1 86 BIRDS 



flanks and abdomen are rich brown with dark streaks, the 

 head and upper chest being yellow. The head is somewhat 

 variegated with dark stripes and mottlings. The female is 

 slightly duller than the male. It thrives on a diet of seeds, 

 but is better for a little soft food and a few insects. 



The Singing Finches are a compact group, mostly African 

 in distribution. They are closely allied to the canary, and 

 frequently bear names which suggest this relationship. 



The Green Singing Finch {Serinus icterus), known 

 among dealers as " African Siskin," is considerably smaller 

 than the common canary, but resembles it in shape. It is 

 yellow-green above, with darker streaks, while the forehead, 

 superciliaries, cheeks and underparts are bright yellow. 

 There is a black mustachial streak and another through the 

 eye. The female is smaller and less brilliantly colored. 

 This little bird is a free singer, its notes bearing a faint 

 resemblance to those of the canary. It breeds well in an 

 aviary, but the cocks are very pugnacious, and will persecute 

 other Serins if confined with them. 



The Gray Singing Finch, or " Edelsinger " (Polio- 

 spiza leucopygia)y is ashy-brown, slightly mottled above 

 and whitish below. It is slightly smaller than the preceding 

 and the same sexual differences exist. It is one of the finest 

 singers among the smaller finches and is less pugnacious than 

 the Green Singing Finch. Both species are hardy in cap- 

 tivity, and will live for many years under proper conditions. 

 Their food consists of a mixture of canary, rape, millet and 

 wild seeds, with plenty of greens. 



The Saffron Finch (Sycalis flaveola) is the only repre- 

 sentative of its genus well known in this country. It is very 

 canary-like, greenish-yellow above, streaked with blackish. 

 The forehead is bright orange and the underparts are yel- 

 low. The female is somewhat duller than the male, but 

 otherwise is similar. The Saffron Finch is now being im- 



