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picta, and allied species from various parts of Africa, which 

 are all alike in their food, habits, and requirements in 

 captivity. 



3. The Lavender Finches, Vinacious Firefinches etc., 

 whose manners in captivity and whose habits in freedom 

 place them in a group by themselves, a group markedly 

 distinct from that which includes the typical Firefinches. 



E. HOPKINSON. 



REARING BRITIvSH BIRDS UNDER CANARIES. 



Sir,— I have noted in the fancy papers recently a con- 

 troversy on the rearing of British birds from eggs taken from 

 the nests of wild birds and placed under Canaries. 



In Ma}' 1902 I took from nests in my garden two Green- 

 finch's eggs and one of another species, probably a Chaffinch, 

 and placed them under a Canary hen in one of my outdoor 

 aviaries — the two Greenfinch's eggs under one Canary which 

 had laid two eggs, which I removed, and the other egg under 

 another Canary which had laid three eggs and w'as sitting. 



As near as I can recollect, the Greenfinches hatched in 

 about five days, and the Chaffinch in about eight days. 



The j'oung birds were all three reared on seed entirely, and 

 I had them until they were ten weeks old, when unfortunately 

 my aviary was broken into and most of my birds stolen during 

 the night. The aviary contained about a dozen hen Canaries, 

 a few British cock finches, and about twenty foreign birds. 



The seeds at their disposal were canary, hemp, rape, white 

 millet, inga, and white oats. 



Leonard W. Horton. 



