200 FOREIGN FINCHES IN CAPTIVITY. 



their bad treatment during transport." He then goes on to recom- 

 mend, that when first received, these birds should not be immediately 

 turned loose in the bird-room, but at first be kept in cages on a 

 uniformly seed diet, and that no fresh ants' cocoons should be given 

 them, but only one or two mealworms apiece. Of course, in the 

 case of my own pair, which I obtained, as already stated, from 

 Mr. Abrahams, it is probable that they had been subjected to some- 

 what the same treatment as is here recommended, consequently they 

 were in perfectly sound health, and but for the difficulty of egg- 

 binding, both sexes might still be alive and well, as the male bird 

 passed three winters out in the cold, on one occasion amounting to 

 as much as twenty-one degrees of frost. Judging, therefore, from 

 this example alone, I should be inclined to regard the Cherry Finch 

 as the hardiest of all the Australian Ornamental Finches : in the 

 winter of 1894-5 I had a pair out in the cold. 



It is not, however, always safe to base one's judgment on a single 

 individual, or a pair ; for, in the same aviary I kept a St. Helena 

 Waxbill in perfect health, although its two companions, of the same 

 species, died early after the commencement of the night frosts, whilst 

 a Lavender Finch has lived there for fully three years, whereas all other 

 examples have died. 



Dr. Russ gives the following account of the nesting of this 

 species: "The 'extremely innocent and peaceable Cherry Astrilds 

 living in my bird-room very soon started breeding, and, in fact, two 

 pairs went to nest without disturbance, not far from one another. The 

 nest was regularly formed in a little basket standing in a Hartz-cage, 

 or in a dense bush ; domed over with dry grass stalks and fibres, but 

 without any particular skill. The laying consisted almost invariably 

 of four proportionably large eggs. Incubation occupies twelve days. 

 The young plumage above is uniform dull earthy grey, below dirty 

 whitish grey, entirely without the transverse striped marking. Only 

 after very close examination is it possible to discover delicate dark 

 lines. The brown head-patch and the black throat-colouring are 

 wanting. The beak is clear leaden grey. I can safely affirm that I 

 first reared this Astrild in captivity, and hitherto I only. This, 

 however, seems to me remarkable, since the bird is no longer rare, 

 but may already be found in all bird-rooms." 



Why Dr. Russ calls this species an Astrild I cannot imagine ; 

 unless it be that he sees a likeness between it and the Double-banded 

 Finch : in build, indeed, it is very like that species, but its song has 

 the almost voiceless character of the majority of the typical Grass- 



