aa as before mentioned, have reached England in_ perfect health. As cage-birds they are a interesting as can
1 | . possibly be imagined ; for, independently of their highly ornamental appearance, they differ from all the
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other members of their family that I am acquainted with, 1
sides which, they are constantly billing, cooing, and feeding each other, and assuming every possible variety

Their inward warbling song, which cannot be described, is unceasingly poured forth

n having a most animated and pleasing song ; be

 

| of graceful position. i

| from morn to night, and is even continued throughout the night if they are placed in a room with lights, and
where an animated conversation is carried on.

| | In a state of nature they feed exclusively upon grass-seeds, with which their crops are always found

 

: crammed: in confinement they thrive equally well upon canary-seed.

: The sexes are precisely alike in the colouring and marking of their plumage, and gain their full livery in
| | about eight months, or at the second moult from the time of leaving the breeding-place.

The young are distinguished from the adults by the crown of the head, which is yellow in the adult,

being crossed by numerous fine bars of brown, by the absence of the deep blue spots on the throat, and by

the irides being brownish grey.

| The adults have the forehead and crown straw yellow; the remainder of the head, ear-coverts, nape,

upper part of the back, scapularies and wing-coverts pale greenish yellow, each feather having a crescent-

shaped mark of blackish brown near the extremity, these marks being numerous and minute on the head

| and neck ; wings brown ; the outer webs of the feathers deep green, margined with greenish yellow; face
and throat yellow, ornamented on each cheek with a patch of rich blue, below which are three circular
drops or spots of bluish black ; rump, upper tail-coverts, and all the under surface bright green; two centre
| tail-feathers blue ; the remaining tail-feathers green, crossed in the middle by an oblique band of yellow ;
irides straw white; nostrils bright blue in some, greenish blue and brown in others ; legs pale bluish lead
colour.

The figures represent an old and a young bird of the natural size.