100 GARDEN AND AVIARY BIRDS. 
it is not advisable to put more than one pair into an aviary 
as they are hard fighters. Nor should they be associated 
with small and weak-billed birds such as Waxbills and 
Canaries as they have been known to devour the brains of 
such! But this was probably-when they were debarred 
from their natural insect food: for they are more insec- 
tivorous than most Finches, and should always have a few 
insects or a little egg-food daily. Too much soft food 
should not be given, as they are rather apt to get unduly 
fat. They have been known to breed in confinement 
in Europe, making an open nest in a bush. When they 
are breeding, particular care should be taken to keep up a 
good supply of insects. Scarcely any Finch is such a 
desirable aviary bird as this. It is big enough to be 
striking, easily kept, and hardy and long-lived in either 
a hot or cold climate, and its notes are not unmusical, 
though it cannot be called a great songster. 
THE SWALLOWS. 
The Swallows are an even better-marked family than 
the Finches, and, like them, are found nearly everywhere. 
They have small, flat, pointed beaks, wide mouths, very 
small legs and feet, extremely long wings, and usually a 
forked tail—indeed their form is so familiar that they 
hardly need description. They feed entirely on small 
insects caught on the wing, and seldom perch, selecting a 
dead bough or telegraph wire when they do settle. On 
the ground they are very rarely seen, and when there they’ 
walk, or rather waddle, instead of hopping like most small 
