' 76 FOREIGN FINCHES IN CAPTIVITY. 



witnessed. Eventually she caught cold and died, whereat the Parrakeet 

 was greatly distressed and moped for several days. 



Dr. Russ says that this Cardinal is " easily bred, but not with 

 certainty. First bred by Dr. Bodinus, then living in Cologne. Both 

 consorts build the nest.* The male relieves the female in incubation. 

 The nest and all the breeding details similar to that of the foregoing 

 (The Virginian Cardinal). Laying three to six eggs ; pale greenish, 

 sprinkled with brownish or greenish- grey. Nestling down sparse, white. 

 Young plumage faint greyish white ; head dull brownish red-grey ; whole 

 underside almost pure white. Change in colour like that of the preceding 

 species. Song pleasing, but interrupted by long-drawn scroopy-sounding, 

 unlovely notes. Sprightly, graceful, vivacious, often very excitable ; 

 spiteful towards smaller birds. Strong and enduring." 



A pair of Red-crested Cardinals belonging to Mr. J. Housden, of 

 Sydenham, went to nest in 1893, in a small box hung on the wall of the 

 aviary. At first he was not aware that they were thus engaged, but 

 the behaviour of the hen bird drew his attention to the fact. Whenever 

 he or his boy-assistant entered the aviary and approached the nest-box, 

 the hen stood in a defiant attitude with wings half spread and open 

 beak, uttering a sibilant cry of rage. The eggs were incubated for 

 fourteen days, and one of the young ones was nourished until tolerably 

 well feathered, when it was found dead upon the sand ; having probably 

 fallen out of the nest : the other young died early. In 1895 a pair in 

 one of my aviaries built a strong open nest, in twigs nailed against the 

 wall ; the hen used to scramble through the twigs, sit down and turn 

 round in the nest ; but, if the cock approached her singing, she 

 immediately flew out and then he began to pull the nest about and 

 rebuild it : they never got any further. In 1896 I turned them into my 

 outdoor aviary, but there they never even built, and towards autumn 

 one of them died, possibly it did not have enough fruit, of which these 

 birds are very fond and which is certainly good for all the Cardinals. 



In his work entitled Die Fremdlandischen Stubenvdgel, .Dr. Russ 

 gives a combined account of the whole of the species of Paroaria under 

 the title of " Grey Cardinals " and informs us that travellers have given 

 very little exact information as to their wild habits. The pernicious 

 custom of giving raw meat to these Buntings probably took its rise from 

 the following accounts quoted by Russ : " In his Encyclopedic d' Histoire 

 naturelle (Paris) Chenu relates, that Mr. Passerini, at the desire of the 

 Princess of Florence, in the years 1837 to 1839, commenced breeding 

 experiments with Grey Cardinals. The pair built its nest in the branches 



* My experience is that the male builds aucl the female merely arranges details. A.G.B. 



