THE



Hvtcultural iHbac^me,


BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE


AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.



NO. 8



JUNE, 1895.



THE CLASSIFICATION OF FOREIGN FINCHES.


By H. R. FlEEMER.


This subject having been raised incidentally in our correspondence

columns, it has occurred to me that a few notes upon it may prove of

interest to some of the members of our .Society. Having had no scientific

training, I am not well qualified to write upon the subject, but I propose

simply to reproduce the classification laid down in the British Museum

Catalogue of Birds, and, therefore, my readers may take it that there is good

authority for what I tell them.


The whole subject is necessarily dr}-, and some may perhaps think

that it has not much bearing upon aviculture. But when I first commenced

the study of Foreign Birds, I experienced so much difficulty from the want

of a popular explanation of the modern system of classification, that I feel

emboldened to endeavour to supply this want, however imperfectly, and

thus smooth the path of some of our younger students. Still, I could wish

that some more competent hand had undertaken the task.


The Class Aves (Birds) is divided into a number of Orders, one of

these Orders, which contains a larger number of species than all the others

put together, is called Passeres (the Perching Birds). The Order Pas-seres

includes, practically, all the birds which can properly be called cage-birds,

with the important exception of the Parrots, which form an Order bv

themselves. The Passeres are divided into many Families, but I have to

deal with only two of these, viz : Fringillidce and PLoceidce.


The Fringillidce (Finches) are further sub-divided into three sub¬

families called Coccothraustince (Grosbeaks), Fringillince (True Finches), and

Emberizince (Buntings).


The following is a list of those genera of the Fringillidce which are of

most interest to aviculturists. I give, in each case, the names of one or

more of the species comprised in the genus, with the English name added.

It is the absence of the English names which makes the Museum Catalogue

so puzzling to beginners.



GENERA.


Chiu r is

Eophona ..

Coccoth ra ustes

Spermophila



Phonipara ..

Volatinia ..

Cardinalis . .



S UB- F A MIE Y Coccothraustince.



SPECIES.


C. chloris ..


E. melanura

C. coccothraustes

S. albigularis

S. hypoleuca

S. plu 7 nbea ..


S. nigro-aurantia

S. ccerulescens

S. gutturalis

S. lineola . .


P. canora ..


V. jacarini . .


C. cardinalis



ENGLISH NAME OF SPECIES.


Greenfinch


Black-tailed Hawfinch

Hawfinch


White-throated Finch

Half-white Finch

Plumbeous Finch

Reddish Finch

Bluish Finch

Guttural Finch

Lined Finch

Cuba Finch

Jacarini Finch

Virginian Nightingale



