88



Dr. A. G. Butler



hairs ; back brown mixed with a good deal of yellow ; sides of

the face, throat, and upper abdomen golden yellow; lower

abdomen brown mixed with grey ; sides of body a golden brown.

The above description is from a specimen in my possession taken

in Hungary.


The eggs of the White-eye are drab with a faint greenish

tinge and a long oval in shape, and measure about i'9" to 2-2'.



SPERMOPHILA AS A POTENTIAL WEAVER.


By A. G. Butler, Ph.D.


On the 2SII1 of last month Mr. E. W. Harper very kindly

sent me three of the rarer species of Spermophila (or Sporophila

as Ridgway calls it, the name Spermophila not being synonymous

with Spermophilus of Olivier) viz., A. castaneiveutris, S. viinuta ,

and A. ocellata , all of which are well figured by Goodcliild on

a plate in Vol. VI. of Bird Notes.


Of the wild life of the first of these—the so-called Lavender-

backed Finch, nothing appears to have been published, so far as

I can discover. The second—The Fire-red Finch, builds its nest

of coarse grass, in bushes, and lays white eggs spotted with

several shades of rich red-brown : it is a near relative of the

Reddish Finch (A. nigro-aurantid), of which I had a specimen

for a good many years. The third—Ocellated, or Black-headed

Lined Finch (A. ocellata ), is another species of which we should

like to know the wild life, for even respecting its near relative

the Lined Finch (S. lineola ) we are only told that it affects the

outskirts of woods: it is a charming singer and should, I imagine,

have somewhat similar habits to other pied species with very

similar vocal acquirements—such as A. albigularis and A. ccerii-

lescejis, not that the latter is much of a songster, though a near

relative of the White-throated Finch.


The receipt of these three charming little birds again

turned my attention to a question which had engrossed it pre¬

viously and respecting which I will offer a few suggestions ;—not

so much for the consideration of the systematise who is tied hand

and foot, and feels compelled to follow the guidance of slight



