British Birds. ' 353 



by the well known tints of the adult birds; a few feathers 

 appeared to be gone on their heads but no sig-n of any colon f 

 showing. On September 2nd a few black spots were showing 

 on their heads and a very slight yellowish tint on their faces, 

 and by September 23rd both birds had properly moulted and 

 were in splendid condition and colour, including their blazes, 

 the beaks being the normal colour of mature birds. The 

 flight and tail feathers did not moult out. It will be observed 

 that the moulting took place on their bodies first and then their 

 heads the whole taking about five weeks to complete. From 

 the above notes it would appear that in a state of nature these 

 finches when in the Greypate stage, are under seven weeks old, 

 if no trace of the moult shows, and, that they are in full 

 mature plumage when about 12 weeks old. All nests were 

 partly shielded by branching sticks and have been built in 

 ordinary canary nest-boxes hung in the highest part of the 

 aviary, the two nests made in 1910 being exceedingly neat, 

 but, this year's nest was a very clumsy looking affair com- 

 po'--ed of dried grass, moss, wool, and fluff from dandelion, old 

 pampas grasses, etc., but the grasses were left straggling out- 

 side the box on to the branching sticks and yet the conditions 

 as far as I remember as to nesting material were the same. 

 These birds have had an abundant supply of flowering 

 grasses, plants, etc., and to this I attribute their successful 

 moulting and splendid condition. 



Wild Coldfinches are very plentiful in this district and 

 have been so for some years. 



Editorial. 



Zoo Notes: Some very interesting additions have re- 

 cently been made, of which space only permits me to give 

 a bare list this issue: 



*Santa Cruz Woodpeckers. Bobolinks. 



Black-browed „ Myrtle Warblers. 



Cuban ,, Hermit Thrushes. 



*Cuban Green ,, Brown Thrashers. 



*Black-throated Crested Quails. Melba Finches. 



Swamp Sparrows. Quail ,, 



Aztec Jay. Peale's Parrot Finches. 



Rainbow Bunting. White-winged Whydahs. 



* New to the Collection. 



