THE SINGING FINCH.

Western Star, Issue 1116, 15 January 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE SINGING FINCH.

All amateurs of song-birds owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Euss for having practically discovered the merits of this bird. Vieillot described a grey singing finch bred in captivity as long ago as 1790 ; but subsequently the bird seems to have disappeared from the market, and to some extent from the cognisance of subsequent authors. When the demand for foreign cagebirds increased, about the years 1860 to 1865, dealers often mistook the grey singing finch for the female of the ultramarine finch or combasou. Few of these unpretending grey birds arrived, fewer still were sold, dealers and amateurs left them unnoticed ; and so they might have remained if Dr Russ had not made this finch, like every other available foreign cagebird, a subject of careful study in his aviary. The rich music of the grey singing finch’s song, which would scarcely be uttered in a bird-dealer’ store-cages could not escape the doctor’s notice, and the attention of amateurs was soon drawn to him, with the result of for a time increasing the demand and price. When imported in larger numbers the grey singing finches often arrive sickly, and many die during the voyage or soon after, whereby the cost of the survivors becomes considerable. Brilliant and gaudy-coloured birds sell rapidly, and dealers find that the sober-coloured little songsters are, after all, only known to that minority of amateurs who study books. Thus, a dealer who imports these songsters may sell a few at a remunerative price, and find the others dying on his hands. The importation, therefore, decreased of late years to an extent much to be regretted. When once fairly recovered from the fatigue of the voyage, the grey singing finches live very well, in a moderately warm temperature, on a diet of millet and canary seed, with green meat and a very little egg food now and then. They breed without difficulty, but best in a roomy cage, building an open nest much like that of a canary. The young birds are reared on scalded or soaked millet-seed and egg food, or fresh ants’ eggs, and the pairs live in great affection for each other. The plumage of the female resembles closely that of the male, but the brown marks are a trifle less distinct.—From “ Canaries and Cage Birds ” for September.