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The CHINESE SPARROWS.
H ES E Birds are figur'd of their Natural Bignefs; they are of the Finch-kind,
1   tho' they have Bills of a larger Size; the Bills in both are very large,
jufi of the
fame Shape and Bignefs, of a light bluifh Afh-colour; the Head, in the firft
Bird,
which I fuppofe to be the Cock, is Black; in the fore Part of the Neck, the
Black
reaches down to the Breaft; the Eye is of a dark Colour; the whole Body,
Wings,
and Tail, are of an equal Red-brown or dark Cinnamon-colour; the Legs and
Feet of
an Afh-colour.
TIr H E fecond Bird, which I fuppofe to be the Hen, hath a dark-colour'd
Eye ; the
1   Sides of the Head, round the Eye, the under-fide of the Neck, Breaft,
Belly, and
Covert-feathers under the Tail, are of a dirty White, a little inclining
to a faded
Bloffom-colour; the Top of the Head, hinder Part of the Neck, Back, and Wings,
are of a dirty brownifh Afi-colour; the upper Covert-feathers of the Tail,
White ;
the Tail and greater Quill-feathers, are of a Black or Dusky-colour; the
Legs and
Feet are of a Flefh-colour.
I drew thefe Birds at a Bird-Merchant's in [7Thite-Hirt Yard in the Strand,
who
call'd them Indian Sparrows. They were in a Cage together, and feem'd to
agree like
Cock and Hen. Though A/bibn has figur'd this with a black Head, and a Bird
different
to what I have here placed with it, which he fays is the Hen ; I ihould not
have re-
peated A/bin's Bird, had not this I call the Hen, been a Bird not yet defcrib'd.
A/bin's
Cock differs from mine, in that it hath a broad black Stroke drawn from the
Breafi
downward, through the whole Length of the Belly, which I could not difcover;
though I have, fince I made this Draught, had one of thefe Birds myfelf,
and examin'd
it narrowly to find this Mark, but Idund the Belly wholly of the red Ruffet-colour.
I have been told thefe Birds are brought from China. I have given it Mr.
A/bin's
Name, which I think not improper; befides, a multiplicity of Names for the
fame
Thing, caufes much Confufion in Natural Hiftory. See A/bin's Figure in to/.
2.
Plate 53. of his Hiftory of Birds.
2Ve