I 
722 t O X 1 A. 
«et. Bill afii"Colour § bafe of the under mandible fur- 
rounded with white; eyes.blackifh ; plumage on the up- 
frer parts deep afh-colour, growing paler towards the rump ; 
beneath pale bluifh afh-colour; greater quills white at the 
bafe, and blackifh at the ends; tail blackifh, margined 
with pale a(h-colour ; legs flefh-colour. Native of Alia. 
73. Loxia Philippine, the Philippine grofbeak. Length 
$ve inches-and a quarter. Bill brown; round the bafe 
snd fides of the head, under the eyes, and the chin, of the 
fame colour; the top of the head is yellow ; the hind part 
of the neck and back, and fcapulars, the fame ; the middle 
of the feathers brown ; the lower part of the back brown, 
with white margins; fore-part of the neck and bread 
yeliow, from thence to the vent yellowifb-white ; wing- 
coverts brown, edged with white; the quills brown, with 
pale rufous edges; tail as the quills; legs yellowifh. The 
female has the upper parts brown, margined with rufous ; 
under pale rufous ; quills and tail margined with paje 
rufous! 
Thefe inhabit the Philippine iflands, and are noted for 
making a moft curious nelt, in form of a long cylinder, 
fwelling out into a globofe form in the middle. This is 
Compoied of the fine fibres of leaves, &c. faliened by the 
■upper part of the extreme branch of a tree. The entrance 
is from beneath ; and, after attending the cylinder as far 
as the globular cavity, the true ntft is placed on one fide of 
it; where this little architect lays her eggs, and hatches her 
brood in perfect fecurity. This fpecies is reprefented on 
the annexed Plate, at fig. 6. and its neft, which is fimilar 
to that made by the peniilis, and feveral of the fmaller fpe- 
sies, is fhown at fig. 7. 
There is alfo a variety of this bird, found in Abyflinia, 
with the tail and quill feathers greenifh-brown, edged with 
yellow. This makes a neft fomewhat like the former, of a 
fpiral fhape, not unlike that of a nautilus. It fufpends it, 
like the other, on the extreme twig of fonie tree, chiefly 
one that hangs over fonie ftill water; and always turns 
the opening towards that quarter from whence leaft rain 
may be expected. 
74. Loxia Abyflinica, the Abyflinian grofbeak: yellow- 
ifli; crown, temples, throat, and breaft, black} flioulders 
blackifh ; quill and tail feathers brown, edged with yel¬ 
low. Inhabits Abyflinia; flze of the hawfinch. This 
bird alfo makes a curious neft: it is of a pyramidal fhape, 
fufpended from the ends of branches, like the others: the 
opening is on one fide, facing the eaft, the cavity feparated 
in the middle by a partition, up which the bird rifes per¬ 
pendicularly about half way, when, defcending, the neft is 
within the cavity on one fide. By this means tbe brood is 
defended from brakes, fquirrels, monkeys, and other mif- 
shievous animals, befides being feeure from the wefterly 
rains, which in that country lometimes continue for fix 
months together. 
75. Loxia peniilis,' the penfile grofoeak. Size of the 
fparrow. Bill black ; irides yellow ; the head, throat, and 
lore-part of the neck, of the laft colour; from the noftrils 
fprings a dull green ftripe, which pafi'es through the eye 
and beyond it, where it is broader; the hind part of the 
head and neck, the back, rump, and wing-coverts, the 
fame; the quills black, edged with green ; the belly deep 
grey; the vent of a rufous red; tail and legs black. 
This fpecies is found at Madagafcar, and fabricates a neft 
of a curious conltruction, compofed of ftraw and Feeds 
interwoven in the fhape of a bag, opening beneath. It is 
fattened to a twig of fome tree ; moftly to thofe grow¬ 
ing on the borders of ftreams. On one fide of this, within, 
is the true neft. The bird does not form a new neft every 
year, but fallens a new one to the end of the laft ; and of¬ 
ten as far as five in number, one hanging from another. 
Thefe build in fociety, like rooks; they have three young 
at each hatch. 
A bird fimilar to this is mentioned in Kaempfer’s Hiftory 
of Japan, which makes the neft, near Siam, on a tree, with 
siarrow leaves and fpreading branches, the lizeofan apple- 
sree; the neft isx the lhape of a purfe, with a long neck. 
made of dry grafs and oilier materials, and fufpended a£ 
the end of the branches ; the opening always totlie north- 
weft. The hi (tori an fays he counted fifty on one tree' 
only; and deferibes the bird itfelf as being like a canary- 
bird in colour, but as chirping like a fparrow. 
76. Loxia focia; the fociable grofbeak: rufous brown, 
beneath yellowifh ; frontlet black ; tail fliort. This fpe¬ 
cies inhabits the interior parts of the Cape of Good Hope ; 
they live together in vaft tribes under one common roof, 
containing feveral nelts, which are built on a large fpecies 
of mimofa; this, from its flze, its ample head, and ftrong 
wide fpreading branches, is well calculated to admit and 
fupport their dwellings. The tallnefsand fmoothnefs of its 
trunk are alfo a perfect defence againft the invafions of 
the feroent and monkey tribes. In one tree, deferibed by 
a very intelligent traveller, Mr. Paterfon, there were fe¬ 
veral hundred nefts under one general roof. It isdeferibed 
as a roof, becaufe it refembles that of a thatched houfe, 
and projects over the entrance of the neft below in a lin¬ 
gular manner. “The induftry of thefe birds,” fays this- 
author, “feems almolt equal to that of the bee. Throu°h- 
out the day they feem to be buflly employed in carrying 
a fine fpecies of grafs, which is the principal material they 
ufefor the purpofe of erecting this extraordinary work, as- 
well as for additions and repairs. Though my fhort (tay in- 
the country was not fufficient to fatisfy me by ocular proof 
that they added to their neft as they annually increafed' 
in numbers; ftill, from the many trees which I have feem 
borne down by the weight, and others which I have ob- 
ferved with their boughs completely covered over, it would' 
appear that this is really the cafe. When the tree, which 
is the fupport of this aerial city, is obliged to give way to 
the increafe of weight, it is obvious that they are no 
longer protected, and are under the necefftty of building 
in other trees. One of thefe deferted nefts I had the 
curiofity to break down, to inform myfelf of the inter¬ 
nal ftru£ture of it; and found it equally ingenious with- 
that of the external. There are many entrances, each of 
which forms a regular ftreet, with nefts on both fides, at 
about two inches diftance from each other. The ora fa 
with which they build is called the Bofhman’s grafs, and' 
I believe the feed of it to be their principal food ; though, 
on examining their nefts, I found the wings and legs of 
different infefts. From every appearance, the neft which 
I differed had been inhabited for many years, and fome 
parts of it were much more complete than others. This, 
therefore, I conceive to amount nearly to a proof that the 
animals added to it at different times, as they found ne- 
ceffary from the increafe of the family, or rather of the 
nation or community.” 
77. Loxia ftriata, the ftriated grofbeak. Not much big¬ 
ger than a wren; length three inches two thirds. Bill 
dufky ; head, and upper part of the body, brown, with a 
dafh of paler rufous brown doyvn each fhaft; throat, and 
fore-part of the neck, blackifh ; from the breaft to the 
vent white ; quills and tail blackifh brown ; legs black¬ 
ifh. Found in the Iile of Bourbon. 
78. Loxia Zeylonica, the Ceylon grofbeak : ferruginous- 
brown, beneath purple, waved with black; front and 
rump bluifh. Bill and legs reddifh-brown ; hind-head, 
back, and long quill-feathers, brown ; tail rufty-brown tips 
with white; wing-coverts (lightly edged and tipped with 
white, thofe neareft the back with bluifh-afh ; vent white. 
Female, head, neck, and body beneath, bright ferrugi¬ 
nous; wings brown; tail beneath afh-colour. Inhabits 
Ceylon. 
79. LoxiaLudoviciana,tlrered-breaftedgrofbeak. Length 
fix inches and three quarters. Bill like tliatof a bullfinch j 
head, upper parts of the body, and half of the tail, black; 
breaft, and under wing-coverts, light-purple 5 belly, thighs, 
vent, and rump, white, varied on the belly with purple 
fpots; on the wings are three white marks ; the lower 
half of the three outer tail-feathers is white, and the inner 
web at the tip of the fourth of the fame colour j legs 
brown. Native of Louifiana. 
3 
80. Loxia 
