Breeding of Ruficmidas, Tainted Finches, etc. 223 



about a coco -nut husk l3ut stop at that, worse luck! The 

 Cordon Bleus and St. Helena Waxlnlls are making attempts 

 at nests, but nothing more at present. At the far end of 

 the flight I Iiave just discovered, in a gooseberry bush a 

 large straggling nest. I have kept a close watch on it, but 

 have not seen any liird going in and out, but, I am inclined 

 to think it maji be the Indigo Buntings, for I have noticed 

 the hen l)ird to be humped up the last few days, and yester- 

 day she cei'tainly crept out from the corner where the nest 

 is. If it is not the Indigo Buntings I cannot at all 

 saj^ Avhose the nest is, as it is certainly not the Non- 

 pareils, and all tlio others are accounted for, so I am look- 

 ing forward to an agreeable surprise one of these da,ys, for 

 the keeper of Foreigners always lives in hopes, and he has 

 indeed need to, for disappointments are numerous, and pleas- 

 ant surprises painfully rare. 



The Banded Pinches have made a nest in the Slight, 

 but so far have not laid. 



Perhaps the Inll of fare for my Pinches may not come 

 amiss to those of our members who are new to foreign bird 

 keeping. I have already descril^ed the Live insects I give 

 them. The seeds areas follows: Indian, Bed and White Mil- 

 let, Millet in the ear and heavy Spanish Canary seed, tl 

 also put a small supply of Paddy Rice for the special benefit of 

 the Nonpareils, but this does not come amiss to the Gouldians 

 and Parrot Finches. I 'am a strong believer also in variety in 

 insectile mixtures, and give my birds a choice of three good 

 mixtures, for I am firmly of the opinion that a varied diet 

 goes a long way towards success. I also put down mixed — 

 in the mortar and cuttle fish and oyster shell box — an assort- 

 ment of wild seeds, which I find the birds pick over eagerly. 



My second aviary perhaps hardly merits description. 

 It contains commoner varieties: the best birds being perhaps 

 Diamond Sparrows, Diamond Doves, and Carmine Finches. 

 These latter are I believe at nest in the aviary, and I to-day 

 discovered on the ground in the outside flight a very charm- 

 ing nest which probably belongs to a pair of Waxbills. The 

 Diamond Doves are sitting, and are due to hatch out very 

 shortly. 



If I 'have not already run away with too much valuable 



