1 8a FOREIGN FINCHES IN CAPTIVITY. 



various receptacles ; built in my bird-room in Hartz-cages, hollow 

 branches of trees, little boxes, often openly in a bush, or on a cage. 

 They drag hay and pieces of straw, with strips of bast, into a great 

 untidy heap, lined with feathers, cotton-wool and hair. Laying two 

 to five eggs. Both sexes incubate in turn ; duration twelve days. 

 Entire brood completed in about five weeks. Young plumage : Crown, 

 nape, neck and back brown grey ; croup delicate, but lively red ; 

 throat, breast, abdomen and under tail-coverts greyish- white ; breast- 

 band, sides and tail dark blackish-grey ; bill, black, waxy skin bluish 

 white. Recognizable by its figure and red croup. Change of colour : 

 on the uniformly coloured sides ash-grey dots appear ; then gradually 

 the black intensifies near the beak as far as the eye, and on the upper 

 part of the breast ; the underside becomes more purely white, the 

 upper part of the bod}'' darker, the red stronger, the black deeper and 

 the white spots become round ; the beak first begins to get red at the 

 base. Breeding is not easy, some pairs do not nest at all or only 

 after years. This species also, I was first to breed ; then in many 

 bird-rooms, by C. Hendschel, at Innleitenmuhle, Bmil Kratz, of 

 Glauchau, and others. Harmless and peaceable in an aviary, only 

 when nesting a tremendous bully; without, however, destroying other 

 birds' nests. Remarkable peculiarity : It does not swallow like other 

 Finches, after every mouthful of water, with its head raised high up, 

 but drinks swallowing like a pigeon."* 



The following is Mr. Wiener's experience : " In the aviary the 

 Diamond Sparrow is fairly peaceable, but the bird lacks the agility 

 and liveliness of the smaller Finches, is apt to become too fat. A 

 pair will sit for hours quietly on a branch or perch, when the male 

 will slowly erect his body, utter a long-drawn loud call, and then sink 

 back into his former position." 



Now, this might perhaps be expected of the Diamond Finch in a 

 small aviary, crowded with more active birds ; but my experience of 

 two pairs in bird- room and flight cage was the reverse : I found the 

 Diamond Sparrow fully as active as my Black-headed Mannikins and 

 Spice Finches. 



Wiener continues : " Canary and millet seed, with some millet in 

 the ear, are really all the Spotted-sided Finches require as food ; they 

 will take a few mealworms, and some soft food, but this should only 

 be given at breeding-time. This is one of the few Finches bred at 

 the Zoological Gardens. Amateurs have often bred the Diamond 



* I have seen Green Amaduvades do the same thing. A.G.B. 



