babel of his companions. On 27th December, male No. 3 com¬

menced ; but he never sang so freely and perseveringly as his

rival. The song would commence with a kind of rippling “ tsit ”

or twitter for, say, a bar, and this bar, as a rule, would be repeated

three, four, or five times ; and then there would come a kind of

prolonged sigh, which reminded me of the “ hiss” which closes

the vocal efforts of the Orange Bishop. Usually a little twitter¬

ing flourish or other ornament would follow the sigh ; and in

several details the song would be occasionally varied.


If I may venture to judge by my own specimens, the Little

is somewhat longer and slimmer than the Cuba Finch, and more

active and energetic. In a good light it will be observed that

the male—when in full colour and good condition— is a very

striking bird, the contrast between the deep bright black of the

face and the rich brilliant orange-yellow of the face and throat

being remarkable. The female is pleasing but plain, much

plainer than the female Cuba Finch. She often bustles and

flicks her wings about like the Hedge Accentor. I have not

observed a male do this ; but possibly not one of mine, when at

liberty, was in equal vigour and strength. Judging by her

movements, the wild bird on the feed hunts about in long grass,

etc., for various seeds and diminutive insect life, keeping;

tolerably near the ground. My Little Finches fed on the usual

seeds, of which canary was perhaps the favourite. A little soft

food was occasionally supplied, to which moistened breadcrumb

was added while the young were being fed.


Whilst incubating, the female tubbed regularly—a very

important point in a dry room.


These birds never cuddle together, at roosting or any

other time.


The male Little Finch, in his second feather (as I suppose

mine to have been) is a brown bird faintly washed with yellow ;

but presumably he becomes less brown as he grows older for,

according to the Museum Catalogue, the body colour is green —

which my birds were not. But my most fully developed bird—

before he went wrong—had the upper parts strongly tinged with

yellow, the outer aspects of many of the wing coverts and

flights being almost bright yellow. A broad bright-yellow band

(much broader fore than aft) runs over and behind each eye, and

is connected in front by a very narrow yellow line. Eyelids

yellow, and a small yellow spot immediately below the eye. A

black spot in front of eye ; and nearly all the face below the eye

up to base of lower mandible black or blackish. Front and top



