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says (quoted by Dr. Butler at p. 151 of Fo? r eign Finches) : —

“ Young plumage dull earthy-grey, feebly tinted with olive-

green ; underbody dirty yellowish-grey, with grey-black tail

above and below ; only recognisable by the already existing soft

red of the superciliary stripe and croup. The change of colour

I do not know as the young always died before it.” Mr.

Campbell (p. 491) is more satisfactory:—“The bill is black in

youthful birds up to the age of three months, or the first moult,

and the red eyebrows. . . . are not donned until the same


age.” My young birds have not any visible red on bill or brow,

and the} r are now often plainly to be seen, for, like many young

birds that have never been handled or frightened, they are very

tame, and come freely to the front of the aviary. Occasionally

they may be seen busily hunting amongst the foliage for insect

life ; in wet weather, too, if not cold, they sport amongst the wet

leaves with great delight. The parents have almost disappeared,

so probably are nesting again.


So far as I have been able to see, for I may not yet inspect

the nests, the first nest is of ordinary size, while the second is a

very large long structure. Here again I cannot do better than

quote Mr. Campbell :—“ Nest: Bulky, bottle-shaped, with a side

entrance through the neck ; constructed of grasses generally

gathered green ; lined inside with fine grasses and feathers ;

usually situated in the upright forked branches of thick bush or

small tree, often near a stream. Dimensions about 12 inches in

length by a girth in thickest part of 18 to 20 inches. Fggs :

Clutch, usually five or six ; lengthened or pointed oval in shape ;

texture of shell close and fine; surface slightly glossy; colour

pure white.”


I think I have nothing special to add respecting these

birds. Perhaps the frequent feeding of the fully fledged young

on the ground is a little unusual. But there was just one little

domestic incident which struck me as somewhat out of the

common. On the 19th of June the male flew on to a high thin

perch with a feather, nearly as large as himself, in his bill. He

was at once joined by the female, and pairing, presumably

unsuccessful, followed. The pairing was repeated, and the two

birds dropped into the shrubbery and disappeared. From first to

last, during the whole time they remained in sight, the male

retained the feather in his bill.


I have been invited by one of my colleagues to suggest a

Medal (of course under the usual restrictions) for breeding the

Australian Waxbill. At first I was disposed to decline the kind



