19



Saffron-finches hatching a brood at Christmas, and bringing: it

up, without any mishap, in the early days of January.


I had no further anxiety about the temperature of my

aviary. On the principle that even in tropical countries there

are sometimes cold nights, I was quite unconcerned if the

thermometer fell during great frost to 45° or 40°, and never lost

an}’ birds from cold.


Years afterwards, I was living in France and kept half-a-

dozen delicate Waxbills in a cage in my sitting-room. This was

lighted by shaded lamps. At ten every evening the shade from

the lamp was moved for a time, when my little birds woke up

and had their supper. When they had eaten enough, the shade

was replaced, and my little birds went to sleep again. I kept

half-a-dozen birds during several years without losing one, and

all the time in perfect condition.


Canaries and finches of the size of Canaries can, as a rule,

endure the long fast consequent on our long winter nights, but

the smaller finches and Waxbills cannot, and that is the chief

cause of their mortality which can very easily be avoided.


Covering up birdcages is a very great mistake. Every

bird requires his food as soon as there is sufficient daylight to

find it, and, if then covered up and thereby kept in the dark, is

practically starved. Some individual birds do not like artificial

light: in such cases a small piece of paper or any other material

may be used just to shade a little the spot where the bird

habitually perches at night.



CORRESPONDENCE.



“THE LONG-TAILED GRASSFINCH.'’


Sir, —With reference to Mr. Seth-Smith’s article on the Long-tailed

Grassfinch (P. acuticauda) may I be allowed to say that, in Germany, the

difference of colour in the bill is believed to denote two distinct species.


According to “ Die Gefiederte Welt,” No. 34 of the current year, 1900,

it is stated that the Long-tailed Grassfinches, with what Mr. Seth-Smith

calls reddish orange beaks, are Poephila hecki ; those with yellow beaks

Poephilu acuticauda. The difference between the two distinct species has onlv

lately been ascertained. The article in question mentions that even Dr. Russ

himself believed the yellow - beaked variety to be identical with the

reddisli-orange-beaked birds, and that the darker coloured denoted adult

plumage. Since his death it has been proved that two distinct varieties

exist. “ Die Gefiederte Welt ” is of such undoubted authority in ornith¬

ological matters that I venture to quote this information.


C. A. Hodgson.



