soo Bird-keeping. 



blue on the breast being less bright, and she is with- 

 out the crimson patches on the ears. The bill is of a 

 more ^purple shade than that of the Avadavat. The 

 cock has a pretty soft song, and has a curious habit 

 of singing with something in his beak. If he can pick 

 up a bit of cotton in the cage, or a stalk of any kind, 

 he dances up and down with it in his bill, singing 

 all the time. Two of my birds paired, and carried up 

 a quantity of ends of wool into a small knitting-basket, 

 arranged so as to form a domed nest with a hole in it, 

 which I put into a corner of the cage ; and the hen 

 sat in it for a day or two, and then died, as I believe, 

 from inability to lay her eggs. Had I known then 

 the discovery that has been made of late years by 

 German naturalists, and especially by Dr. Karl Russ, 

 that all these little Waxbills will breed and rear their 

 young in confinement, under certain conditions, I might 

 have saved her life, and succeeded in rearing some 

 of these beautiful little birds. In his large work, "Die 

 Fremlandische Stubenvogel," now coming out in parts, 

 Dr. Russ relates his experience with the several species. 

 In general, he says, he found it useless to attempt to 

 breed tropical birds, unless the room could be kept at 

 an equable temperature of from 66 to 78 (Fahr.) If 

 it sank much below this, the hens would generally die 

 when about to lay their eggs. All sudden changes, 

 as well as damp and draughts, are specially to be 

 guarded against, It is also necessary to give the birds 



