THR CORDON BLEU. 127 



white, somewhat cylindrical eggs, which when incubated became opaque 

 and milky." He then proceeds to tell us that the Granat-Astrild, like 

 Uroloncha catitatis, also uses the residences of little Weaver-birds and 

 that the song of the male consists of a little pleasant whispered 

 melody.* Whether he calls this bird (like its cousin Granatina 

 vranatind) a " Granat Astrild," is not clear ; but a note at the foot 

 .of the page proves that he is well aware of the entire distinctness 

 of the two species. He further informs us that " Dr. Hartmann 

 saw large flights of Uragmthtts phcenicotis in the primeval forests of 

 the upper Blue Nile." 



Dr. Russ calls this the " Butterfly Finch " and writes of it as 

 follows : " A colouring peculiarly its own, and a peaceable, but, at the 

 same time intelligent disposition, distinguish this Ornamental Finch 

 from others." 



" It is one of the birds with which, more than a hundred years 

 ago, attempts at breeding had been made ; it had already been bred by 

 Vieillot and others ; but no detailed observations published. With us, 

 it was first reared, accurately observed and described by Hermann 

 Leuchfeld, of Nordhausen. The pair after several breeding failures, 

 brought lip two and then seven young ones. Then it was also bred 

 in my, and later in many other bird-rooms. They almost always 

 build openly in a bush and generally high up near the ceiling. The 

 male brings building material, the female constructs the nest, of hay- 

 stems, threads of bast, strips of paper, lined with horsehair and cotton 

 thread, feathers and soft strips of paper. A round, flattish bag, with 

 side entrance concealed by overhanging stalks, externally disorderly, 

 internally carefully rounded and artistically disposed. Nest built in 

 seven to nine days, but even when they have commenced incubation, 

 they carry up to it stalks, feathers, etc. Down blue-grey ; the little 

 beak-warts blue-white. Young plumage like that of the adult female, 

 but only soft blue on the breast, side, croup and upper tail ; the 

 beak black, eyes black, feet black ; the red cheek-spot is absent. The 

 change of colour takes place in the fifth to the eighth week, when in 

 the proper places the blue appears, ever growing more defined and 

 in the male the red cheek-spot. 



" Almost the most delicate of all Ornamental Finches. The hens 

 die with the slightest fluctuations of temperature, and in the nesting- 

 season, unhappily, frequently from egg-laying. It is therefore, best 

 in Autumn and Winter to deprive them of the means of breeding 



* As none of the Waxbills sings more shrill}' than E. phatnicotis, it would seem that this 

 observation refers to Granatina. A.G.B. 



