116 
CAGE AND SINGING BIRDS. 
THE CLOUDED GROSBEAK. 
This is a rare bird in Europe. Bechstein confesses to 
have seen but two, and describes it as about the size of the 
sparrow, with a thick beak of a whitish gray colour, larg*e 
lead-coloured feet, plumage generally black, with white 
upon the rump and vent, and reddish gray on the wang 
coverts : the lower part of the body is clouded with gray,"^' 
which, after each moulting, becomes more bright and dis- 
tinct. This is an African bird, being found chiefly at the 
Cape. It has no song, properly so called, but keeps up a 
continuous twitter : it becomes very tame, and will live long 
in confinement. Should be fed upon millet, rape, canary, and 
hemp seed. 
THE RED-BILLED GROSBEAK. 
This is also a native of Africa, and about the same size as 
the last species, from which, however, it diifers considerably 
in colours and markings : it has a blood-red beak, very thick^ 
and bald at the base ; the upper part of the body is grayish 
browm, with darker longitudinal stripes ; the under part is 
bright reddish brown ; the pinions and tail-feathers are dark 
brown, edged with reddish gray ; the feet and eyeHds are 
flesh coloured. This is a pretty and agreeable cage bird, 
with a soft song ; it is very gentle and affectionate. The 
female has no black markings on the head, as the male has, 
and the under part of her body is yellowish white. 
THRUSHES. 
Most of the British species comprised by naturalists in the^ 
tardus or thrush genus, are large well-known birds, and good 
songsters. They feed chiefly, when wild, on worms, insects, 
and soft fruits, in search of which they frequent the pastures 
and cultivated grounds. Their nesting and resting places 
are the woods and thickets : they build mostly neatly con- 
structed cup-shaped nests, and lay five or six eggs. This 
short summary of their general habits will, perhaps, be all 
that is necessary for us to say about them other than as 
cage birds. 
