I82 



not unpleasant " tsit, tsit." The male's short song is 

 merel}' one or two single, and rather mellow flute like 

 sounds. 



Dr. Russ succeeded in breeding these charming 

 birds ; four eggs were laid and incubation lasted 

 twelve days. Nestling plumage dull blackish blue- 

 grey, barred on the under surface ; shoulders, margins 

 of wings, and tail, dull red ; beak, horn grey ; legs 

 blackish. The change to adult plumage is a slow and 

 gradual one. While Dr. C. S. Simpson considers this 

 bird harmless but uninteresting, the late Erskine AUon 

 {Avic. Mag., Ser, i, Vol. III., p. 125), eulogises it as 

 follows : " This is my favourite bird and I always keep 

 " four or five pairs at least. Confiding, good-natured, 

 *' and never ill when once acclimatised, I know no 

 *' species that nests so readily, so successfully, and 

 ** with such regularity. The pairs generally use cocoa- 

 " nuts or nesting-boxes, placed side by side, and they 

 *' are absolutely fearless. I have known a hen con- 

 " tinue sitting while the top of the nesting box was 

 '' h^mg s craped. '' I cannot trace that Mr. Allon ever 

 published any account of j^oung birds actually reared, 

 though the above implies this; most aviculturists get 

 no farther than eggs. While perhaps not going quite 

 so far as Mr. Allon they are certainly most handsome 

 and entertaining birds, and should be in every col- 

 lection of Waxbills and Finches. As regards diet, my 

 birds had access to ripe fruit, my usual soft food mix- 

 ture, sponge cake, canary, white and spray millet, 

 and they took a little of each ; were very eager for an 

 occasional mealworm, and nearly went wild with delight 

 over a blighty spray of rose foliage. They took a 

 very thorough daily bath. They settle down fairly 



