after the first moult, when onl}' a few weeks old — and 

 I presume that this is the normal habit of the species. 

 But I have once or twice possessed young imported 

 males which had black heads but were not in full 

 plumage — and one of these moulted several months 

 after importation and then came into full plumage. 

 When I first acquired this bird he was quite unlike 

 a hen (or a cock in its nest feathers) ; and 3'et he 

 differed greatly from a full plumaged cock — the 

 colours being much less clearly defined. Is this 

 intermediate stage of plumage merely an accidental 

 condition caused b}^ the shock of importation — in fact 

 simph' a prolonged moult — or is it natural for some 

 Alario Finches to moult twice before acquiring full 

 adult plumage ? 



Five or six years ago the Alario Finch was fairh^ 

 common — but of late, especialh^ since the beginning 

 of the Boer war, it has been practically unobtainable. 

 Hens were alwa3\s difficult to bu3\ There seems no 

 reason wh\' this bird should be so seldom imported, 

 for it is a vevy common species in South Africa, and 

 frequent!}^ kept as a cage-bird there. 



According to Dr. Butler, the bird is "a long liver 

 and ver\' hard\%" btit a fairly extensive experience 

 of the species, some years ago, brought me to an 

 opposite conckision. I find it decidedly more delicate 

 than the Singing Finches. White millet seed should 

 never be given to this species fnor, indeed, to any of 

 the True Finches). Canary seed should form the staple 

 of its diet, with the addition of summer rape seed» 

 and a little hemp occasionally. 



The following account of the In'eeding of the 

 Alario Finch has been published before — but as it 

 relates the onl}- recorded instance of the species 

 nesting sticcessfully in Britain (if not in Europe), I 

 nia}", perhaps, be pardoned for reprinting it here. 



