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.