164



Mr. Reginald Phillipps,



tlieir birds have been but the humble Olive Finch. The latter

are not, or were not, fashionable, but the Cubas are; moreover,

the Cuba Finch now-a-days is practically never in the open

market ; and so the Olives have been foisted on to the ignorant

public as “ Cuba,” and even as “ Melodious,” Finches in some¬

thing more than an unblushing manner. Olive Finches are, in

truth, found in Cuba, but those which reach this country seldom

if ever come from that island.


The true Cuba or Melodious Finch, Phonipara canora, is

found only in the island of Cuba. “ Male: —Throat and cheeks

black, extending above the eye ; a broad band of bright yellow

extends across the lower throat to the sides of the neck, and

passes in a narrow line, edging the black, to the eye ; top of head

slaty brown ; rest of upper surface bright olive green ; breast

brownish black, shading into pale gray on the belly and under

tail-coverts. Female :—Throat dark chestnut brown, shading

into gray on the cheeks; yellow collar much paler than in the

male ; chest and under parts ashy; the rest as in the male.

Length (skin) 3.75”:—so Cory’s Birds of the West Indies. The

distinguishing mark of the species is the yellow collar, which

appears at an early age, and can be recognised at a glance. It is

curious that not a single description of this band or collar that I

have ever met with is quite in accordance with the plumage of

the living bird, illustrations being equally unfortunate. The

description given in the British Museum Catalogue of Birds

(XII., 144), although misleading at first glance, is probably meant

to be correct; it runs as follows :—“ .... sides of neck and a

collar across the lower throat golden yellow ; fore-neck black.”

The word “ across ” is convenient but not strictly accurate, for

the yellow on the one side is separated from the yellow on the

other by the black fore-neck ; and the illustrations that depict a

broad unbroken band of yellow across the throat, often broader at

the centre than at the sides, are as hopelessly out of court as are

the usual descriptions that altogether omit any mention of the

black fore-neck. The two yellow arms which constitute the so-

called band or collar are broadest on the sides of the neck ; they

narrow as they approach the black fore-neck, and terminate on

each side of the centre with a slight curve upwards (or rounding



