244 Brcrdijig of Hybrid Forcii^ji Finches. 



Breeding of Hybrid Chestnut-breasted Finch X 



Silverbill. 



By Hkrrer'i- E. Bright. 



At the request of onr b^ditor I am writings; a short account 

 of tlie successful breeding;- and rearin:^- of four young- Hybrids, 

 the result of the matint;- of an Australian Chestnut-breasted 

 Finch (Mii)iia ca>stanciihorax), and an Indian Silverbill hen 

 (Aidonosyiic malabarica). It was quite an unexpected event, as 

 the Chestnut-breast was an old bird that I have had four or five 

 years and he did not seem very lively, in fact I thought this sum- 

 mer would probably be his last. He had moulted rather badly, 

 coming- quite dark on the underparts below the breast and looked 

 a most dilapidated specimen and certainly a most unlikel^^ 

 breeder. However, he went through a complete moult after 

 being turned into a large out-door aviary in the spring and 

 smartened up considerably. 



The next I saw of him he was following about an unniated 

 Silverbill hen that had been kindly given to me with some Avada- 

 vats by a fellow member, Mr. Calvocaressi. She had not long- 

 been turned out and had numerous admirers, the most persistent 

 at that time being- a Tricolor Mannikin, though she had previ- 

 ously deserted a Magpie Mannilcin. Eventually the old Chest- 

 nut-breast won the day and tlu-}- l)iiilt tlie usual domed nest in 

 ir apple-tree against the back wall of the a\iary. Eggs were 

 laid and all went well as I soon heard a chorus of young voices 

 calling for food. Eour young were succesfully reared, the last 

 young one leaving the nest two days after the first one appeared. 

 They were pretty little birds resembling the Silverbill in appear- 

 ance at first except for tlie linge of red in their tails. 



Now (Oct. 29th) tliat they have nearly completed the 

 moult they have chang'ed considerably. Two of them have deve- 

 loped a mark like a Cherry Finch underneath the beak and have 

 cream breasts lightly laced with red-brown markings and almost 

 red tails on the upper side. ( )ne has only a faint bib mark, but 

 has deeper breast markings .-ind (piite red tail; the fourth has no 

 breast markings, being light fawn-color from the bib down- 

 wards. Low-er breast and underparts are cream color in all of 

 them. The heads, necks, and sides of wings are nuich the same 



