282 Aviary Notes for 1911. 



later three more chicks appeared, inckiding another small one 

 which had no toes on one foot, and two very fine ones, the 

 former died the next day, and one of the latter apparently 

 thought it could knock holes in wire netting witli its head and 

 succumbed to brain trouble; the other one is alive and well 

 while these notes are being penned. 



Not satisfied with these results the old pair got to 

 work again, and started a basement under their old home; they 

 worked hard for two or three days and then seemed to lose in- 

 terest in their work. On July 30th I noticed a small domed 

 nest in some growing canary, and as I am troubled with mice 

 I jumped to the conclusion that one had made a nest there, 

 bending down I carefully surrounded that nest with my hands 

 and picked it up, then carefully opening the top I felt for 

 the mouse, and to my horror I felt "eggs," five of them, tool 

 I put that nest down in a hurry, replaced it as well as I could 

 and cleared off; upon returning about half -an -hour later I 

 was pleased to see the Masked Finch fly off. That night it 

 rained, and when I went to feed them the next morning, that 

 nest was as flat as the proverbial pancake and soaked through; 

 once more I made things as shipshape as possible, and to save 

 future trouble rigged a large tarpaulin sheet over the flight 

 and back went the hen; about August 21st, all the eggs were 

 hatched. The entrancejiole to this nest was originally on the 

 ground, but on the 27th, the hen made a fresh one on top of 

 the nest, and through this I could see five young birds, the 

 old entrance was closed up and after a few days yet another 

 entrance was made at the back of the nest, and until the young 

 left the nest, both the entrances were used. 



The young left the nest on September G, and are ap- 

 parently very vigorous and look likely to do well. 



Meanwhile one pair of the Gouldians went to nest and 

 on August 26th four young birds left the nest all looking very 

 fit, the old pair built another nest, but their family seemed to 

 think that this was for their special benefit and promptly 

 used it as their bedroom. In consequence the old birds left it 

 in disgust; they are now building a fresh nest in the covered- 

 in portion of the aviary. 



The other pair of Gouldians built a nest, and two eggs 

 were laid: one of normal size the other the size of a smalll pea, 



