160 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



seemed likely to live. Hitherto I have not bred the 

 species; but on the Continent experiments in breeding 

 it have been carried on for upwards of a century. 

 Charming as it is. the Cordon Bleu is always cheap, and 

 (on that account perhaps) Englishmen seem not to t:ike 

 pains to breed it. 



WAXBILL <(Ura,jtiilJtu.* angolensis). 



Male very similar to the preceding, but perhaps -with 

 the blue colouring brighter and with no crimson ear- 

 patch ; beak purplish ; 'feet fleshy brownish ; irides red. 

 Pemale with the blue on the tinder-parts much more re- 

 stricted. Habitat, Angola and Nyassaland to Natal, 

 absent from Namaqualand and Cape Colony, according 

 to Shelley. 



The following notes on the wild life are from Stark 

 and Sclater's "Birds of South Africa," Vol. I., pp. 

 103-104: "These beautiful little Waxbills are usually 

 met -with in small parties, but occasionally in autumn, 

 after the young 'have flown, in very large flocks. They 

 prefer localities which are partly open, partly overgrown 

 with scrub or low trees, and are specially fond of scat- 

 tered mimosa bushes, in which thev take refuge if dis- 

 turbed when feeding on the ground on their favourite 

 grass-seeds. When frightened they rise with a shrill 

 twittering to take shelter in the nearest bushes. In 

 spring both male and female sing not unpleasantly. 

 Although the adults appear to subsist entirely on grass- 

 seeds, the young before they leave the nest are fed on 

 small grubs and insects. The nest is invariably built 

 in a bush, often in a low mimosa, and is general Iy 

 placed in, a fork at a height of from three to eight or 

 nine feet. At first sight it looks like a ball of dried 

 grass carelessly thrown into a bush ; on investigation 

 a small side entrance, nearly concealed by the projecting 

 ends of grass-stalks, may be found, leading to the in- 

 terior, Avhich is smoothly and warmly lined with finer 

 dried grass and feathers. Three or four eggs are laid. 

 These are pure white, and rather round in shape. They 

 average 0.70 by 0.55. Mr. Andersson found this 

 Waxbill nesting in Ondongo. A nest taken by 

 him on February 2nd, 1867, was constructed of grass, 

 and had no internal lining. It was built in a palm 

 bush, six feet from the ground ; the eggs were five in 

 number." 



Mr. Reginald Phillipps gave an account of this 

 species as observed by him in captivity in The. 

 . I i-ifultural Mcif/a:i/if. x.s., Vol. I., pp. 120-124: a good 

 coloured plate, representing both sexes, accompanied his 

 article. 



The London Zoological Society received five specimens 

 in January. 1890, and since that time various private 

 bird-lovers have possessed it. I thought I had secured 

 some myself a few years ago, as I had undoubted cock 

 birds without crimson on the side of the head, but at 

 the next moult the patch appeared. 



VIOLET-EARED WAXBILL (Ura>.ginthus granat.'uu/s). 



The male above is chestnut, becoming greyer on the 

 lower back ; wing-coverts and flights greyish brown, 

 with redder margins; nipper tail-coverts and base of 

 forehead bright 'blue, the latter continuous with a 

 superciliary line ; tail black, with bluish edges to the 

 feathers; lores dusky, eyebrow, ear coverts, and sides 

 of face bright lilac ; base of cheeks and front of throat 

 black ; under surface chestnut with the lower abdomen 

 and vent blackish ; under tail-coverts shining blue ; 

 beak purplish, with the tip red; legs purplish grey; 

 iris red, eye-ring red or greyish-drab. 



The female is greyer above and yellower below, the 



throat whitish; the lilac on the face paler, no blue on 

 the under tadl-coverts. 



Stark (" Birds of S. Africa," Vol. I., pp. 104-105) 

 writes: These beautiful Wax-bills appear never to con- 

 gregate in large flocks, but are either met with in si 

 parties of five or six, or more usually in pairs. They 

 keep much to localities covered with low bushes, and 

 especially with scattered mimosas, and generally feed 

 on the ground between the bushes, often on bare spots, 

 on i;i'uss and other small seeds. 



"A nest taken in June' in the Northern Transvaal, 

 was built about 4ft. off the ground in a thorny bu.-!>. 

 It is round in shape, with a side entrance, and is loosely 

 constructed of dry grass lined wiith a -few feathers. The 

 eggs, three in number, are pure white and measure 

 0.72 by 0.50. It is somewhat curious that this delicate- 

 looking little bird should breed in mid-winter, when the 

 nights are decidedly cold, but I have frequently noticed 

 the seeming indifference of the South African small 

 birds including some of the Sunbirds to tempera- 

 ture. Many breed in mid-winter, even on the bleak 

 mountains of Western Cape Colony. Not infrequently 

 the same species will nest again in the height of 

 summer." 



Although this species appears to have been first im- 

 ported into Europe in 1754, it has never become common 

 in the bird market, and to this day always commands a 

 high price. I remember that the first examples I 

 saw exhibited at a bird show were sold by the late 

 Mr. Abrahams for 10 a pair, and even now. since 

 both Mr. Hamlyn and Captain Horsbrugh have brought 

 over consignments, the usual price is about 4 for a 

 pair. 



Five specimens were presented to the London Zoo-lo- 

 gioa] Society in 1890. In 1906 Mr. Phdllipps published 

 an interesting account of his experiences with four or 

 five specimens o-f the species. : he praises the song, but 

 evidently considers the Violet-ear a dangerous associate 

 for other small birds, one of his having, with a single 

 peck, killed a Cuba Finch which had approached too 

 near to it. His opiniion agrees with my own that, how- 

 ever hardy it may appear to be in South Africa, it 

 cannot stand the damp, chill atmosphere of our c.>ld 

 months. His article is accompanied by a coloured plate 

 of both sexes. 



In 1904 Mrs. Vivian wrote to one saying that her 

 Violet-ears had gone to nest, in Portugal, at the li- 

 ning of January, building in -a small covered box ; two 

 eggs were laid in the box and others probably on the. 

 Around. After sitting for three days the hen deserted 

 the nest ; she. however, ibuilt agadn and laid two < 

 but if these were hatched no notice of the fact 

 published. 



In 1906, through the kindness of Miss Joan Glad- 

 stone, I became the owner of a beautiful pair of tin- 

 species, which reached ane on May 19th. The weather 

 being encouraging, I turned them into my smaller 

 outdoor aviary, and hoped I should have good luck wiith 

 them. It was a vain hope, for on the 21st the hen 

 dropped dead while flying from the open to the covered 

 part of the aviary, and although her loss did not ap 

 to affect the cock bird, he evidently must have fought 

 with another bird either Mil ma pcrforaTi* or M. 

 flar'ipri/nina . and had the worst of the encounter. I 

 found him on the 26th looking sick and sorry, with a 

 nasty bare patch pecked on his forehead, and on the 

 following day he also died. 



In 1907 iTIn' Avicultural Mct</a-.i<-, N.S., Vol. A*, 

 pp. 325-339) Mr. Phillipps gave a further account of his 

 Violet-ears and their attempts to breed in his garden 

 avianies. Unfortunately, owing to the damp and rain 

 they were not perfectly successful. 



