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THE FRINGILLIN/E.


XI.—THE SAFFRON FINCH.


Sycalis flaveola, Linn.


By A. G. Butler, Ph.D.


Abundant from Southern Brazil westward to Venezuela,

the range of this finch extends over nearly the whole of South

America. In Argentina, however, it appears to be replaced by

Pelzeln’s Saffron-finch f Sycalis pelzelni) which agrees perfectly

with it in habits and song and, as I have proved, breeds freely

with it without hesitation, the resulting young being barely, if

at all, different from the common type, but resembling their

father—the true Saffron-finch.


Because the eggs of the Saffron-finch are very like those

of our Tree-sparrow, it has been supposed by some writers that

it must be nearly related to Passer ; but this is by no means the

case. At one time I believed, as Gmelin, Buffon and Eatham

did, that it was a Bunting, for its nest is somewhat characteristic

of Emberiza , being a firm cup, formed chiefly of hay and with

very little lining, but (unlike that of Emberiza') set in the middle

of a mass of rubbish of all kinds: its violent courtship is also

somewhat Bunting-like.


As a matter of fadt the Saffron-finch is actually the Canary

of Brazil; and, as Dr. Russ observed, is called by dealers

‘Brazilian Canary-bird’—‘ Canario der Brasilianer ’ and ‘Kanarie

van Brazilie.’ It is indeed nearly related to the genus Serinus to

which the common Canary belongs.


In its native country the Saffron-finch builds its nest in

holes in walls or trees and in suitable nests of other birds, from

which it often expels the owners ; but, in confinement, it likes

nothing so well as a box of the cigar-box pattern half filled with

hay, upon the top of which it constructs its nest.


The courtship of this species is, not unlike that of our

Chaffinch, very violent : indeed if the hen persistently refuses

her husband’s advances (as she always does at first) he does his

best to kill her, holding her down and viciously tearing feathers

and skin from her crown. After I had kept a pair together in a

large flight-cage for two years and had bred many birds from

them, the hen bird (in 1896) concluded that she had done enough

in the way of bringing up families and flew at the male bird

whenever he approached her. At length he lost his temper and,

unless I had removed her, would undoubtedly have murdered



