55



THE GROSBEAKS.*


By H. R. Fieemer.


(Continued from page 27).


The Genus Spermophila .


All the birds which I have hitherto treated of belong to

different genera, although the Common Hawfinch and the Black¬

tailed Hawfinch are placed in the same genus by many writers.

But now we come to a large group of little birds, all belonging

to the same genus; indeed the genus Sper?nophila includes

about 36 species, but only eight of these are likely to be met

with by the aviculturist, and therefore to these eight I shall

confine myself. One species, the White-throated Finch, is fairly

common, while all the others are rare in this country. They

are all natives of South America, and are imported very

intermittently and in small numbers. Notwithstanding their

comparative rarity the dealers are generally willing to part

with these little Grosbeaks at a moderate price, for their plumage

is modest and unassuming and their merits do not lie upon the

surface, therefore they seldom command a ready sale. All the

species have a strong family likeness, and very little experience

is sufficient to enable the aviculturist to identify an unknown

bird as a member of the genus Spermophila ; but the identifi¬

cation of the species is often less easy, even in the case of the

adult male, while in the case of the female or immature male it

is frequently a matter of the greatest difficulty. Birds of this

genus are distinguished from all other very small birds by their

powerful conical beaks. The mandibles are very deep posteriorly

and the edge of the lower mandible is curved inwards. In short,

these little Grosbeaks are very grosbeaklike. Almost all the

species possess a spot upon the wing (at the base of the inner or

middle primaries) which goes by the name of “ alar speculum.”

All the species here described have an alar speculum, except the

Bluish Finch ; and it is white in each of these birds, except in

the Guttural Finch, where it is yellowish white. In most of the

species the immature males much resemble the females, and a

bird bought as a lieu will often change greatly in plumage at its

first moult and prove to be a cock.


Most of these little birds are decidedly hardy. They are

peaceable in the aviary towards other birds, but two males of



* I11 writing this series of articles, I have been largely indebted to

Dr. Butler’s “ Foreign Finches in Captivity,” and all quotations from

Dr. Russ are made at second-hand through that work. I have, however,

described a number of birds which are not included in Dr. Butler’s book.



