Ornithological and Other Oddities 



sparrow with a bright red bill, and decked in 

 the breeding season with a pink cap and breast 

 and a black mask. He is an enthusiastic 

 architect, and in France is always sold as 

 11 travailleur " — the worker. Even in a cage 

 he will weave any fibrous material in and out 

 of the wires till they are covered, and in an 

 aviary he will construct beautiful round nests 

 with the greatest enthusiasm, pausing occasion- 

 ally to swear at fellow-craftsmen who presume 

 to criticise his efforts or cast a larcenous eye 

 on his materials. 



Hens of this bird are often scarce, but as it 

 is very unlikely to breed they are not of much 

 use. They always bear the sparrow plumage, 

 with a pale yellow bill instead of a blood-red 

 one. 



Wherever small seed-eating birds are kept, 

 it is as well to have some larger kind which 

 will live on the floor of the aviary and pick 

 up the seed they spill as a change from its 

 food of larger corn. The best for this purpose 

 is the gold pheasant, as it bears captivity par- 

 ticularly well, while the male bird of the species 

 is the most brilliant creature in existence. In- 

 deed, it has been suggested that it was the 

 phcenix of the ancients ; and I can personally 

 testify, having seen most of the birds of para- 

 dise in skins and four species alive, that it is 



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