THE



Avicultural Magazine


THE JOURNAL OF THE

AVICULTURAL SOCIETY



Fifth Series .—VoL I.—-No. 11 .—All rights reserved. NOVEMBER, 1936.


THE LONG-TAILED GRASSFINCH


(Poephila acuticauda)


This beautiful little Finch is well known to all of us, and has bred

freely in captivity, where it seems very well contented and gives

little trouble.


It was first bred in England by Mr. R. A. Todd in 1897. The sexes

are identical in plumage, and there seems to be no certain way of

distinguishing the sex of a given bird. It has been asserted that the

•cocks are slightly larger than the hens, and their central tail-feathers

longer, but this is open to doubt.


In my aviaries this Finch was, generally speaking, inoffensive, but

-could hold its own if another bird tried to bully it, and made itself

respected. It will interbreed with the Parson-Finch, and it is claimed

that the hybrids are fertile.


It is particularly desirable as a show bird, because it is exceedingly

graceful and always keeps itself sleek and in good plumage. It flies

very swiftly, and is usually chary of its song.


Mr. Seth-Smith “ found egg-shaped reed baskets, seven or eight

inches in length with a hole at each end, greatly appreciated by this

.and the other G-rassfinches both for sleeping and nesting in, although


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