Breeding of TJ//hn'r7s. 49 



tho hands (or p(Mliai)s it would !);> more correct to say the 

 beak), of some other oicupaiit ol" the aviary, on every occa- 

 sion after leaving the nest. 



By the way I have not seen it remarked that these 

 Ivirds take 18 months to come into full colour, yet this has' 

 always been my experience with them. 



The Red-l)illed Weavers {Queloa quflca) : 1 am sorry 

 to say proved a fai'ure this year, and made no serious attempt 

 at nesting-. I fancy the cold and rain of last summer had 

 something to do with this. 



The Rosy Pastor (Pa>for ravens) and Eni^lish Starling 

 (SfiiriiHs vulgaris) cross failed to materialise, though four eggs 

 w(M'(> laid and closely incul) it 'd, all the eggs proved infertile. 



Another cro -s whiih T hope may materialise, is a cock 

 Zebra and hen African Waxbill. They have built a nest 

 and the hen is at present incubating a clutch of eggs which 

 are due to hatch on the 18th inst. 



Breeding of Hybrids, between the Grey-winged 

 Ouzel and Argentine Blackbird 



Mcnila I>oi(1houJ -\- M. fuscater. 

 By R. Suggitt. 



There is no reason why the Grey-winged Ouzel should 

 not become thoroughly established in our aviaries. I think 

 all those who have possessed true pairs have found it eager 

 to go to nest under favourable conditions, and mostly with 

 success. Of course, unless fresh blood is introduced occasion- 

 ally the stock is liable to deteriorate in the course of a 

 few generations, and unfortunately fresh specimens will never 

 1)e easy to procure, its habitat being the Himalaya mountains. 



The genus Merula has a very wide range; M. fuscater 

 the mother of the hybrids coming from the Argentine, about 

 as far from the Himalayas, the home of the Grey-winged, 

 as could possibly be imagined. 



The genus Merula was separated from the genus Turdus 

 on account of the difference of plumage of the sexes, but^ 

 fuscater, although an undoubted " Blackbird," is scarcely a 



