2 1 6 Bird-keep ing. 



did not do this out of cruelty to their smaller neigh- 

 bours, but to pull out "their feathers, in order to use 

 them for their nests, for if not properly supplied with 

 materials for these, they will strip other birds of their 

 feathers, and make use of them. 



I had a pair of these birds in my large Canary cage 

 for some time. The male bird, which I had first, 

 assumed a beautiful roseate hue in the month of June, 

 and as I saw him picking up bits of grass and millet- 

 stalks, and twisting them between the wires of the 

 cage, I put some long blades of grass and bass into it, 

 upon which he went to work immediately, and twisted 

 round the middle bar of a swing of perches, creating 

 great excitement among the Canaries, who all assem- 

 bled to watch his proceedings, and frequently angered 

 him by pulling his work to pieces. Soon after this I 

 procured a hen Weaver, which was no sooner put into 

 the cage than, without taking any apparent notice of 

 her or approaching her, he flew at all the Canary cocks, 

 one after the other, and pecked them so viciously that 

 I was obliged to take him out of the cage. I put him 

 and his wife into a small cage, which affronted them 

 so desperately that neither would attempt to weave 

 till I replaced them in the large cage, when, without 

 attacking the Canaries, they went to work at once 

 diligently, and wove a long pendent nest, with an 

 entrance-hole at the side ; with this, however, they 

 appeared discontented, and having built it up, they 



