FOR CAGES AND A VI ARIES. 



23 



other fruit tree, and is made to assimilate with its surround- 

 ings so closely as to render it rather difficult to discover; 

 but the vociferations of the owner often give the clue to 

 its whereabouts. 



The eggs are four or five in number, of a pale bluish- 

 grey colour, spotted and streaked with purplish-brown. 

 The young of the first nest are for the most part males, 

 second or subsequent brood, females. 



the 



and those of 

 The little ones 

 resemble their 

 mother very 

 closely, but the 

 young males 

 have a sub-ruddy 

 tinge on the 

 breast, that is 

 discernible in 

 contrast to the 

 dingier hue of 

 the females. 



If required for 

 teaching, they 

 must be re- 

 moved from the 

 nest when the 

 tail feathers ap- 

 pear, for if 

 left longer, they 

 would acquire 

 at least part of 

 the paternal song 

 small caterpillars 



The Chaffinch. 



Although their natural diet consists of 

 which both parents unite in carrying to 

 them every few minutes, from dawn to dusk, they can be 

 reared readily enough on ants' eggs and bread and milk, 

 if a little pair of forceps be used for conveying the food 

 into their widely gaping mouths ; or if the young are put 

 in a cage and hung up near the place where they were 

 hatched, the parents will feed and attend to them, until 

 they are able to provide for themselves. 



The song of the Chaffinch is pleasing enough, but varies 



