THE LAVENDER-FINCH. 121 



Bleu at breeding-time, as already noted in my account of the Amaduvade 

 Waxbill : indeed, it is a singular fact that many of these apparently 

 peaceable little birds, which will sit in rows in the dealers' store-cages, 

 preen one another's feathers, and never dream of disputing, when they 

 are turned loose in a large bird-room aviary, will at times (but more 

 especially in the breeding-season) attack one another with considerable 

 fierceness. 



Dr. Russ lost some of his first Lavender Finches, which escaped 

 through a narrow interval between the netting over his window and 

 the wall, and in the autumn when the nights were already becoming 

 chill. A subsequent experience was almost as distressing ; he thus 

 describes it : " The place in which the little Hartz cage was situated, 

 high up near the ceiling of the room, was very difficult of approach, 

 because below it much dense scrub, quite richly studded with nests, 

 was collected. Until the flight of the young, from some of these 

 nests, I was therefore obliged to put off the examination of the Red- 

 tails' brood. When, however, I had an opportunity to take down 

 that little Hartz cage who can describe my astonishment and my 

 distress ! Immediately I found the nest of the little Red-tails entirely 

 closed up, so that I could nowhere discover an opening ; and when I 

 cleared away the entrance hole, I saw that it was fast stopped up with 

 the stems of grasses different from those used for building the nest. 

 Inside were the two little birds lamentably starved upon five almost 

 completely incubated eggs." 



"Further observation enabled me to arrive at the following explana- 

 tion. In the bird-room there was also a pair of Parson birds or 

 Banded Grass- Finches, which, in common with several other species of 

 birds, are accustomed to construct one nest after another with great 

 assiduity, then to desert them, in order hastily to begin a new one. 

 Thus they proceed for a considerable time before they finally go to 

 nest in earnest." 



" Now these birds, since the little Red-tails had betaken them- 

 selves to rest very early in the evening, had completely filled up the 

 narrow entrance-hole behind them as they squeezed in the blades of 

 grass and the like. Had I had a presentiment of the event, the 

 imprisoned birds could have been easily saved; but even in those 

 days I could not find leisure to observe attentively and watchfully as 

 formerly, as I was much occupied with urgent duties." 



As I shall have to point out later in this work, the Parson Finch 

 is quite unstiited for the bird-room, and should only be associated 

 with birds stronger than himself: beautiful though he is, he is at all 



