166 Notes on a Hybrid Grass-finch.


NOTES ON A HYBRID GRASS-FINCH.


Aidemosyne modesta x Poephila personata.


By H. L. Sich.


This bird was brought up entirely by a pair of Masked

Finches, neither of which I believe to be a parent.


On May 30th, 1908, I turned into my aviary a pair of

Masked Finches, an odd hen, and a hen Cherry Finch. I could

not get a cock Cherry Finch until July 7th. On July 30th, after

a lot of coaxing, this bird left the Masked Finch’s nest, coloured

like no other bird in the aviary. The upper parts were dark

biscuit brown, the top of the head darker. Throat and chest

lighter brown, nearly white on the belty. Wings rather darker

than the back, especially towards the tips, as seen when the bird

was perching. Tail blackish, bill lead colour, tarsus and toes

pinkish brown. On the 31st a real young Masked Finch left the

nest, but it was not in good health at the time and died a few

days afterwards. It was marked much like its parents. The

other bird, being stronger and larger, probably got most of the

attention and food. The hybrid left the nest in very good

condition, it could fly well and had good legs and tail, it was

and is rather a slim long-legged bird, showing a great amount of

tibia beyond the body.


A description taken at the end of September shows the

parentage. It has the song of the Masked Finch, also the beak

is the same size and shape as in that bird. Mask black,

narrower than that of the Masked Finch, throat, breast and

underparts like the Masked Finch, but without the rose tinge;

under tail coverts and between the legs nearly white. The

black patch behind the legs has appeared, in front of which are

a few short black bars. On the sides of the breast are a few

short bars a shade darker than the ground colour, lower down

these mingle with the black bars. Tail very dark brown. Bill

flesh colour. Toes and tarsus brown.


On January nth I took down the following description :—

Mask rather narrow, does not meet on the top of the head.

Cheeks and sides of head paler than the crown. The bird looks

very much like a Masked Finch at a little distance, but the sides



