122 



deserted : the eggs which he kindly sent to me are pure white 

 and very small for the size of the bird, being smaller than those 

 of the Gouldian Finch. 



Hab. : Central and Northern Australia. 



The first to introduce these to the notice of English avicul- 

 ture was the late Herr Wiener. In 1869 he was fortunate enough 

 to obtain a pair under the name of "Julian Finches;" this was 

 probably the first pair ever imported to Europe. Four years later 

 he succeeded in obtaining another pair from a Liverpool hair- 

 dresser, this time under the name of " Australian Mountain 

 Diamond Sparrows." However they did not live long in his 

 possession. 



I cannot close these brief notes without complimenting 

 Messrs. Payne and Wallace upon the excellent condition in 

 which they imported these birds, and providing they are not 

 confined in small cages, all should do well ; in fact I shall be 

 very surprised if they are not bred before the year is out. 



I very much regret that I am compelled to keep my pair 



in a large cage, as my outdoor aviary contains such a large and 



varied collection, that I do not care to risk so rare a species 



within its precincts. 



* * * 



Rosy Pastors {Pastor roseus). This species is so well 

 known as to be almost out of place in these notes. It is an 

 occasional visitor to the British Isles and has a very wide range, 

 covering Europe, Asia, Asia Minor, Turkestan, and India. What 

 tempted me to purchase the pair, which were imported by our 

 esteemed member Capt. Perreau, was their exquisite condition. 

 I have never seen a bird richer in hue, especially as to the depth 

 of the rosy tint as the $ . The courting display is very interest- 

 ing and quaint, the wings are dropped till they almost touch the 

 ground, the tail outspread and also dropped and dragged along 

 the ground (very similar to a pigeon's display;, the breast is also 

 dropped and nearly all the feathers shaken out loose ; thus he 

 pursues his mate with a series of bounding hops, pausing now 

 and again to utter a sort of rattling cackle. This movement is 

 varied with a sort of erect stalking, in which the feathers are 

 held very tight to the body, and the beautiful head-feathers fully 



