THE PARROT FINCH. 159 



With their near relatives, the three-coloured Parrot Amandines, 

 also flying at large, they live on the best of terms. How closely 

 related these three differently named species of Parrot Amandines are 

 to one another, is best shown by the fact that a male of the Three- 

 coloured, in a few days, contracted an intimate friendship with a 

 female of the typical form, so that, whenever they ceased their rest- 

 less hopping about, they were certain to settle down closely cuddled 

 together.* Furthermore, a male of the Three-coloured solicited a 

 female of the Leek-green with ardent love antics, directly I experi- 

 mentally placed the latter together with him." 



Lieut. Hauth says that this species has no genuine song; it 

 consists of a tolerably loud prolonged "tsc/iee" followed by a long trill 

 " tsiereereereer" frequently repeated, and which, he thinks, sounds rather 

 pretty, though not unlike the whirring sound made by winding up a 

 watch. These sounds, as a rule, are only rarely heard, but one male 

 in his possession he describes as repeating the sing-song, almost 

 ad nauseam, the whole day through, and thereby giving itself an in- 

 flamed throat. Both sexes have a call-note, a tolerably sharp tseet, 

 often used, but especially when the birds are anxious or anything 

 specially attracts their attention. Finally both sexes at breeding time, 

 when within the nest, utter a somewhat rough sound " erre erre." 



After making sure that he had two genuine pairs, Lieut. Hauth 

 placed a single pair in a roomy cage, which he had previously 

 furnished with two Hartz-cages and plenty of building material. 

 After a few days the cock-bird began to build, carrying in first bast- 

 fibre until the cage was half full, then cocoa and agave fibres, and 

 lastly a quantity of cow-hair and pig's-bristles. Most of the work was 

 done by the male, the female occasionally taking in a stalk; she, 

 however, busied herself with the lining, the male bird sharing her 

 labours even in this respect. 



When completed, the nest was spherical with partly covered small 

 entrance : it was rarely made use of at night, but both sat in the 

 entrance with their red heads visible. 



Thus, in the course of a month, several nests were built, destroyed 

 and restored ; but, either because it was winter, or because the birds 

 were too young, they did not produce eggs. At last, towards the 

 beginning of spring the birds became excited, built eagerly, but with- 

 out completing their nest, therefore Lieut. Hauth shifted them from 

 the wired cage, in which he had them, into a large box-cage, which 



* This strikes me as a curious contradiction of his previous assertion that they very rarely 

 sit cuddled together. A.G.B. 



