A Si)iaII Garden Aviary. l6l 



ei^'i^'s fell out. Tliere were four eggs, all fertile and nearly 

 ready to hatch. After a week's rest they started again and had 

 ])(.tter luck; three young- birds were fully reared, and tM'o are 

 now nearly four months old. They are both hens. The 

 third, a young- cock, died at eig'ht weeks from some unknown 

 cause; he was beg-inning- to show his red plumage. During" 

 the time these young- ones were in the nest I supplied live ants 

 and ants' eg'g's ad lib, and they were reared principally on these 

 and greenfly, which I was able to give ; the hen also spent a 

 good time hawking' small flies and g'nats. 



The F'iretinch had left the nest about a week when I 

 discovered a young" Zebra Finch flying about. Xext day two 

 more appeared; their nest was in a coconut shell, close to the 

 Firefinches, and I had not been near it for fear of disturbing" 

 the latter. The Zebra Finches nested again in October, and 

 four strong" young ones left the nest about November ist. 

 Tliey don't seem to mind the present cold spell a bit. The old 

 cock was a most attentive father, and it was very amusing to 

 watch him feeding the babies; he seemed to do most of this 

 work after they left the nest. The second brood were reared 

 almost entirely on seed, it being" too late in the season to procure 

 li\-e food; dried flies and ants' eggs were supplied, but didn't 

 seem very tenipting to the birds. 



1 ha\e had no other breeding" success, but am quite 

 satistied with the result of my first season. 



In August I decided to get rid of the Cutthroats, Nuns 

 and Javas, because of the damage they were doing" to the 

 glowing shrubs, the Nuns being particularly mischievous. 

 I replaced them with waxbills — St. Helena's. Orange-cheeks, 

 and Blue-breasts. 



One morning in July I heard a commotion .going on in 

 the aviary, and. looking out, saw a young bird on the wires, 

 outside. It was a young Goldfinch just out of the nest, and 

 my old cock was busy feeding it through the wires. I caught 

 the baby and put him inside, and the old cock inn"nediately 

 took him in hand, and was most assiduous, feeding him until 

 he could forage for himself. I was then supplying the birds 

 with a lot of greenfly, and the young Goldfinch lived prnicipally 

 o:i these. Lhifortunately he caught a cold when I had had 



