204



Mr. Herbert Bright,



pointed with their colour, as they were described to me as Red-headed

Bullfinches. The cock was yellowish-green on the head and the hen

only very drab and dingy in colour. Still, they were a novelty and

very attractive, so I thought I would do all I could to get them in

good condition with the hope of inducing them to nest out of doors

later on. I have not been successful in rearing any young, but they

have nested several times, and once hatched and fed young for several

days.


I have had them out of doors two summers, and their mode of

procedure has been much the same each year. In May, 1915, when

I first put them out, they seemed as though they were going to

build right away, and at once made a nest on the hough of an apple-

tree nailed against the back wall of the aviary. I did not notice the

starting of this nest, which was composed of coarse twigs at the

bottom and finer ones on top. This was never completed, though

the birds used to fly to it and visit it for a long time.


Both cock and hen then began a slight moult about the head

and face, but the new feathers were much the same as before, probably

because they had not been out long enough to affect the plumage.

I had hoped they would brighten up considerably. Nothing happened

for some time after this though they appeared in the pink of con¬

dition, till one evening I noticed the hen fighting hard to break off a

rather stout apple-twig, which she eventually succeeded in doing, and

flew off with it to the top of a privet, where she placed it and flew

away in search of another.


The cock was in attendance all theiime, but she would not

allow him to come very near, and though he was greatly interested

he did not assist in the work of building the nest. The hen pro¬

ceeded to collect more strong twigs for a foundation, and though she

worked hard till dusk there was very little to be seen beyond a few

insecure-looking twigs at the top of the privet. In the morning,

however, on going to inspect I found she had built quite a nice nest

much after the style of our own “ Bullies,” using finer rootlets for the

upper portion, and she was sitting inside the nest shaping it round

to her liking. Throughout the day she was busy adding to it, and

then proceeded to line it with some fine white fibre I had put in

for general use.



