204 On B our he's Parrakeets, and other Rare Australian Birds.


on the breasts and tail-coverts of the Bonrlce’s Parrakeets is

most beautiful. They are apparently moulting, but extremely

brisk.


The AEgintha ( Emblema) picta, or Painted Finches, are a

pair ; but evidently, like the Bourkes, are not in full colour.

The cardinal red is as yet dull: but they are pretty little birds,

with their many white spots on the throat and breast. I do not

care for the expression of the eyes, which are straw-coloured.


Then, too, I secured two nice pairs of Australian Crimson

Finches {Phaeton').


The Finches that I have not seen before, so far as I can

remember, are Australian also. I should say they are of the

same family as the Chestnut Finch : they are just about the same

size, and style, and form : the tail especially so, being almost of

the same colour as in the Chestnut Finch. The thick bill is

bright grey ; the whole head and face and neck fawnish white ;

the upper parts, with the wings, uniform chestnut brown ; the

breast light cinnamon ; stomach fawn-white ; under-tail coverts

deep chestnut brown, almost black ; upper-tail covert cinnamon

fawn ; the tail much the same; the feathers of the thighs deep

chestnut brown ; legs and feet dark grey.* I forget whether

they are figured in Gould’s “ Birds of Australia,” but I almost

fancy they are. Perhaps they are not so rarely imported as I

may think.


All these birds were lauded at Genoa yesterday, and the

bird-dealer, knowing the kind of birds I should like, most

courteously wired to me, and then sent his assistant with them

by train. I only regret that my health does not permit me to

rush off to Genoa (an hour by rail through endless tunnels) at a

moment’s notice ; as the men who had brought the Bourkes etc:

from Australia were English, and they could have told me how

they obtained them, and whether they are all of one brood ; but

of that I feel fairly convinced. As it was they could not speak

Italian, and the bird-dealer at Genoa cannot speak English.


I have just looked at the Bourkes again before closing up



* Gould’s Yellow-rumped Finch, Munia flaviprymna, of which a coloured plate is to

appear in this Magazine shortly. A short note of this rare bird appeared at page 53 of the

present volume. Mr. Hamlyn, the dealer, has just received (March 20th) no less than

eleven examples at least, four of which have gone to the London Zoo.— Ed.



