68 



tioiied elsewhere tlie very friendly feeling entertained 

 by one of my Zebra Finches, who always came as close 

 to me as possible whenever I stood by his cage and 

 chattered away at a great rate, showing the most com- 

 plete confidence and good natnre in every action of 

 his tiny body. 



One of the earliest of my purchases was a Chinese 

 Bunting — a bird which was shortly afterwards offered 

 to me as a Brown-headed Bunting. The latter name 

 is very appropriate, for the colour of the head, face, 

 back, and tail is a rich brown, the breast and under 

 parts being a pale yellow. The bird was certainly not 

 of striking appearance ; but being among others of 

 diverse plumage, his very soberness seemed to make 

 him conspicuous. He lived with me over two years, 

 and seemed satisfied with the usual food supplied to 

 the Seedeaters, which, by-the-wa}^ alwa3^s included a 

 saucer of insectile food, though I cannot say I ever 

 saw this bird partake of any. 



A very soft reedy little song is a pleasant feature 

 of the Chinese Bunting, and my bird would sit on a 

 perch, quite apart from the others, and softly whistle 

 as if to itself for hours at a time. It was of very 

 gentle disposition, and although as large as the Non- 

 pareil Bunting it never attempted to molest any of its 

 companions — among whom were several smaller and 

 weaker than itself. Altogether I found it a very 

 desirable member of the family and one I was sorry 

 to lose. 



I do not think the Chinese Bunting is frequently 

 imported, for it was only rarely that I came across 

 specimens in the East End shops, and it is practically 

 never advertised for sale in the birdy papers. The 



