4



A. Morrison—The Genus Sporophila



the breast and yellowish white on the centre of the belly ; wing and

tail feathers, dark brown edged with yellow ; bill, blue grey.


Plate. —Butler, Foreign Finches , p. 90 (male). Neunzig, pi. 8.


Habitat. —South Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Argentine.


References. —Russ, vol. i, pp. 562, 570, 685. Butler, Foreign

Finches , p. 90. Butler, p. 146. Neunzig, p. 234. Avic. Mag., vol. ii,

p. 58 ; vol. iv, p. 131. Bird Notes , vol. vi, p. 92.


This bird is occasionally imported but is probably frequently

eonfused with the last species. It is a lively active little bird, and

in the southern part of its range is migratory. It prefers to keep in

small plantations and does not associate in very large flocks. The song

is not so good as that of the White-throated Finch and consists of

half a dozen notes delivered with great rapidity. One of its synonyms

is that of Screaming Finch.


The plate in Neunzig is of a northern sub-species (S. ornata), which

possesses a white wing patch.


Grey Finch (S. grisea)


Male. —Above, dark slate grey, darker and blackish on the head,

sides of neck, throat, lores, and cheeks ; a tinge of brown on the upper

tail coverts ; under parts, white ; sides of body and thighs, dark slate

grey; lesser wing coverts, slate grey; greater wing coverts, black washed

with brownish ; rest of wing feathers, black grey with a white wing

patch at the base of the inner primaries ; tail, blackish with the central

feathers edged with ashy grey ; bill, yellowish ; feet, dark grey;

iris, brown.


Juvenile Male. —I can find no description of this, but it is probably

similar to the female with a yellow bill.


Female. —Upper surface and sides of body, pale olive brown, darker

on the crown ; sides of head and under surface, pale olive yellow ;

centre of belly, breast, under tail coverts, and thighs, whitish ; lesser

wing coverts like the back ; the other wing feathers, grey brown with

olive-brown edges (the primaries with ash-grey edges) ; tail, brown

edged with olive brown ; bill, black.


Plate. —Russ, vol. i, pi. 12. Neunzig, pi. 8.


Habitat .—Guiana, Trinidad, Venezuela, Columbia.



