60 How to Sex Cage Birds: 



Masked Grass-Finch (Poephila personata). 



The female is a trifle duller than the male, with less cinnamon 

 tinting on the crown ; she is also smaller. There is no difficulty in 

 noticing the difference in living birds. 



Long-tailed Grass-Finch (Poephila acuticauda). 



The sexes are not easily distinguished, but the cock bird is 

 certainly sometimes larger than the hen (not invariably smaller, as 

 indicated in the Museum Catalogue), and has a distinctly longer 

 tail, but these characters vary greatly; he has a bolder appearance 

 and a slightly larger black gorget. In my specimens the feet of the 

 hens were of a purer ochre-yellow, but this may have been due to 

 length of time in captivity. My 1905 birds died soon after I bought 

 them, and those purchased in 1906 have not bred. 



Parson-Finch (Poephila cincta). 



The male is a trifle larger than the female, and is purer in 

 colouring (less grey) on both surfaces ; the head above distinctly 

 whiter, the under parts a purer cinnamon, with heavier black gorget 

 and snow-white lower abdomen, thighs, and under tail-coverts; he is 

 also more perky, and struts about with more importance than the 

 hen. 



The Diamond Sparrow (Staganojileura guttata). 



The male has a slightly broader head than the female, and his 

 beak is deep crimson to the base, whereas that of his mate shows a 

 band of pink at the base. 



Bicheno's Finch (Stictoptera, bichenovii). 



The distinguishing characters given for the hen are inferior size, 

 greater slimness, duller colouring, rather paler on the crown, and 

 slightly narrower black bars round throat and breast; but to this 

 day I am never certain of these differences with the living birds 

 before me. I believe this and the Ringed Finch to be two of the 

 most difficult birds to be certain of sexing correctly. I have not 

 kept the White-eared Grass-Finch. 



Ringed Finch (Stictoptera annulosa). 



The only sexual difference which I have seen recorded is that in the 

 Museum Catalogue, which indicates a shorter wing and tail for the 

 hen. Mrs Howard Williams, who first bred the species in England, 

 does not explain how she distinguished the sexes ; but she probably 

 purchased them already sexed. I believe the posterior breast-belt is 

 wider in the cock. Whatever differences exist in Bicheno's Finch 

 probably repeat themselves in this black-rumped race or nearly 

 related species. A strong argument for its specific distinctness is the 

 fact that the young, according to Mrs Williams, leave the nest with 

 the black bands round throat and breast, which are wanting in the 

 young of S. bichenovii. 



