. Foreign birds for cage and aviary . .lime, 1898) I found her floating dead in the water-pan in an inch and a-half of water. In England the Ijong-tail>d Grassfinch was first bre<lby Mr. Todd, but subsequently several other avicul-turists were equally successful. • It has been bred by Mr. D. SeUi-Smith and Mr. T. N. Wilton. Parson Finch {Poephila cincia). The head is silver-grey, the beak, chin, throat, andfore-chest black; the back fawn colour shading intovandyke-brown on the wings and rump; upper tailcoverts black, broadly tipped with wdiit<?, tail black, thetwo centre feathers poin
. Foreign birds for cage and aviary . .lime, 1898) I found her floating dead in the water-pan in an inch and a-half of water. In England the Ijong-tail>d Grassfinch was first bre<lby Mr. Todd, but subsequently several other avicul-turists were equally successful. • It has been bred by Mr. D. SeUi-Smith and Mr. T. N. Wilton. Parson Finch {Poephila cincia). The head is silver-grey, the beak, chin, throat, andfore-chest black; the back fawn colour shading intovandyke-brown on the wings and rump; upper tailcoverts black, broadly tipped with wdiit<?, tail black, thetwo centre feathers pointed and terminating in a shortbristle; under parts of body fight rufous brown; ventand un<ler tail-coverts wdute; feet salmon red. Thecock usually differs from the hen in its slightly broaderhead, which is of rather a whiter tint, and the greaterextent of the black patcli on the Ihroit ; the sexes arenevertheless not eisy to determine. Hab., North-eastand South Australia. In its wild st ite this bird frequents open grassy plains. LOXG-TAILED (iRASSFINCHES. and forms its nest in long or Pandanus bushes,laying five white eggs. In captivity it js one of themost attractive of-aviary birds, though sonu-whataggressive, (interfering with the nests of other birds,and violently attacking any bird (no matter how large)which approaches its own. I was much amused one dayto see a ooek Parson Finch in a grievous rage fly at aTiar-shouldered Dove ;uid pluck a couple of feathersfrom its back ; yet the s; impudent little mite madea fast friend of a Bronze-winged Pigton, close towhich he used to sit sometimes for a great part Of eachday. .ludging by the self-satisfie<l actions of this very Tit-like Finch, it would seem to be one of the most con-ceited of the feathered race; but this assertive impu-dnce is one of the greatest charms of the bird. GRASSFINCHES. 167 The call-note is a melancholy kittenish sort of cry,but the song is undmibtedly pleasing:— Wlitii tnnifyl loose in
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