Firefinches. 
( 5 i) 
THE BIRD WORLD. 
The Firefinches. 
By MRS* HAUTENVILLE COPE. 
Asking - questions does not always mean an 
absence of information ; sometimes it means only 
that one wants to add to one’s knowledge by 
ascertaining how much other folks know on a 
subject. 
The particular questions I wanted answered 
were as to the species of firefinch (Lagonosticta) 
I had brought from a bird dealer. He assured 
me they were “ just ordinary firefinches,” but the 
regular triangular patch of small white spots 
extending from under each wing was different 
from a firefinch I possessed some years ago. 
“ Them with the whitest spots is the hens,” he 
said. There again I felt uncertainty, so I 
bought several to see what happened. 
Misfortunes and Remedies. 
The story is a sad one, for out of the number 
both genuine hens died, as did also one of the 
birds in colour. This one was never of such a 
rich cherry-colour as the rest, and had no side- 
spots. I should have pronounced it a badly- 
coloured cock firefinch had not I twice seen a 
genuine cock in my possession pair with it. 
They built but did not lay. 
To add to my uncertainty, I visited the Zoo¬ 
logical Gardens and was surprised to find birds 
similar to mine labelled Lagonosticta rufopicta , 
while as Lagonosticta sene gala they have a 
larger, duller firefinch, more like Lagonosticta 
congica. Somehow at the Zoological Gardens 
the labels seem to have got mixed, for Lagonos¬ 
ticta brunneiceps there resembles senegala at 
Kensington. 
These lovely little finches can only be tho¬ 
roughly appreciated in real life; the dried skins 
give little if any idea of the birds’ shape, but 
if the Zoological Society manage to keep alive 
the lovely waxbills they possess it will be extra¬ 
ordinary, as they are being fed on canary seed, 
Algerian millet, and rape, with spray’ millet 
and fresh grass. 
Now in their native land these little birds are 
almost entirely insectivorous, or live on minute 
fresh seeds. Besides, they require sleeping- 
boxes and a covering at night. It is impossible 
for them to exist for long on dry hard seed. 
The test with all birds as to whether they are 
flourishing on the diet and under the conditions 
in which they are kept is that the plumage 
should have on it that indescribable bloom sel¬ 
dom seen in cage birds. 
Foreign finches, especially the rarer kinds, 
soon lose this gloss; they become dishevelled and 
bald, till finally death delivers them from cap¬ 
tivity. Years ago I carefully studied alopecia, 
or baldness, in these little finches, till I discov¬ 
ered the remedy. 
Museum Researches. 
When I asked questions about firefinches in 
bird newspapers, I was referred to the “bird- 
skins ” in South Kensington Museum, so thither 
I went at once to investigate as to what a fire¬ 
finch was, or rather, how many different sorts 
of firefinch are known to exist. 
The stuffed birds on the museum shelves in 
the Bird Gallery gave me no information; one 
dingy, decrepid little specimen was all I could 
discover. But for scientific purposes the skins 
of foreign birds are stored in drawers in the 
Bird-room, and these were shown to me most 
courteously by Mr. Chubb. 
The firefinches are “ Lagonosticta ” under 
the present nomenclature, but under older orni¬ 
thologists they ranked as “ Estrelda ,” I believe. 
Firefinches, however, may be sub-divided into 
three varieties. Under the first I will put the 
smaller specimens, with soft, pink, shell-like 
beaks and distinct yellow rims to the eyes. 
The smallest, of which South Kensington pos¬ 
sesses only two skins, is labelled Lagonosticta 
senegala. Both apparently are cocks. 
The colour is a vivid scarlet red, and no white 
side spots are to be seen, though Dr. Butler 
says the hens have spots. It is very decidedly 
smaller than any of the rest, about 3 to 354 
inches long only; the legs and feet light. 
Though apparently called the Common Afri¬ 
can Senegal Firefinch, it is most uncommon. I 
have never seen any for sale. 
The Familiar Firefinch. 
Next in size is “ the Firefinch ” of the English 
bird dealers, Lagonosticta brunneiceps , or the 
Brown-headed Firefinch, from the patch of 
brown at the back of the head, which never 
changes, although the rest of the bird turns a 
glowing ruby red when in colour. 
This bird is also known as Lagonosticta 
minima or minuta. 
Under each wing there are white spots in 
triangular patches. 
They are bright little birds, an ornament to 
any aviary, with a very sweet, canary-like chirp 
and a low short song. 
This species has been reared in England, but 
not in cages. 
Their food is small seeds, in addition to mil¬ 
let and insects. Sleeping nests are a necessity 
to these little birds. 
The firefinch has the reputation of great deli¬ 
cacy, which is a mistaken one; but they are 
large eaters for their size. They require exer¬ 
cise, which in a cage they seldom get. 
Some birds do not go out of colour; probably 
after a certain age the colour is permanent. 
The change of colour comes with a complete 
moult, the red feathers coming under the brown 
