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, Linnæus; 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 assume 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.