Devotion.



251



A pair of the Pink-browed Rose Finch (Carpodacus rhodopelus )

nested only 4 ft. away from the Bullfinches, in the same yew-bush,

though there were an abundance of vacant sites in other parts of

the large aviary. The Bullfinches were the first-comers, but they

raised no opposition, and five young Rose-finches left the nest on

August 25th. The nest was like that of a Greenfinch, perhaps

rather smaller and with more of a cup. Unfortunately the young

were hatched before the nest was located, and the eggs were

not seen.


The parents fed chiefly on insects, and hunted bushes and

ground industriously. Probably they fed also on half-digested

birdseed, but they paid no attention to the “trusses” of seeding

weeds, supplied at short intervals for the bullfinches.


The male parent showed plenty of “ colour ” last summer, but

the young family finally reared (three, for two disappeared) greatly

resembled the adult female, though one seems to me to have the

eye stripe more clearly defined, and may turn out to be a cock.

These Rose-finches are shy and most reclusive, and are not

particularly interesting birds to keep.


We had one Eider’s nest last spring, a duck selecting the

same (to our eyes very unsuitable) site, as she had used for several

previous seasons. But this time she laid five eggs, the largest

clutch which I have ever known here in an experience of thirty

years with these birds. Five strong ducklings were hatched under

a hen—one died suddenly on one of the few hot days of last summer

(August 4th) probably sunstroke, to which eider ducklings are very

prone; but the other four were successfully reared. Curiously all

five turned out to be male birds.



DEVOTION.


(The True Story of a Pair of Pigeons.)


By Aubyn Trevor-Battye.


In the sea-caves of the coasts of Britain and in the rocks^

of many European countries live certain pigeons which, because of

their colouring and of their haunts, are known as Blue Rock-pigeons.



