f Correspondence. ' 957 



it had a damaged wing. It is now a strong and vigorous bird, and 

 flics wcl' despite its injury. ; ' - 



The following is the best description of its appearance I can 

 manage : Top of head and back dull olive green, with smoky centres 

 to feathers, causing a faint mottled appearance : rump, yellow-green ; chin, 

 throat and breast yellowish fawn-colour, with faint darker downward 

 streaks ; under stomach and vent, fading to white ; wings, primaries 

 almost Vilack with a thin streak of yellow-green on outer edges ; secon- 

 daries similar, but streak not so bright, rather browner; shoulder butts' 

 yellow-green, some of the feathers having darker centres give the appearance 

 of a row of dark dots running across the shoulder ; and these dots 

 define* a yellowish wing bar beneath them; trppar tail feathers almost l)lack,. 

 with outer edges green ; under tail-feathers pale grey with a yellowish 

 tinge. In some lights I imagine I can see a dull purplish ' tinge or 

 bloom pervading the whole upper-surface of the bird ; beak dark leaden 

 colour, the upper mandible rounded or curved. r>x . Butler's illustration 

 of the hen rosefinch shows the shape of the hybrid's head and beak exactly. 



The other male birds in the aviary at the time of the nesting were ' 

 Redpoll, Twite, Chaffinch, Linnet, and Orange Bishop. The young hybrid 

 >ihows no trace of thcic. There remains the afore-mentioned Mexican Rose- 

 finch. Tills is a most ardent and mercurial bird. He will sing and 

 display to any hen in the aviary, even to a Meadow Pipit ! He was tfie- 

 cause of the (jiecnfinch leaving two of its innocent progeny to starve, 

 whicli is the more to be regretted since nothing came of the second 

 mating There is no resemblance to him, however,, in the hybrids. 



I ma)- say I 'iim permitted to refer yon to Mr. Sykes, a fellow member 

 of tlir. Club, if this is thought necessary. His opinion as to the parent- 

 age of the bird coincides with mine. 



I hope this over-long (but I fuar nr)t over-clear) description mav 

 bo held satisfactory. 



Midlothian, 30-9-'i6. R[. R. TOMI.IN.SOX. 



BRKKDIXC. OF BI.UE-BREASTEl) \VA.\BILLS, ETC. 



Sir, — I have had a great success in breeding three beautiful Blue- 

 breasted WaxbiJls, they arc quite strong on the wing now (September 17th) 

 and fly from one end of the aviary to the other. The nest was built in 

 a ^Tiiail box tree, and this time, happily, no other liird interfered, (l 

 had taken the precaution of removing the pair of .St. Helena \VaibiIls, 

 wlioji' interference spoiled the Biucjbreasls' first attempt). Th.^^c throe 

 liltlo Waxbills are lovely mites, blue and dove colour, ju^l like the old' 

 I'irds, one has le.-s blue than tiie other two, so I :liink it must be 

 a hen. 



Tiie ^lolba I'inches have failed again, f"our young birds were 

 hatclicci ou; on this occasion, but another little Waxbill would think it 

 wa^ he.- nest, and, I think, tried to feed them, the consequence being that 

 after aboui ten day.; one was pulled out of the nest and the others died. 

 I think Molbas arc very bad parents, a-; snn a? they have young ones 

 ^pretty well feathered they seem to get tired of looking after them. 



1 lia\e another ne-.t of Ruficauda Einchcs, strong young birds now 

 I lulievc tiiere is a third nest of young uncs hitched out .iiul being f<(l. 



