scarlet, deep velvetty black ; forehead, cheeks, and chin, 

 black; wings and tail brown. Length, 5"; wing, 2" 9'".; 

 tail, 1" 10"'. Female and male in non-breeding plumage, 

 brown, the centre of each feather with a dark stripe. 



The " Red Caffre Fink," though not an uncommon bird, is certainly 

 a very local one, that is, though distributed over the whole colony, ifc 

 seems to be confined to narrow limits. About Cape Town, I only 

 know of one place where it is to be found, and that is the swampy 

 ground near the Royal Observatory. It breeds among the reeds 

 growing in tho rirer, supporting its nest on three or four stems, like 

 its congenor, Ploceus Capensis. In the winter time it congregates in 

 flocks, and does much damage to the grain fields in the neigh bour- 



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