TANAGERS. 



369 



regarded as a pest on account of the ravages which it inflicts upon growing fields 

 of rice. The nest is constructed of dry grass or other available materials, and the 

 eggs are white. The adult male has the crown of the head black ; the cheeks 

 are pure white ; the upper and lower parts, including the wings, are uniform slate 

 grey ; the rump and tail are black. Some individuals possess a song of consider- 

 able sweetness, but the usual note of this species is commonplace and unattractive. 



x 



JAVA SPARROW. 



The Blood The last group of the family to which we shall refer is that 



Weaver-Finches. o f the blood weaver-finches. These birds have the tail longer than 

 the wing, the inner secondaries so elongated as to equal the primaries in length, 

 the beak curved, and the nostrils entirely hidden by plumelets. As typically 

 represented by the waxbill weaver-finch (Estrilda astrilda), they take their name 

 from the prevalence of scarlet in their coloration, and are naturally confined to 

 Africa and Arabia, although some have been introduced into Madagascar and 

 St. Helena. There are about a dozen species. 



* THE TANAGERS. 

 Family TANAGRID^:. 



Numerous both as regards species and genera, and brilliant in coloration, the 

 tanagers have been not inaptly described as dentirostral finches, since they possess 



VOL. III. 24 



