114 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETrN" 22 3 



of the chicks in the dark interior. The down ^^ on most of the chicks 

 has probably been rubbed off, but one has enough down left to show 

 that it occurs on supraorbitals, occiput, secondaries, down the back, 

 and on flanks. Small hairs protrude from primaries and tails. An 

 egg tooth is on the maxilla. This chick is probably a pintail because 

 Estrilda chicks have no down. The throats of seven of the chicks are 

 bulging with seeds but that of the eighth is empty, even though it is 

 one of the bigger chicks. 



March 12: Eight chicks are still in the nest, very cramped, some 

 facing the entrance, some against the back wall, and one on top of the 

 others. As Skead looks in, they all sit dead still and silent. When 

 he touches them with his finger and even when he pushes his fingers 

 under them, they allow themselves to be moved. Their eyes are weU 

 open and they look alert. Their feathers are out. Those chicks that 

 he can see are pinkish below, slightly barred, and have a pink breast 

 spot. 



March 14 : All chicks are now bunched on top of each other for lack 

 of room. Unfortunately all take fright and fly out of the nest. At 

 least three have red faces and black bills and a pinkish color below 

 with a red spot, and gape tubercles are also still present. Others 

 have black bills and no red faces. Skead catches one, whose biU is 

 waxy and black, crown gray brown, back brown, chin whitish, the rest 

 below tawny brown, and legs black. It looks quite different from the 

 others in coloration. It reacts strongly against him, and pecks his 

 fingers viciously. There is no nest sanitation, but the chicks do not 

 seem to suffer at all. 



Nest No. 2: December 10, 1953: Skead finds a nest with four 

 Estrilda chicks and a pintail chick already hatched. Three eggs are 

 hatching, and one other egg appears freshly laid (since the previous 

 day). Estrilda chicks: The body and mouth of each is pink and the 

 eyes are closed. The bill is dark but not black and the nostrils are 

 flat. The gape spots are the same as of the pintail. No down is 

 present, but there are very fine haii's on the tail. Pintail chick: The 

 body is mauve, head pink, and bill black. Its legs are mauve, feet 

 pink, and nostrils fairly prominent. Pale yellow down is on the 

 secondaries, and white down is on the rump. It has very fine tail 

 hairs, and its eyes are closed. 



December 11: Second day: Two more eggs have hatched. Two 

 are still unhatched. Newly hatched chicks look very weak beside 

 others. No food is in their throats, whereas throats of others bulge 

 with seeds. 



21 A chick of similar stage of development In a German aviary in 1957 had short mouse gray down from the 

 occiput to the lower back (O. A. Radtke, In litt.). 



