148 Birds I Have Kept. 



difficult to tell which is which. The female is, perhaps, a 

 trifle smaller, and just a shade lighter in colour than the 

 male, so that when seen together, she may with tolerable cer- 

 tainty be picked out: but when viewed alone it would take 

 a very experienced eye indeed to determine to which sex a 

 given bird belonged. 



The head, back, and large wing coverts are light brownish 

 grey, the shoulders and flight feathers of the wings are many 

 shades darker, and the tail'' so dark that it appears almost 

 black. The throat and breast are a little lighter than the 

 back; the belly and lower tail coverts are almost white; the 

 beak is a bluish silver grey, the lower mandible being paler 

 than the upper. The legs and feet are greyish flesh colour. 



These little birds will, under favourable circumstances, pro- 

 duce two or three broods, of from three to five young ones, 

 in the season, and rear them on soaked seed, sponge-cake, 

 ants' eggs, and aphides. 



The best way to induce all the small Finches and Grosbeaks 

 to breed in this country, is to turn them into a large conser- 

 vatory, well planted with common evergreen shrubs, the larger 

 the better, where the temperature can be properly regulated, 

 and maintained equably all the year round, when brood after 

 brood of every kind will make its appearance to delight the 

 heart of the owner, and put money in his pocket too: if an 

 abundant supply of aphides can be cultivated in the place, 

 success will be even more certain. 



I am aware that many connoisseurs will exclaim at this, 

 and say that they have perfectly well succeeded without any 

 such fuss, in an ordinary aviary: but cross- questioned, I fancy, 

 they would be fain to admit that their "success" consisted of 

 a few odd birds now and then, not always successfully reared, 

 and frequently crippled and deformed. Let them try my plan, 

 and I am satisfied they will admit, after trial, that it is the 

 only way to command real success. 



One other point must always be remembered, viz: that 



