Purple flnnlnrds. 43 



netting with fiins. space Ivctwecn IIk' layers to prevent eats 

 or hawk..; from rcaehinii: flie Ivirds. The shelter 'is match- 

 lioarded and felted arid c^an be entirely glazed during the 

 winter by inserting movable panes in light wooden f fames. 

 A( the present tiin(> tliis aviary contains l)Gsides the 

 Sunbirds, true paii's of Hoopoes, '\'eIlow-winged (Cmrnha ci/- 

 miea) and Blue Sugar Birds (Diciih rni/m/n). Hooded Siskins 

 {Chrysomitris cncnllala), Blue-h;easted ^^'ax1rlls (Estrilda an- 

 ffolensis), Bichenos (Sfictoptera bichenovi), and Masked Doves 

 (^na capoish). Also a Diamond Dove (Geoyprlia cuneata), a 

 Parrot Fincdi (Eriithnira pki'tacc'i). a hen Black-headed Gould - 

 ian Pinch (P. (p)iil<V(v). and a small yellowish brown Finch 

 (most pi'obably some species of Spermophila or Orifzoborus. 

 more probably tli<> former. — Ed.) with a beak like a Bullfinch 

 whose luune I do not know; it came from Brazil. 



Aviary Notes and Episodes— 1912. 



By Gekat.d E. Rattioan. 



Gkefn Cardinals (Guhcmd i^^ c i-ta^a) : My Green 

 Cardinals have auain ]irov('d tli'Mnsclvos to be nsfoundingly 

 pO'olific breeders. In spite of the fact that the hen at any 

 rate must be six or seven years old at least, for she has' 

 been in my own possession nearly five years. Judging 'by 

 the appearance of her feet, and general demeanour, she was 

 by no means in the first blush of youth when I received 

 her. 



Tliey commenced to build at th'^ en'1 of Api'il, and on 

 the .")th of May the first egg was laid, followed by three 

 others on consecutive days. The hen, as is her invariable 

 custom, commenced to sit with the laying of the first egg. 



The first egg hatched on May tOth, and two young left 

 the nest on the 8rd of June. 'All four eggs hatched out, but 

 only two young wei-e fully reared. Tiie young, as T think I 

 mentioned before, in some notes on this species, when first 

 hatched, are bare, save for a little jet black down. I have 

 noticed that the young of this species, though easy enough to 

 cater for whilst still in the nest, require, once they leave it, to 

 be supplied with an unlimited quantity of insect food, other- 



