ZEBRA FINCH. 



171 



sombre hue of the body. Its flight is extremely rapid 

 and arrow-like, particularly when crossing a plain or 

 passini; down a gully. It is a stationary .=ix'cies in 

 Tasmania, and probably ako in New South Wales. 

 In tlie fiirnier tauntry I constantly found it breeding 

 in coniriuinitics, my att'.'Utiou being usually attracted 

 liy the enoniK>ti« nests which they built among tt^e 

 branches of shrubby tre«'s, without the slightest 

 attempt at concedment. They are constructed entirely 

 of grasses and st.alks of grass, dome-shaped in fonii, 

 with a hide near th« Uip for the ingress and egress of 

 the bird. The eggs are five or si.\ in number, rather 

 lengtheiu'd in form, and of a beautiful flesh-white, 

 eight and a half lines long and six and a half lines 

 bro:id. It bree<ls from Septeudier to January, during 

 which period two or three broods are reared. Its note 

 is a single mouniful sound, emitted while perched on 

 the low branches of the trees in the neighbourhood of 

 its feeding places." 



Mr. North describes a nest taken at Honiaby as 

 having a long narrow neck, 10 in. in length by 2^ in. 

 in width, the nest itself measuring 7 in. in di;imeter. 



Campbell (" Nests and Eggs of Australian Bir.is," 

 pp. 479, 480) thus desci-ibes the ne.st : " Xc$l. — Bottle- 

 shaped, or coveied in with a spouted tide entrance, 

 eonstrntt«i of grasses chiefly, with the addition of por- 

 tions of other plants, lined inside somewhat sparingly 

 with fine grasses and fur ov feathers. Usually situate<l 

 in thickly-foliaged tree or bush. Dimensions, about 

 12 in. in length by 18 in. in circumference round 

 thickest part of the body." 



This is one of those birds which renders an arrange- 

 ment of species iu i\ linear series impossible. While 

 proli;dil,v most nenrly related to the Diamond-finch, and 

 doubtless originating frinn the same extinct ancestor, 

 its style of colouration and marking mere nearly 

 resembles that of some of the African Waxbills. The 

 l>arre<l character of its plumage is indeed indicated on 

 the throat, breast, and sides of neck of the little Zebra- 

 finch, and as the latter has the sides of the body 

 spotted with white, somewhat after the fashion of the 

 Diamond-finch, I place it next to this species, but the 

 note of the Zebra-finch indicates some affinity to the 

 typical I'uephilai — that is to say, to the Masked and 

 White eared Grass-finches. 



Dr. Russ states that the entire disposition, love- 

 dance, etc., are like those of the Diamond-finch, but 

 its call-note is more prolonged. 



Probably the finst pair of this bird known to have 

 been impurted reached the London Zoological t!ardens 

 in 1870. Subsequently specimens were acquired by Dr. 

 Russ, Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and Mr. 

 Wiener, but none of these gentlemen succeeded in keep- 

 ing them very long, though Mr. Wiener states that 

 one specimen lived in his aviary tor over a twelve 

 month. As I have stated elsewhere, I strongly suspect 

 that all these avieulturists coddled the birds too much, 

 and they died from insufficient air and exercise. Russ 

 himself admits that some examples sold by Abrahams 

 and in Paris did well, so that Jlr. Wiener's favourite 

 explanation for the death of bird.s wliich he found a 

 difficulty in keeping — that some special food was lack- 

 ing — falls to the ground 



Always a prize in the market, although at one time 

 not an especial rarity, if we are to accept Dr. Ross's 

 statement, this l>eautiful bird has not been seen in 

 Europe alive for many years, yet there cannot be the 

 least doubt that it will reappear in considerable num- 

 bers one of these days, and will not orfly be tested with 

 open-air treatment, but will be successfully bred by 

 tome lucky aviculturist. 



Zebra Finch [Toeniopyqla caetanotis). 



The top of the head, neck, and front of back are 

 I>earl-grey, shading into brownish-grey on the hinder 

 part of the back ; the tail-coverts are white, regularly 

 barred with black ; the tail black ; on the front of the 

 cheek is a white band edged with black ; the ear- 

 coverts of the cock bird are also orn;imented by a large 

 patch of tawnv, appearing orange at a short distance. 

 The throat and fore-chest arc silvery-grey, every fea- 

 ther in the male transver.sely striped with black, and 

 the whole .separated by a black bind fiom the remain- 

 der of the under surface. The hinder jiart of the chest 

 and abdomen are white, slightly stained with buff, and 

 in the male the sides are clie.stnut, slotted with white ; 

 the beak coral-red, feet salmon-red, irides hazel. Female 

 without orange-tawny on ear-coverts, the black barred 

 silver grey throat anil fore-chest, and the spotted chest- 

 nut sides. Hab., Northern, Western, and Southern 

 Australia. 



In its wild state this species wandars about m small 

 flocks, and spends much of its time on the ground, feed- 

 ing upon seeds of various grasses. It forms a flask- 

 shaped nest of dried grass, stalks, etc., in the branches 

 of a thick bush or low tree, and l;iys five to .-^ix white 



"fn captivity the nest is formed in aiiy sort of 

 receptacle, but a Hartz-cage is preferred to all others. 

 It is rare for more than four young to be reared in 

 one brood, but I have known as many as six to leave 

 the nest. The young are grey, with bl.ack beaks, a 

 white patch behind it; the upper tail coverts barred, 

 but not completelv hiding the tail, as in adults. 

 When asking for food the young throw themselves 

 sideways, turn the beak upwards, and clamour in- 

 cessantly and noisil.y. 



Probably no foreign bird is more hardy or more 

 easy to bieed than the Z-hra Finch. Moreover small 

 though it is, when the hen is sitting the cock bird 

 will keep guard outside the nesting cage or box and 

 drive off all intruders. There seems to be no question 

 of prudence. Birds five or six times its own bulk are 

 vigorously attacked, and usually driven off igno- 

 miniously. 



Since 1890 I have bred this species every year, and at 

 anv season, without the least difficulty. Although it can 

 rear its .young on seed alone, they are certainly more 

 vigorous when soft fcod is supplied daily in a saucer. 



As usual with Australian Finches, this bird is abso- 

 lutely hardy, and may be safely wintered in a large 

 sheltered outdoor aviary. 



The isong of the Zebra Finch is not unlike the bleat- 

 ing of a kid, it might very well he produced with a 

 penny wooden trumpet ; the call note is a single 

 sound of the same character. In a large aviary un- 

 paired Zebra Finches are rather quarrelsome, but as 

 they never really hurt one another, no harm comes of 

 it. In a small aviary, however, they sometimes partly 

 denude one another of feathers, which, besides render- 

 ing them unsightly, sometimes weakens them so that 

 they are liable to catch cold and die. 



Tlie Zebra Finch is very freely imported, and never 

 expensive; being extremely pretty, it is a general 

 favourite. 



On August 20th, 1897, Mr. Joseph Abrahams wrote 

 to me as' follows : — "As some interest seems to have 

 lately been token in foreign hybrids. I am sending you 

 by post the skins and sketches of two — viz.. that of a 

 hybrid between a cock Bicheno and hen Zebra Finch, 

 and that of one between a cock Parson Finch and ben 

 White Bengalee. The latter I had in my place alive 

 over two years, during which time I tried to pair him 

 with all sorts of hens, but he was a perfect demon, for 



