The Mountain^ or Bramble Finch. 125 



hard-boiled egg, chopped fine or grated, or rubbed through 

 a piece of perforated zinc, these ingredients being made into 

 a moist paste. A quill cut in the form of a pen is as 

 good as anything with which to administer it. 



Distinguishing Marks of Cock and Hen. — The hen is 

 not quite so large and bulky as the male bird, neither is 

 she so beautiful in appearance. The colours of the plumage 

 of a female specimen are not nearly so intense, neither are 

 they so much diversified. The exquisite rich black mark- 

 ings, so conspicuous in the male, are brown in the female, 

 and the bright rich golden chestnut, which is so charming 

 an acquisition in the cock, is palish brown, tinged with grey 

 and yellow, in the hen. When seen together, the sexes are 

 readily distinguishable. 



Song. — The song of this bird is very circumscribed and 

 desultory, and consists merely of a few twittering notes, with 

 an occasional outburst of a loud call note. It is said that 

 those which have been kept long in confinement, and in the 

 company of birds of a similar character, such as the Chaf- 

 finch, Linnet, or Greenfinch, will in time utter and sing some 

 of the notes they are accustomed to hear daily ; but the 

 varied and richly coloured plumage, and general appearance of 

 the bird, which are rather seductive, form the chief qualities 

 for which this bird is esteemed. 



Points to be Observed in Judging.— Choose a well-shaped 

 bird ; a two or three-year-old bird is best, as it is then in 

 its full plumage. Select a bird brilliant in colour, and well- 

 defined in its markings, the feathers on the head, neck, and 

 back bright black, and distinctly edged with broad margins 

 of chestnut brown. The sides of the neck should be a 

 pretty ashen blue ; the throat, fore part of neck and breast, 

 a rich orange yellow, and the belly quite white ; this forms a 

 pleasing contrast to the eye. The small wing coverts should 

 be a pretty chestnut brown, edged with white, and the larger 

 ones, black tipped with yellow. The carriage of the bird 

 should be graceful, and it should be shown in good condition, 

 and quite clean. 



General Remarks. — Although, as previously mentioned, the 

 Mountain Finch is a scarce bird in these Islands, it is not 

 by any means an expensive bird to purchase. They must 

 be more plentiful in the South than they are in the North 



