52



littered by the Red-faces; and their ordinary notes when on the

wing are much more like those of some of the Wagtails than

of those of the Love-bird. The twitterings of a good Red-faced

male, when alone with his wife in a suitable home , or when head

of a flock, are often so connected and so continuous as to be

worthy of being called a song ; they sing too by artificial light,

and even in the dark. They will also climb down and feed

when in almost total darkness, while the Blue-wings rarely move

from their perches after dusk, even by artificial light. And then

we are told as a point of distinction between the Red-face and

the Blue-wing that, in the former but not in the latter, the “ deep

beak has no ridge along the interior surface of the symphysis of

its lower mandible.” The force of language can no further go :

surely this will settle the matter to the complete satisfaction of

everybody.- f


RARE FOREIGN BIRDS.


(SECOND SERIES).


Ill—THE MOORISH HOUSE BUNTING.


Fringillaria saharce.


By E. G. B. Meade-Waedo.


This little Bunting is, I fancy, practically unknown as a

cage bird ; and probably would not be popular if known, as it is

an unobtrusive little bird without any brilliancy of colouring.

Its charm consisting principally in its extreme familiarity, both

in its wild state and in an aviary ; also in that it is a free breeder,

rears its young well, and, although a denizen of the burning

Sahara, will, in common with most desert species, stand cold

well. It is not at all quarrelsome, but, in my experience, will

not nest successfully in an aviary, however large, in which any

other passerine birds are trying to breed, with perhaps the

exception of those which nest on the ground. The range of the

House Bunting extends from Saffi on the West Coast of Morocco,

throughout the Algerian Sahara, into Tunis and Tripoli and

Western Egypt. It frequents the towns and villages and is very

partial to the mosques and saints’ houses, and is consequently

very popular with the inhabitants of the country, who have a



* I find I have omitted to point out that the seven species of

Rove - birds may be readily distinguished from every other Parrot by a

sub-terminal band of black across the tail. In some species the band is

not so fully marked as in others, and in most there are also bands of

other colours.—R. P.



