The Natural History of Cage Birds Part 16

The female is altogether lighter, and has no black on the head, but two dark grey streaks above and under the eyes; the under part of the body is only reddish grey.

OBSERVATIONS.--This species is found on the coasts of Africa, in Bengal, and other parts of Asia. It is a very agreeable bird, and though its voice is weak its song is only the more melodious. A male and female put together in a cage seem to be taken up with their mutual affection, always feeding and caressing each other. They are fed on crushed canary and hemp seed, which preserves them in good health for several years. The room in which they are kept must be heated during winter.

THE DOMINICAN.

Loxia Dominicana, LINNaeUS; Le Paroare, BUFFON; Der Dominicaner Kernbeisser, BECHSTEIN.

This bird is about the size of a lark. The upper part of the beak is brown, and the lower light flesh-colour; the feet are grey; the front of the head, the throat, and part of the neck red; the back of the head is blackish, with a slight mixture of white.

OBSERVATIONS.--This bird comes from Brazil, and possesses nothing attractive but its beauty. Its song is merely an occasional call. In Germany it costs three pounds sterling.

THE GRENADIER.

Loxia orix, LINNaeUS; Le Cardinal du Cap de Bonne Esperance, BUFFON; Der Grenadier Kernbeisser, oder Feuervogel, BECHSTEIN.

This bird is about the size of a sparrow. The beak is black; iris chestnut; feet dark flesh-colour; forehead, sides of the head, chin, lower part of the breast and belly blackish; the throat, top of the head and breast, rump, vent, and tail are of a fiery red, or brilliant carmine, and soft, like velvet.

VARIETIES.--1. A black spot on the chin; thighs red.

2. Tail dark brown, with a greyish white border.

In the female the beak is raven black, the upper part of the body dark brown, with light grey edges to the feathers; the head dark grey, with a whitish streak which pa.s.ses above the eyes; the under part of the body light grey. From this it seems to be very like the house sparrow; its plumage is, however, altogether lighter.

The male takes these colours, in the house, at the second moulting, but the streaks are darker, the feathers of the upper part of the body being blackish, with broad borders of reddish grey; the streak above the eyes is of a pale sulphur. When wild, the males, immediately after pairing, which is in January, lose their red feathers, and become like the females, but have them again in July, about the time of the second breeding season. They are pretty whilst moulting, when the head and body are speckled, the tail and neck still remaining red.

OBSERVATIONS.--These birds, which are very numerous in all the colonies at the Cape of Good Hope, do as much mischief there to the flowers and ears of corn, as the sparrows do in Europe. When retiring by thousands in the evening, from the fields to the reeds, they make such a noise with their chirping as may be heard to a great distance.

Their call is like the sparrows' "_dib, dib_," and their song as weak as that of the siskin; the nest is skilfully constructed with small twigs interwoven with cotton, and has but one opening, with two compartments, one above the other, the upper for the male and the lower for the female; the eggs are green.

These birds, when kept in a cage, are fed on canary seed. The male and female never like to be separated; there is no instance, however, of their breeding in these climates.

THE CAPE FINCH.

Loxia Capensis, LINNaeUS; Le Pinson noir et jaune, BUFFON; Der Capsche Kernbeisser, BECHSTEIN.

I have one of these birds, which is about the size of a bullfinch: its length is six inches and a quarter, of which the tail, which is rather wedge-shaped, measures two and a half. The beak is whitish above, very much compressed on the sides, and very pointed; the iris dark brown; feet dark flesh-colour. The head, neck, top of the back, all the under part of the body, and the tail are of a fine velvet black.

The female, which is light brown, has a black spot in the centre of each feather; the sides of the head and greater wing-coverts are grey white, streaked with black; the lesser coverts and the rump of a light yellow; the tail-feathers edged with grey; the beak pale or raven grey.

The plumage of the male after pairing is like that of the female.

OBSERVATIONS.--This bird, which comes from the Cape of Good Hope lives very well in the house; it is kept in a cage, alone or with the female, and fed with hemp and canary seed. In its native country it frequents the edges of streams and rivers, feeds on seeds, but is not so mischievous as the preceding. The eggs are grey, spotted with black. It is said to be nice to eat.

THE CAFFRARIAN FINCH.

Loxia Caffra, LINNaeUS; Le Caffre, BUFFON; Der Mohren Kernbeisser, BECHSTEIN.

This bird is very little larger than the bullfinch, but its long and raised tail is about twice the length of its body: it is only ornamented with it during the pairing season. The beak is brown grey; the feet grey; the prevailing colour of the plumage is velvet black; the shoulders are red; the coverts white; the pen-feathers brown grey, with a white border.

The female is always grey, and has only a little red on the shoulders.

The male acquires its beautiful black plumage at the beginning of November, and loses it in January, to a.s.sume the colours of the female.

OBSERVATIONS.--This species, which is found in the interior of the country north of the Cape, lives and builds in marshes: it is rarely brought to Europe. The long tail of the male requires a large cage in order to preserve its beauty. In its wild state this length of tail is very inconvenient during the high winds; and during the rainy season it may be caught by the hand. It is fed with canary seed.

THE BLUE FINCH.

Loxia coerulea, LINNaeUS; Le Bouvreuil bleu d'Amerique, BUFFON; Der dunkelblaue Kernbeisser, BECHSTEIN.

This bird is the size of the common grosbeak, about six inches and a half in length, of which the tail measures two. The beak, which measures six lines, is strong, and of a dark brown; the feet black; a black streak surrounds the chin, and extends to the eyes: the whole plumage is blue, except the greater wing coverts, the pen-feathers, and the central tail feathers, which are dark brown.

The female is entirely brown, with a slight mixture of blue.

OBSERVATIONS.--I have had an opportunity of observing this bird among the collection belonging to his Royal Highness the Duke of Saxe Meiningen, where it is fed on canary seed. It calls little, and its song is weak, but its plumage is beautiful. It is found in several parts of America, in Brazil, Cayenne, and even in Carolina.

YELLOW-BELLIED GROSBEAK.

Loxia flaviventris, LINNaeUS; Le Grosbec jaune du Cap de Bonne Esperance, BRISSON; Der gelbafterige Kernbeisser, BECHSTEIN.

I am not sure that this bird, which I have also seen amongst those of his Royal Highness the Duke of Saxe Meiningen, is the true _Loxia flaviventris_ of Linnaeus. It is of the size of the common chaffinch, and five inches long. The beak, which is moderately strong, very much resembles that of the chaffinch, and is of a horn brown. The feet are a dull brown. The head and neck are of a dull pale blue; the upper part of the body olive, the whole of the under part is a fine bright orange.

The Yellow Grosbeak of the Cape of Good Hope is thus described:--the head, upper part of the neck, and back are olive, with stripes of brown; the rump olive. The under part of the body deep yellow; on each side of the head is a yellow band which pa.s.ses above the eyes; the wings and tail feathers are brown, edged with olive.

The female only differs in the colours being less vivid.

VARIETY.--The top of the head, the upper part of the body, and the breast are olive; the back of the neck, even to the throat, is ash-coloured; the belly yellow, but between the legs white. The wings are black, bordered with orange; the tail feathers dark green, but they are bordered with yellow, and are black up the middle.

OBSERVATIONS.--This bird has been sold as the female of the preceding, and placed in the same cage. It lived very sociably; but I should suspect it rather of being the female of that under notice. It is a native of the Cape of Good Hope.

THE GOWRY BIRD.

Loxia punctularia, LINNaeUS; Le Grosbec tachete de Java, BUFFON; Der getupfelte Kernbeisser, BECHSTEIN.

This bird is the size of a linnet, about four inches and a quarter in length. The beak and feet black; the whole of the upper part of the body, and the lower, as far as the breast, chestnut brown; the cheeks marked with a reddish purple tinge; the belly and sides white, but all the feathers bordered with black in the form of a heart.

The female has no red tinge on the cheeks, the beak and feet are deep brown; the sides white, tinged with deep brown: the back reddish brown.

OBSERVATIONS.--This species, which I have seen in the collection of His Royal Highness the Duke of Saxe Meiningen, comes from Java; it is kept in a cage and fed on canary seed. Its call is "_deguay_," its feeble song somewhat resembles the siskin's.

THE BANDED FINCH.

Loxia fasciata, LINNaeUS; La Collerette BUFFON; Der gebanderte Kernbeisser, BECHSTEIN.