156 



FOREIGN BIEDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



whiter ; breast and abdomen smoky pearl-grey at the 

 sides, buffish in the centre ; under wing-coverts 

 brownish-white, flights and tail below smoky grey; 

 beak carmine, the culmen black, as also the under 

 surface of the lower mandible excepting at the tip: legs 

 yellowish horn-colour ; iris crimson. " The female has 

 not been differentiated, but I believe she is a trifle 

 duller than the male. Hab., Australia, from Queensland 

 to Wide Bay district, and New South Wales. 



Abundant in the gardens and grassy pastures of 

 Sydney, and assembling in large flocks in the autumn. 

 In the spring chiefly seen in pairs. It builds a large 

 flask-like nest of grass lined with thistle-down in any 

 suitable low bush. As many as fifty nests have been 

 met Avith in a single day, which speaks loudly for the 

 abundance of the species, and the only marvel is that 

 it has not become one of the cheapest and most popular 

 species in the bird market. A sitting consists of five 

 white eggs. The song, which I have heard many times 

 in my aviaries, is " Sce-sizz-it," repeated rapidly about 

 five times. 



This is certainly one of the most hardy of the Wax- 

 bills. and lives in a cool aviary for years without 

 trouble, provided that, if a hen," it does not become 

 eggbound. Even then, if picked up and transferred to 

 a warm cage, it will usually have recovered by the 

 following morning. Nevertheless, Dr. Russ was of 

 opinion that this bird was more delicate than most 

 Australian species, and less lively. I was not specially 

 fortunate with my first pair, but others subsequently 

 purchased have done remarkably well with me. I find 

 them about as active as Grey Waxbills. 



This has generally been called Sydney Waxbill, but 

 it is a very unsatisfactory name for a bird with so 

 wide a range. Mr. Reginald Phillipps, who bred this 

 species in his garden aviary in 1902 (see The Avicul- 

 hirnl Mayazine, 1st Ser., Vol. VIII. , pp. 289-293), calls 

 it the Australian Waxbill. 



ST. HELENA WAXBILL (K-<trU<la n^fri 



The prevailing colour of this bird is earthy grey, 

 with narrow darker transverse bars, the under parts 

 washed with rose colour, which deepens to bright 

 crimson on the centre of abdomen ; the vent, under 

 tail coverts, and inner webs of tail feathers 'black ; the 

 lores, and a streak continuous therewith enclosing the 

 eye and extending to the ear-coverts, bright crimson ; 

 beak crimson, feet blackish, iris brown. The female 

 has less crimson on the abdomen than the male ; she 

 is also slightly smaller, and has a shorter and more 

 rapidly tapered beak. Hab., S. Africa, ranging to 

 Damaraland on the west and Matabeleland on the east. 

 It has ibeen introduced into St. Helena, Mauritius, 

 Madagascar, etc. 



In his great work on the " Birds of Africa," Captain 

 Shelley recognises three sub-species of this species and 

 three other forms he regards as true species, viz., 

 E. minor (East Africa), E. occidentalis (West and 

 North-east Africa), and E. rnliri i-rnfris (Gaboon to 

 Angola). On the other hand, Dr. Sharpe regards 

 E. minor and E. rtibriventris a& sub-species, and 

 E. occidentalis as synonymous with the latter. Doubt- 

 less all the forms have at times been sold indis- 

 criminately as St. Helena Wax-bills ; they chiefly differ 

 in size and richness of colouring. 



The nest, when built in a state of liberty, is said to 

 be often as large as a stable-bucket and inhabited by 

 several pairs ; it is formed of all kinds of rubbish and 

 lined with a mass of feathers. As usual, the eggs are 

 white, and as many as fourteen are sometimes found in 

 a single nest. 



In its wild state this bird is gregarious, and can be 



captured in flocks' of hundreds ; it is, therefore, no 

 marvel that it is cheap in the bird market, in spite of 

 its tendency to drop off unexpectedly when first im- 

 ported. 



The song of this Waxbill consists of six shrill notes, 

 and is not unpleasing, whilst the bird itself brightens, 

 up an aviary so long as it lives ; but, unless purchased 

 in the spring, this and all African Waxbills are almost 

 certain to die soon after their arrival. Up to the 

 present time I do not think I have been able to keep 

 the St. Helena Waxbill for more than eighteen months 

 but in one of those toy-aviaries (of the Crystal Palace 

 pattern) kept in a sitting-room at an even temperature 

 most delicate Finches will live for years ; yet it is- 

 far more satisfactory to turn it into an outdoor aviary 

 at the commencement of the warm weather, and so 

 gradually acclimatise it; there would then be some 

 chance of breeding it. 



GREY WAXBILL (Estrilda cincrca). 



Similar to the preceding species, but decidedly 

 smaller ; paler colouring above and below, with less 

 defined barring to the feathers ; less crimson on the 

 abdomen, and distinctly shorter tail. Hab., " Tropical 

 Africa, from 5 deg. to 17 deg. N. Lat." (Shelley.) 



Of the wild life of this species, Captain Shelley 

 records the following (" Birds of Africa," Vol. IV., 

 Part 1, pp. 203-4) : " Its occurrence in the Cape Verde 

 Islands was first recorded by Dr. Dohrn, and Mr. 

 Keulemans, who accompanied his expedition to those 

 islands, informs me : ' It was met with in flocks of con- 

 siderable size along the banks of the streams. Native 

 names, " Gingerotte " and " Boco vermillio.'" 



Captain Shelley proceeds to tell us that according to 

 Mr. Boyd Alexander's notes, " it frequents the sugar- 

 cane in large flocks, which keep up a constant twittering- 

 while on tlie wing, and reminded him of the Lesser 

 Redpoll. It is locally known as the ' Sugar-cane bird.' 

 He found it on Santiago, Brava, Sao Vicente and 

 Boavista. On November 17th, while on Sao Nicolau, he 

 took a nest of the species. " It was placed between the 

 upper stems of a young orange-tree, domed like a 

 Sparrow's, and composed of very fine freshly-plucked 

 gi-ass. The eggs, four in number, were white, and 

 measured 0.6 by 0.45." 



When first imported this bird is even more delicate 

 than the preceding species, particularly if purchased 

 in the autumn or winter. Up to 1898 I had rarely been 

 able to keep it for more than a year ; of a pair which 

 I purchased in the spring, I think of that year, one died 

 within twelve months, but the other wa.s alive in 1906 

 when it mysteriously vanished ; whether it died in some 

 corner or was killed by mice I don't know. 



This little Finch has built and laid eggs in my bird- 

 room, but it did not succeed in hatching them. The 

 nest was formed entirely of hay, so far as I could see ; 

 the weaving was done systematically, the hen sitting 

 inside, and passing the bents through to the cock, which 

 sat ^inside and pay-red them back to his partner, and 

 between them they made a very neat and compact-look- 

 ing globe-shaped domicile. The Common Waxbill is of 

 abort tin- si/e nf tlu> Indian Avadavat, but it i- 

 livoly. Like must of the Astrilds, it can be obtained for 

 a few shillings, and therefore it should be in CV.TV 

 aviary. 



ROSY-RUM LM-:D OR ST:XDEVALL'S WAXBILL 

 ( !'.<> i-U<la rhodopyga). 



Above pale brown with darker liars, head greyer and 

 less distinctly barred ; upper tail-coverts rosy crimeon; 

 median wing-coverts a^hy-brmvn. greater coverts similar 



