220



New Year Show, which extends over two days and necessitated

their being in the hall over-night. This circumstance cost the

cock his life, but I was fortunate in being able to replace him

with another that spent his days, when not eating, singing to his

new-found wife.


They were located in a small indoor aviary, or perhaps it

would be more correct to call it a large cage, with such other

inmates as Cordon-bleus, Gouldian, Parrot, Pectoral, Cherry,

Bicheno, and Grey Singing-finches. I fear they were rather

overcrowded, aud the Rufous-tails being a new species to me,

I kept them under somewhat close surveillance for some time,

but never witnessed them display the least sign of bad temper

towards their companions.


First week of May I turned out some thirty small seed-

eaters, amongst which were the Rufous-tails. Their first clutch

of four eggs was deposited in a husk, but no attempt at incu¬

bation was made. The second, of six, was laid in a small

travelling box hanging in the indoor portion of the aviary, and

in which a beauiiful domed nest was built; the material used

including live grass, willow shavings, and fine paper shavings

(such as chocolates are packed in) ; but if there is one thing

Rufous-tails are more partial to than any other as a food and

nesting material it is chicken weed. They would go all over the

weeds, eat what they wanted, then appropriate the remainder

for building purposes while it was yet green and, to my mind,

unsuitable for such a purpose. The Rufous-tails knew better,

however.


Some friends called on 20th July and, of course, were

taken round the aviary. I pointed out the box containing, as

I thought, the Rufous-tails’ eggs, and said they numbered six,

but I would show them. O11 examination the eggs were found

to have vanished, and six little pieces of live flesh had taken

their place. This reminds me that they do not brood until the

clutch is completed, and the young hatch out altogether in

consequence. The parents did not seem to mind our inter¬

ference in the least, and I often turned one or the other of them

off the nest to show the broods to subsequent visitors. This is

true of all my nesting birds, with the exception of Parrot Finches.

The nest soon got very dirty, so I determined 011 a remedy.

Another box, a size larger, was lined for them with clean building

material, and made as near a duplicate of the original as human

hands could make it. The young were then transferred to it, and

put in the same position as the other was taken from. The



