207 



front, ruddy flesh-colour behind. Total length barely 9 inches, 

 tail 4 inches. 



Habitat : Central and Northern Australia. 



Many of these "recent acquisitions" having now become 

 established occupants of my aviaries, these notes must now 

 draw to a conclusion ; they have been continued to an extent 

 never contemplated when they were commenced. I can only 

 hope they have been of sufficient interest and utility to some of 

 my readers, to in some measure compensate for the space they 

 have occupied in "Onr Journal." 



jgDitonal. 



NESTING NOTES I Our esteemed member. Mr. Mathias, has 

 been very successful with his Australian Finches. He has already bad one 

 brood of six from his Long-tailed Grass Finches {Poephila acuticaiida) all 

 fully reared, and lias anotber brood all but ready to leave the nest, 

 apparently another six judging from the number of beaks visible. He is 

 the happy possessor of a brood of young Crimson Finches (Neochmia 

 phcelon), four in number, which left the nest 011 October iSth. They have 

 black beaks, light brown bodies, flights tinged with red, and tails mostly 

 red. They have the same flick of the tail as their parents; they are now 

 (Oct. 26th) beginning to pick up for themselves, though the old birds still 

 feed them. Mr. Mathias is to be congratulated on his success, and there 

 appears to be every probability of them all being successfully reared to 

 maturity. Mr. Will ford has been equally successful with several species of 

 Australian Finches, etc. We hope to have detailed articles from the pens 

 of both gentlemen in our next issue. 



PURPLE-CAPPED LORIES! Mr. Millsum has once more to 

 write the wo.rd failure against yet another attempt of his Purple Caps to 

 reproduce their kind. Two eggs were laid in a corner of the room, an 

 apparently perfect nesting log being ignored, and the hen sat closely, only 

 coming off when the room was entered ; they were left strictly alone, the 

 room only being entered for feeding, etc. But it was not to be ; after 

 closely sitting a full fouiteen days, he found the corner deserted and the 

 eggs had vanished, a careful search only revealing a small piece of shell. 

 The Purple-caps had had eggs for breakfast ! This makes the fourth 

 failure, when there seemed a probable chance of success and it is very 

 disappointing. 



THE REARING OF WOOD SWALLOWS! From various 

 notes kindly sent me by our esteemed member, Mr. E. J. Brook, I have 



