64 Long-tailed Grassfinches. 



three holes, about 3ins. square and 6ins. apart and about 6ft. 

 from the g'round. At the back of these holes a box divided into 

 three compartments was fixed and all partly filled with hay. 

 I had also arrans^ed at the back of each compartment a sliding 

 glass panel for observation purposes. 



By the i6th all three birds took possession of one of 

 these openings, etc., the odd bird always slipping in last. 

 Additional green grasses were soon added, and I fondly 

 imagined that there would soon be eggs. The three birds 

 were often squatting on the ground, the hen usually in the 

 centre, but the differences are so slight in the sexes that they 

 hj.ve to be keenly observed to know them apart. 



Day by day. week by week, time passed by, and " nothing 

 doing," until on May 24th they again appeared to be in earnest 

 and commenced adding to the hay in the adjoining" box portion, 

 the male birds plucking a lot of growing grasses, both long 

 cMid short pieces, and also seeding ends, until they had stuffed 

 tliC box portion so full that my observation panel was completely 

 blocked; then, not content with filling this box, they started on 

 the third compartment, and soon put my " eyesight out " in 

 this direction. 



The birds continued like this up to the first week in 

 September, in and out of one or the other of these three holes, 

 until I despaired of any breeding by these birds during this 

 season, although latterly I noted that the odd cock was not 

 allowed near the hen by the paired bird, who drove him awav 

 at every opportunity. 



On September ist no egg was in either of the boxes, but 

 on the 2nd my patience was rewarded, for an egg was laid in the 

 first portion of the box to be taken possession of by the birds 

 and " what an egg," white certainly, but abnormal in shape, 

 it being long and parallel looking; however, I hoped the next 

 would be of a better shape. September 4th: egg still in nest, 

 but no other. September 6th : egg had disappeared, but on 

 looking round the aviary T discovered that a fairly neat, domed 

 nest, nearly complete, had been built in a thicket of one of the 

 limbs of an apple tree, about 4ft. from the ground, composed 

 externally of green grasses, and not easily noticeable in the 

 tljicket of green apple leaves. Keeping this nest under close 



