Observations.—This beautiful species comes from Angola, and other parts of Africa, and is particularly common in the kingdom of Whidah, or Juida, in Guinea, and hence it takes its name. Though it was formerly brought in great numbers into Germany, it still costs there thirty or forty rix dollars. These birds are very lively, and constantly in motion, always waving their long tail up and down, often arranging their feathers and amusing themselves with bathing. Their feeble song, though somewhat melancholy, is however very agreeable. They may be preserved from eight to twelve years if fed on canary seed, millet, barley meal, and the like, not forgetting to add from time to time lettuce, endive, or other green food. They must be given a large cage, to prevent their spoiling their fine tail.
THE DOMINICAN BUNTING.
Emberiza serena, Linnæus; La Veuve Dominicaine, Buffon; Der Dominikanerammer, Bechstein.
This species, six inches and three quarters in length, is smaller, more rare, and nearly twice as dear as the preceding. It comes from Africa likewise. The beak is red; the feet grey; the upper part of the head is black, but the top is reddish white, which extends over the whole of the under part of the body, the chin, and temples, and even the under part of the tail; sometimes this tint fades into pure white: the upper part of the neck and the back are black, but the feathers are edged with dusky white; the inner wing coverts being white, give the wings the appearance of being so when folded, but they are black, the quill-feathers alone are edged with white; the tail is also black; the two middle feathers terminate in a point, and are two inches longer than the others, which gradually diminish in length the farther they are from the middle, the three first only have the points white, but the two outer ones have the beard white and the edge pale orange.
The female is entirely brown, and the tail-feathers are of equal length. This species also moults twice in the year: the male loses its tail for six months, and the white of its plumage becomes less pure.
Observations.—This bird requires the same treatment as the former, and sings in the same very agreeable manner.