Happenings in Our Aviaries. 165 



imagine; our first knowledge of this was in 1914 when we found 

 some dozen or more small white stones the size of a pea on the 

 top of an Avadavat's nest. One wondered who the practical 

 joker was, and often afterwards used to see the male pectoral 

 carrying similar stones about the aviary. 



We were unfortunate enough in the very early part of 

 this year to lose our last hen Parrot Finch — one we had bred 

 in 1919, and a very fine bird — otherwise we, or rather my wife, 

 in my absence abroad, had bred one or more each year for five 

 years in succession — nice birds, easy to breed, but not easy to 

 sex with certainty. 



A male Cordon Bleu {EstrUda phocnicotis) paired with a 

 hen Cuban hlnch {Phonipara canora) this year, and had two 

 nests, but the eggs have proved infertile. The rain and cold 

 killed the Cordon Bleu about a fortnight ago, so they won't 

 have another chance, but anyway one is not particularly fond 

 of hybrids. 



We have a pair of birds we are not quite certain of the 

 name of — now I think going to nest; we got them from Mr. 

 Castang about two months or more ago. I think he called 

 them Bearded Seedeaters, or South African Green Singing 

 finches — they are certainly larger and finer than the ordinary 

 Green Singingfinch, and are easily sexed; the picture in Butler's 

 book of the Green Singingfinch is a very good representation of 

 the male, though not quite a deep enough yellow, but what is 

 its real name ? 



A relative brought me over about a fortnight ago four 

 Sydney Waxbills — extremely fit — we turned them out thinking 

 we were going to have some fine weather, but in spite of the rain 

 and cold since then they are as fit as ever. 



There are thirty-three birds, exclusive of young, in this 

 aviary. 



The Breeding of the Crimson-winged Parraheet. 



By the Marquis of Tavistock. 



In a former article I described a successful experiment in 

 wintering cock Crimson-wings at liberty. Three birds were 



