THE


AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE


BEING THE JOURNAL OF

THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY

FOR THE STUDY OF

FOREIGN & BRITISH BIRDS

IN FREEDOM & CAPTIVITY


Third Series.— Vol. XII— No. 10.— All rights reserved. OCTOBER, 1921.


ZEBRA FIXCHES AT LIBERTY


By the Marquess of Tavistock


About ten years ago I tried an experiment with various Australian

Finches at liberty; Gouldians and Parrot Finches were a failure, but I did

succeed in breeding Zebra Finches, Rufous-tailed Grass Finches,

Long-tailed Grass Finches, Parson Finches, and Diamond Sparrows.

Of these the Zebra Finches and Ruficandas were really prolific, and lots

of young ones made their appearance during the course of the summer ;

but as autumn drew to a close their numbers decreased, and next spring

I had only one or two pairs of old birds left. Then, with their offspring

of the year, disappeared the following winter. It was clear that the

little birds could not be kept at liberty all the year round, cold and

natural enemies being too much for them.


This year, however, I determined to see if certain foreign Finches

cannot be profitably and successfully kept at liberty during the summer

months only. Ruficandas, unhappily, are almost unobtainable now-

a-days, but at the end of June I bought five pairs of freshly imported

Zebra Finches. Although they were by no means in good condition,

they began nesting the day after their arrival and quarrelled so badly

in the good-sized aviary in which they were released that three days

later I had to give them their liberty. This was really too soon, as it

did not give them time to get properly used to their surroundings.

Consequently three disappeared at once, and probably strayed, while


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