THE



Bvtcultural flfoagasme,


BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE


AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.



VOL. VII. —No lO. All rights reserved.



AUGUST, 1901.



NESTING OF DIUCA FINCHES.


By Rosie Aedekson.


There is so little mention of the Diueri Finch in the past

volumes of the Magazine that perhaps the following account may

be of some interest to any member who may be thinking of

adding these handsome birds to his or her collection.


I saw my first and only pair of Diuca Finches at the

Crystal Palace Show, October, 1899. The price asked was 15/-,

and I greatly admired the birds, but felt undecided whether to

purchase them. Finally I wrote the same night to ask if they

were still unsold ; I found they were, and so became their owner.

The Diucas arrived a da} 7 or two later, and appeared so healthy

that I at once turned them loose in the aviary. And now before

going any further I must describe their appearance. The

general colour of the cock is blue-grey, with darker feathers

(edged with chestnut brown) in the wings and tail. The throat

is pure white, the grey meeting in a broad band across the chest ;

the breast, under parts, and under-tail feathers are also white,

and a bright chestnut patch adorns each flank. The legs, feet,

and beak are lead-coloured, the eyes black and bold, and edged

with a very narrow line of white feathers. The hen is practically

the same as the cock, but the grey is of a browner shade, and

the white not so snowy. Both birds are about the same size,

rather larger than a Java Sparrow, and have the power of raising

the head feathers when excited like a crest, in a very becoming

way.


I learnt from their former owner that they had been bred

in Germany, but that the real habitat of the bird was Brazil,

Each bird was marked with a little metal ring round one leg.


I have said I turned the Diucas loose in the aviary, but at

once bitterly repented it. The newcomers quickly began to

bully the smaller inmates, and the whole place was thrown into



