ioo Dr. A. G. Butler,


origin in that, although a domesticated bird, it is by no means

very prolific : I subsequently came to the conclusion that a

hybrid, if fertile, would be likely to throw back to one or other

of the parent stocks in its descendants, as Dr. Russ says is the

case when the offspring of Amadina crythrocefihala and A . fasciata

are bred with : there is nothing to prevent the descendants of a

species which have their liberty curtailed from being smaller

than their ancestors, and the dark brown and white variety ol

the Bengalee so nearly approaches the Striated Finch in general

appearance and in song, that the introduction of the Indian

Silverbill into its pedigree seems unnecessary.


With regard to the question of Uroloncha aadicauda as the

parent stock, I believe the small dealers were responsible; inas-

much as they regularly sold the true U. acuticauda as U. striata

and vice versa, whereas the larger dealers, who took the trouble to

name their birds at public Museums, sold both species under

their correct denominations. It is quite conceivable that Dr.

Russ, purchasing his Sharp-tailed Finch from one man and his

Striated Finch from another, should have been puzzled how to

distinguish them, and therefore should have published only one

description for the two. If this view be accepted it simplifies

matters ; the Striated Finch then being universally intended, and

therefore accepted, as ancestor of the Bengalee. It is true that

Mr. Wiener observes " Whether it was originally the Striated or

the Sharp-tailed Finch from which the Japanese bred the White

Bengalee has not been ascertained, and perhaps never will be

determined"; but then the fact that Russ gave one vague des-

cription for the two and the Black-rumped relative of U. striata

doubtless influenced him.


Assuming however that the Bengalee is descended from

the Striated Finch, it is strange that when paired up with the

Sharp-tailed Finch, it produces young hardly distinguishable

from the latter, and that when paired up with the wild Striated

Finch the young still far more closely resemble Sharp-tailed

Finches than anything else : both have a few extra white feathers

in wing or tail, but otherwise they might pass for U. acnticaiida.

I bred the former some years ago in one of my flight-cages (as

noted in "Foreign Bird-Keeping") and Mr. Teschemaker sent me



