36 How to Sex Cage Birds. 



than the male ; but in all that I have seen, the females have been 

 invariably paler and somewhat browner above than the males. 



The Yellow-rumped Seed-eater (Serinus angolensis). 



No sexual difference is recorded by Captain Shelley ; therefore all 

 specimens should be compared carefully side by side, and those with 

 different outline of beak set aside as pairs. Dr Sharpe says the 

 female has the black on the throat broken up into spots. 



The Grey Singing-Finch (Serinus leucopygius). 



The note to the preceding species applies equally to this, but I 

 believe the females are usually more streaked on the flanks than the 

 males. 



The White-throated Singing-Finch (Serinus albigularis). 



According to Dr Sharpe (Catalogue of Birds, xii. p. 360), " the 

 female apparently only diners from the male in having some dusky 

 spots on the throat " ; but having no sexed specimens before him, he 

 could not be certain of this distinction. Captain Shelley mentions 

 no difference, but unquestionably the contour of the beak would 

 be dissimilar in the sexes. 



The Common Serin (Serinus serinus). 

 The female is duller in plumage than the male. 



The Wild Canary (Serinus canaria). 



The female is browner than the male ; the yellow on the forehead, 

 sides of face, and under parts less bright. 



The Alario Finch (Alario alario).* 



The sexes are very dissimilar, the female having the head and 

 centre of breast ashy spotted with blackish instead of the black 

 characteristic of the cock ; the back also is reddish-brown instead of 

 chestnut, the inner secondaries blackish, with broad reddish-brown 

 borders ; the under parts pale buffish-brown where they are white 

 in the male. 



The Siskins (Chrysomitris). 

 The American Siskin (Chrysomitris tristis). 



Whereas the male is yellow, the head with black cap and the 

 wings and tail varied with black and white, the female is olive- 

 brownish or greyish, sometimes washed with greenish ; the upper 

 tail-coverts pale greyish or greyish- white ; under parts whitish, more 

 or less, and sometimes entirely suffused with yellowish, excepting 

 the under tail-coverts ; the beak, which is orange-yellow tipped with 

 black in the male, is horn-coloured in the female. In the winter the 

 male nearly resembles the female in colour. 



* Serinus alario, according to Shelley, who regards this as a true Canary. 



