124 FOREIGN FINCHES IN CAPTIVITY. 



that time among thousands of birds on ships which arrived there from 

 West Africa. He kept them for a long time in a cage, and designates 

 them as splendid coloured, pleasant, peaceful birds. Moreover, in 1870, 

 A. T. Wiener, of London, bought three Granat-Astrilds at Liverpool. 

 At the Berlin Bird-show of 1877, Miss Hagenbeck had a pair, and H. 

 Moller three males. Prince Ferdinand, of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, obtained 

 Granat-Astrilds several times. Now and again single Granat-Astrilds 

 arrive in Hamburg and London." 



" It is to be hoped that this ravishing Astrild will again be regularly 

 imported, and this may be expected to happen as soon as the tracts in 

 Africa, which it inhabits, are more thrown open to trade and commerce. 

 It will surely never come into the bird-market in great abundance." 



I do not quite see the force of this last observation, unless the 

 Violet-eared Waxbill should prove to be too delicate to reach Burope 

 in any quantities. In Africa it is common enough, as may be seen 

 by the series of dead specimens in collections. So far as I can see, 

 there is no reason why large consignments should not be imported. 



Mr. Abrahams wrote to me, on December iath, 1893, as follows: 

 " I have never had a Violet-eared Waxbill, but a short time ago there 

 were a few at the 'Zoo.' However, in the winter of 1896-7, he 

 purchased two pairs from a client which were sold at, I" believe, 10 

 the pair ; of these one pair was exhibited at the Crystal Palace Show 

 for 1897." 



It seems to me that, in the case of rarely imported though common 

 birds, like the Violet-eared Waxbill, or the Australian Fire Finch, it 

 would pay the dealers to have plates drawn on stone and coloured ; 

 the coloured illustrations might be sent out to the nearest port to the 

 head-quarters of these birds, with an order for a large consignment. 

 When birds are abundant they can be caught, and if natives are paid 

 to catch certain species, there can be little doubt that they will be 

 glad to obtain them. As Dr. Russ says : single specimens arrive now 

 and then, and fifty or a hundred head could be as easily sent home 

 as single specimens : where there is one Waxbill there are many not 

 far away, for, when not breeding, almost all the species (if not all) 

 move about in large or small flocks and find their food upon the 

 ground, so that there ought to be no difficulty in snaring or netting 

 them. 



I was speaking, a few years ago, to the owner of an estate on the 

 Transvaal, where some of Mr. Ayres' specimens were shot, and he assured 

 me that there would be no difficulty in obtaining birds, or in making 

 rough cages in which to send them home ; the only difficulty would 



