Correspondence , Notes, etc. 403



Since receiving the birds most of the huff feathers have been moulted and

chocolate coloured ones have grown. The song resembles that of the

Cordon Bleu, but is longer, and instead of being shrill is very sweet; in

fact, it is almost exactly like that of the Blue Waxbill ( Estrilda angolensis)

which I also have. Both male and female Violet-eared Waxbills sing, but

the song of the female is weak. When singing both sexes hold a straw in

the beak and dance sideways in jumps down the perch. At the same time

I received a pair of Red-faced Finches {Pytelia cifra), and a young bird sup¬

posed to be of the same kind (it does not look quite the same). The adult

Red-faced Finch does not sing at present, but the attempts of the young

bird to sing are like those of a young Canary, and some notes are quite

loud and not in the least like those of Waxbills. Can you tell me what

Pytelia melba is like ? I am giving all these birds a few fresh ants’ eggs

every day. Do you consider these too fattening ?


A male Avadavat and a male Silverbill, which we have had for five

years, are inseparable companions; this year they have made a nest in

which they sleep, and at present they are taking turns in sitting on one egg

which was laid in their nest by a Gouldian Finch.


R. S. Vivian.


' The following reply has been sent to Mrs. Vivian:


Although Holub says (see Foreign Finches in Captivity, new ed., p.

123) that the Violet-eared Waxbill resembles the Weavers and Whydahs in

its change of plumage, it struck me that he might have been misled by

seeing the change from the young into the adult plumage: therefore, know¬

ing that Mr. Phillipps had a male of this species, I wrote to him. He

replied: “ I obtained an adult male Violet-eared Waxbill on the 26th May,

1902; it is still with me and in faultless condition.


“ I have never noticed ain T seasonal change of plumage, nor anything

that would lead me to suppose that one exists.


“ Mrs. Vivian’s bird was probably moulting from the immature to the

adult plumage.”


The 011I3' Waxbill which, to my knowledge, exhibits seasonal changes

of plumage is the Amaduvade.


Zonogastris melba is altogether a duller coloured bird than Pytelia

afra* ; the back more olive-tinted, the crimson parts duller, the grey of the

head darker, more slaty, and extending over the ear-coverts (which are

crimson in P. afra) ; the breast spotted with white and barred with black

and white; in P. afra it is simply barred with white which, in that species,

continues on to the abdomen, whereas Z. melba has the abdomen white.


A. G. Butler.



* The scarlet face, and spotted and barred under-parts of Zonogastris melba cer¬

tainly give it the appearance of a more brightly coloured bird than Pytelia a/ra.—'ED.



