236 OiKiil /''niches. 



fliits. Here tliey feed on the .ground, under the S'rass. on 

 frdlen seeds. 11 distur])ed, they rise suddenly with a curious 

 metallic " chirp," Hy a short distance and settle ai^ain directly 

 en the .ground without tirst perching;" on 1:)ushes or weeds, but 

 they sometimes rise with their usual sharp cry, and fall ag^ain on 

 the spot from whicli they rose." Mr. T. Ayres i^ives the 

 fcllowini^" account of a nest found near Potchefstroom on the 

 30th April : — " The nest was a very rough structure, placed on 

 the ;^"roimd amonj^st the j^^rass, and not easily seen from its 

 heiui^" composed of dead blades of "rass; it was hned with a few 

 coarse feathers, and in shape much like the nests of some of the 

 Sunbirds, with a projectin,^' cave over the entrance, but all very 

 rou^'h. The et^g's were five in number, and pure white. 



NESTING NOTES. 



I procured my first pair of these birds in 1921, and this 

 pair nested, and reared two youngsters for me that year. Not 

 wishing to disturb them, I left them unmolested, and though 

 I knew the position of the nest, it was not until after me young 

 had flown that I searched for and found the nest, not, however, 

 without some considerable difficulty. This nest, which extern- 

 ally exactly resembled the others described hereafter, contained 

 one infertile egg, pure white, and a roimded ovate in shape. 



This season (1922) 1 commenced operations with two 

 pairs. These were turned out into a large naturally-planted 

 aviary, together with a mixed assortment of other small 

 foreigners on the 8th April. The weather for the next few 

 days was sim[)ly vile. On the tSth April, quite a nice day for a 

 change, I noticed a cock Quail Finch flying around in a some- 

 what undecided manner with bits of grass, or rather fine, dead 

 grass. The next morning I found him visiting a clump of 

 maidenhair bush, and on closer examination I found traces of 

 the commencement of a nest. This was completed on the 20th 

 April, though feathers were continually added by the cock even 

 after the young had hatched. Incidentally, the cock alone 

 seems to do all the fetch and carrying of materials needed 

 for the construction of the nest, though I fancy the hen lends 

 her aid to the construction thereof. The nest so far from being 

 an " untidv structure " was very neatly and compa:ctly built, 

 and was composed of fine grass cosilv lined with feathers. 



