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nest on hard boiled egg and soaked rape-seed, or some similar

food.


The Chinese Greenfinch (Chloris sinica).


When a pair of these birds were exhibited at the Crystal

Palace a few years ago (I think it was in 1892) many people,

especially the very deep ones, thought they were hybrids, one of

the parents of which was a European Greenfinch. They are

found in Eastern Siberia, Japan, and China, and bear a strong

resemblance to our Greenfinch, but the general colour is

chocolate browm instead of olive green. I well remember

how, at the Show before alluded to, Mr. Abrahams pointed out

those birds to me and a good many others who were present, and

remarked that they were the rarest birds there. This was very

probably correfit, but rare birds are not necessarily attractive, and

there was nothing very taking about the Chinese Greenfinches.

If they were easily procurable at a moderate price, which is the

reverse of the case, I do not think they would become popular

aviary birds.


In 1893 a bird was exhibited at the Crystal Palace which

was described in the catalogue as a hybrid between an “ English

Greenfinch and a Japanese Finch.” Probably the “Japanese

Finch ” was Chloris sinica.


The Black-taired Hawfinch (Eophona mdanura ).


As the first volume of the Avicultural Magazine contains

two short articles from my pen concerning this bird, I propose

to dismiss it here after a very few words, referring my readers to

Vol. I, page 12, for a description of its appearance ; and to Vol. I,

page 104, for an account of its nesting.


Although not brightly coloured the Black-tailed Hawfinch

is a handsome bird. When in good plumage it almost rivals the

Java Sparrow in sleekness; and, like the Java Sparrow, it is

seldom to be seen in bad plumage, except when moulting. But

its chief attraction is its song, which is both loud and musical

and not at all such as would be expected to proceed from a seed¬

eating bird. The notes much resemble those of the Blackbird,

and can be exactly imitated by the human lips in whistling.

Both sexes sing, when together as well as when separate, and

my hen sings more loudly and frequently than the cock; but the

cock has a sweeter note. My hen sang while building her nest,

only ceasing when she commenced to lay.


Although common in its native laud very few specimens

find their way to this country, and-for that- reason no young of

this species have yet been reared in England, although it is a



