67 



thought, were not to be realized. But as time went on, 

 I coukl distinctly hear young birds being fed, and from 

 the noise they made, I came to the conclusion that there 

 were at least five or six. The old birds were capital 

 feeders, and ate heartily of spray and white millet, egg- 

 food, and grass in the ear. What I particularly observed 

 during the time of rearing was this— the parents were 

 always very busy hunting the aviary wires, the turf, and 

 the roof of an outhouse, over which the covered part 

 of the aviary is erected — apparently in search of insect 

 food (gnats, I suppose); and apliides from the rose trees 

 and sweet peas planted against the wires outside. 



My anxiety at this time was, I confess, very great, and 

 my curiosity to see young Goldbreasts leave their nests, 

 not a bit less. But for this I had to wait till the morn- 

 ing of (9 6/<;^^r ^(S'/!'>^, when to my delight I saw two tiu}- 

 birds fly from the nest to the ground. They were fully 

 fledged, had black beaks, and were of a uniform brown, 

 with the exception of the under parts which were light in 

 colour. Surely these healthy birds, in the pink of con- 

 dition, would be reared ! I never dreamed otherwise. 

 But alas ! there came a night when my spirits sank 

 considerably below zero! It was the first day of 

 November. The parents were anxious to nest again, and 

 I suppose thought it high time their young should shift 

 for themselves. Next luorning I found one of the two 

 dead — the other flying about as usual, and it continued 

 doing so (apparently in the best of health) for another 

 week or ten days, when it also succumbed. The old 

 birds had built a new nest and obstinately refused to feed 

 their young the last thing at night, or to admit them into 

 their nest, so they fretted and died. Had they been fed a 

 day or two longer, I feel convinced I should now be the 

 proud possessor of a couple of outdoor-aviary-bred Gold- 

 breasts. 



Of course the season was too late to expect such 

 birds to be reared, but I have strong hopes of being 

 successful next season. 



I mav add that, in the same aviarv I have been most 



