THE AFRICAN FIRK-FINCH. 117 



green-food, of soft long strips of paper, bast and other threads, horse- 

 hair, agave-fibres, hay stems, &c. Sometimes fresh asparagus-sprays, 

 with the cup of cotton wool, short soft hair, hay, feathers, shreds and 

 the like, always differing according to its position ; at the same time 

 artistic and spherical, with a lateral small and neatly rounded, but 

 covered entrance and invariably overarched above. This Ornamental 

 Finch breeds just as well in a small breeding-cage as when at liberty. 

 It rears the young from four to seven eggs always satisfactorily, if 

 accustomed to fresh or soaked ant's cocoons with yolk of egg or egg- 

 bread, and the temperature does not fall below fifteen degrees Reaum. 

 Nestling-down brownish-white ; little warts at the angles of the beak 

 beautiful blue white. Young plumage almost uniform dirty grey ; 

 only the faint, still delicate dark red on the croup to centre of tail 

 and the outer webs of the tail-feathers can be clearly recognized in 

 this species ; beak shining black ; eyes dark, without yellow ring ; the 

 little spots on the sides are wanting. Change of colour commences in 

 the third to the fifth week ; completed in six weeks, often, however, 

 only after months ; its duration depends upon feeding and temperature. 

 So far as I know, first bred in Germany by Leuchfeld, in Nordhausen, 

 then numerously and with the best results by other breeders. In the 

 bird-room, as in the ornamental cage one of the most peaceable Orna- 

 mental Finches. It indeed quarrels with its allies at breeding-time, 

 but without injury. Quiet and tractable, it delights one especially by 

 its confiding behaviour and wise conduct. Song only a clear-sounding 

 trisyllabic often repeated cry. 



"When newly imported, both in bad feather and weakened, indeed 

 sensitive to cold and damp ; they sicken immediately on their arrival 

 in the hands of the dealers in great numbers, or drop off still more, 

 like the flies, without appearing to be ill. 



" One should follow the counsel which I shall give further on in 

 respect to just such imported birds ; a dry temperature in fine is the 

 principal thing for them. 



" Mules have been reared from the Amaranth with the Beautiful 

 croup (Lavender Finch) and Little Gold-breast (Zebra Waxbill.)" 



In his larger work Dr. Russ observes : " The red Astrild is a 

 cosmopolitan, who knows how to suit himself to every situation, and 

 always extract the greatest amount of benefit from it. Even his 

 peculiar movement of the tail characterizes him as a quiet, circumspect 

 character. Not wagging here and there laterally, but as it were 

 meditatively, and deliberately up and down goes the tail, and only 

 under strong excitement does it show a jerky, upward fillip. The 



