The Brrrdinq of Crrji Fhirhr.f. cfc. 141 



of it. TIk^ only s;at isfaclioii oiio could claim from such an 

 occurrence was the kiiowl('ili;<> (liat yoiiii^ liad been reared 

 from a species o*" a ,q-onus particularly shy of reproducing" 

 their kind in captivity. 



Tlio rollowinT A-ea'- MOI''). tlie '-a^-'in pa^'r repeated their 

 succcs- n'" tlic^ )^'•cviou■^ yoiv "'omi": o-"-. p-.f*or, for two broods 

 of thi'ce each m'oi-c vci'mmI but fh'^ second brood d'ed about a 

 month after l(\av!n!T the nc^t. TTnfortuna'elv for mc. T012 

 was a year of continuous hi^rh pressu''e, and the details I 

 crathered of the eiii>-o'le are but meaTre more esnecially as 

 oAvintT to the a''ore mentioned 1 pre sure T lo-^t my loose notes 

 bcfori they 'were cn'ered up. and of cour e under such cir- 

 cumstances T '-hall no* ir"ve daVr;. thouTh T promptly entered 

 up the facts. M-lien T d'scovced the lo^s. In Anril T noticed 

 them n>oth mile and femaV^ take part in nest construction 

 and also in the duties of incubation, buihbng- a nest in a 

 rambler rose, am'd the thick groAvth and close airainst the 

 standard sun'iortincr the ro e: nothing- came of this: they 

 deserted, evidently lieing: disturbed by other birds — later a 

 pair of Olive Finches altered the nest and successfully broug^ht 

 off a brood, so perhaps they were the cause of the Grey 

 Finches discomfiture. ^ 



The Grey Finches did not 'ose much time, for I saw 

 them carryin.g- material again within a very few davs, and 

 soon a nest was completed in a privet bush. A clutch of 

 three e^s:s ^\^as duly laid and incubation went steadily for- 

 ward. The nest,, a substantial cup-shaped structure of hay and 

 ffrass. was avcII she'tered bv a densely foliaged and over- 

 hang"in£: branch of a ha-^el bush The bird commenced to sit 

 with the second cr-r and incubation lasted thirteen days. The 

 voung- birds left the nest when aT)out twenty-one days old. 

 They then ro -cmbicl t'^c ahi't ben but were slightly greyer 

 and lightlv -treaked on the breast. T regret that my editorial 

 duties etc.. le^t m- sca^'cclv anv time to observe mv birds, 

 but for the fir4 seven davs th(> vounc birds were fed entirely 

 on live food -manv insects wc-e cantured in the aviary, 

 in addition mealwo>-ms. e-entle«. ants' cocoons, and wasps' 

 srrub. Avere liberallv sunnb'ed • .^t about the t'^nth day T saw 

 them £ro ^trai'-ht fi'oni f'c soft-food di^h to the nest and feed 

 their i^rog-eny, yet on ordinary occasions they never take soft 



