54 How to Sex Cage Birds. 



Green Amaduvade Waxbill (Stictospiza formosa). 



The hen is a trifle paler and duller than the cock, the throat 

 greyer, and the black stripes across the sides of the body much 

 greyer, less distinctly black. 



Common Amaduvade {Sponrginthus amandava). 



The female at all seasons most nearly resembles the extreme 

 winter plumage of the male, being brown above, with darker wings, 

 spotted with white ; a black streak enclosing the eye, and a white 

 streak below it ; sides of face greyish ; throat pale buff, becoming 

 browner on breast ; remainder of under parts bright ochreous, with 

 greyish sides. 



Zebra or Gold-breasted Waxbill {Spontginthus subflavus). 



The female is duller than the male, the yellow and orange of the 

 under parts being much paler; it is also rather smaller. 



Orange-cheeked Waxbill {Sjwrwginthus melpodus). 



The female is less brightly coloured than the male, the orange 

 cheeks being noticeably paler and duller. 



Peters' Spotted Fire-Finch (Lagonosticta niveiguttata). 



The female has the sides of the face brown instead of crimson ; 

 the chin buffish ; the crimson of the breast altogether duller than 

 in the male. An excellent coloured plate figuring both sexes 

 appeared in the Avicultural Magazine for February 1905. At 

 present it is rare in the bird market. 



Common African Fire-Finch {Lagonosticta senegala). 



The female has much less crimson in its plumage than the male, 

 being dark brown above, crimson on rump and upper tail-coverts ; 

 a small crimson spot on the lores ; under parts buffish-brown, clearer 

 on the abdomen ; sides dotted with white ; wing brown ; tail black. 



Bar-breasted Fire-Finch {Lagonosticta rufopicta). 



Differs in the female only in having no trace of red on the wings, 

 and fewer white markings on the breast. 



Vinaceous Fire-Finch {Jjagonosticta rinacea). 



Captain Shelley has transferred this little Waxbill to the genus 

 EstrUda ; neither he nor Dr Sharpe gives any character for dis- 

 tinguishing the sexes ; it is not common in the market. Mr Allen 

 Silver tells me that the male has the ear-coverts, cheeks, and throat 

 blackish, but the female pale brownish 



Lavender Finch {Lagonosticta ccvrulescens). 



The same initial remarks apply to this as to the preceding 

 species ; but in the female the hinder portion of the abdomen from 

 the thighs backwards is sooty rather than black. 



