

SOME COLONY BIRDS. 



By Rev. Charles B. Dawson, S.J., M.A. (Oxon.) 



PART II. 



As I concluded my first article (Dec, 1912) by a description of the 

 Twa-twa, I may well take up the thread again by giving some account 

 of its near relative the Tua-tua. The Tua-tua (pronounced tower-tower) 

 {Oryzoboru* torridus), vulgarly called the bastard tva-twa, or the Twa 

 twa's slave, proclaims at once its near kinship to the Twa-twa. It is 

 however, neither so large nor so elegant in form ; and moreover, from 

 the lower part of the breast to the tail, it is dark red. From this feature 

 it evidently derives its specific name of torridus, toasted or scorched. I 

 suppose it derives its vulgar name of bastard twa-twa from the mistaken 

 notion, that it is a cross between that bird and some other inferior type. 

 In nature, howev< r, hybrids never occur. I suppose again that it is called 

 the twa-twa's slave on account of its comparative inferiority. 



It has a large beak, though not so relatively large as the twa-twa's. 

 and being black instead of slaty white is not so conspicuous. There is 

 a white stripe on the primary feathers, but it is almost covered by the 

 wing coverts. The wings underneath are white also. It has the same 

 habit of whisking his tail from side to side and of spreading it out ; and 

 the tail is full and broad : I had almost said bushy. As in the case of 

 the twa-twa, the hen and the young birds are a warm brown, darker on 

 the wings and tail ; it is thus almost indistinguishable from several 

 other brown hen finches ; but the beak which has a ridge or keel where 

 it joins the skull above, is unmistakable. The single note of the Tua-tua 

 is exactly that of the twa-twa, and its song, though not so loud, is 

 perhaps more musical. But it is not such a persistent singer. 



It is an amiable aviary bird and the one in my possession returned 

 to the cage when I chanced to let it escape: 



The Fire-Finch. 

 One of the most beautiful of our finches has the awkward name of 

 • : Scarlet-crested finch "' (Goryphospingus cristatus). I prefer to call it 

 the fire-finch and it justifies this title, being very much the colour of a 

 slumbering ember. In size it is not so large as our sparrow ; but it is 

 much more graceful in form, hence its generic name, coryphospingus, 

 Greek, " the small slender bird." 



The body of the bird except the back is a dull crimson-lake, 

 merging into pink at the throat ; the back, wings, and tail, are dark 

 warm brown. Around the eye, in lieu of eye-lashes are tiny pinkish, 

 almost white feathers which give the bird the air of wearing spectacles. 

 The crest, which however he seldom erects, is in the shape of a half- 



