The Tropical Seed-Finch.



149



when he has taken a dislike to a bird he has become dangerous,

so I always have to be 011 the watch to. prevent accidents. Of

the inhabitants of my two other aviaries I must tell you another

day.


(To be continued).



THE TROPICAL SEED-FINCH.


Oryzoborus tor rid us.


A specimen of this rare little finch was sent to me by Mr.

E. W. Harper on November 28th, 1907. It is of about the same

size as the Black-headed Mannikin; and, looking at it from

below, one might almost fancy that it was a near relative of that

species, but the generally silky black colouring of the upper

surface with white speculum and bend of wing do not bear out

the illusion.


Although rarely imported this bird has been represented

in the London Zoological Society’s collection since 1S60, but in

Germany it has only occasionally appeared singly or in pairs in

the market.


Dr. Russ, who apparently never possessed the species him¬

self, observes that it has not yet been bred, and altogether he

regards it as not particularly interesting; I notice that he very

frequently says this respecting birds of which he has had no

personal experience. He tells us that Mr. von Schlechtendal,

who obtained two pairs from the dealer Moller, writes that “ they

are quiet, peaceful little birds. They despise mealworms, green

food and fruit, feed solely upon all kinds of seed, and live entirely

without song or sound.” He says that when removing a sickly

specimen to another cage it bit him painfull}'' with its powerful

pointed beak.


Mr. Harper tells me that this account is not correct; as

both O. torridus and O. crassirostris eat lettuce, and the latter at

any rate, eats mealworms, or that is his impression. When I

removed it from the travelling cage in which it reached me, to

transfer it to the flight-cage in which it now is, it never attempted

to bite me ; but perhaps Mr. Schlechtendal handled his bird a

trifle roughly and it naturally retaliated.



