Breeding the Golden-hreasted IVaxbill. 49 



Towards the middle of August I noticed Mr. Waxy 

 was particularly anxious to build in a small shrub growing" hv 

 tlie entrance door, and would carry heaps of feathers into a 

 nest of hay I had already put there. There was. however, little 

 or no joy for the birds in selecting' this position, as they were 

 robljed unmercifully by their companions, and I began to think 

 their nesting" successfully with me was out of the question — my 

 Zebra Finches. Bengalese. and other Waxbills having taken 

 possession of all the other suitable nesting boxes. I would 

 not be discouraged, however. In a very siuig and sheltered 

 corner of the aviary, I hung up a small wicker cage, with some 

 nice hay and a few feathers inside. This, to me, seemed an 

 ideal spot, and I hoped my pretty (iold-breasts would soon 

 inspect the new premises, and decide to set up housekeeping 

 immediately. I was not disappointed. The nest was complete, 

 and about September 24th I noticed the birds were sitting 

 closely — first one and then the other — and, seeing their anxiety 

 whenever an inquisitive individual approached, I concluded thev 

 had either eggs or young. I was c^uite right in my surmises, 

 for, on going into the aviary ^ week later, 1 found a tiny dead 

 bird on the ground, just underneath the nest. My high hopes 

 I thought, were not to be realised. But as time went on, I 

 could distinctly hear young birds being fed, and, from the noise 

 they made, I came to the conclusion that there were at lea^jt 

 five or six. The old birds were capital feeders, and at;^ 

 heartily of spray and white millet, egg-food, and grass in the 

 ear. What I particularly observed during- the time of rearing 

 was this — the parents were always very busy hunting the aviary 

 wires, the turf, and the roof of an outhouse, over which the 

 covered part of the aviary is erected — apparently in search of 

 insect food (gnats I suppose); and aphides from the rose trees 

 and sweet peas planted against the wires outside. 



My an.xiety at this time was. I confess, verv great, and 

 my curiosity to see young Gold-breasts leave the nest not a 

 bit less. But for this I had to wait till the morning of October 

 28th, when to my delight I saw two tiny birds fly to the ground. 

 They were fully fledged, had black beaks, and were of i 

 uniform brown, with the exception of the underparts which 

 were light in colour. Surely these healthy birds, in the pink 



