THE MAGPIE MANNIKIN. 255 



like in character, the tipper mandible dark bine, the lower mandible 

 clear leaden grey ; legs leaden grey ; iris dark brown. 



The female is very slightly inferior in size, with a smaller brown 

 patch on the sides of the body. 



I have been unable to discover anything respecting the wild life 

 of this bird ; but its habits, probably closely resemble those of the 

 other Mannikins. 



Dr. Russ objects to the name fringilloidts, as a barbarism, and 

 proposes to call the bird Spermestes fringillina. He says, that he first 

 received a single example in 1868 : it had been supposed to be allied 

 to the Weaver-birds ; but, when he saw it at once make friends with 

 Bronze Mannikins, he felt satisfied that it must be an Ornamental 

 Finch. He continues as follows : 



" After a short time Miss Hagenbeck received a large consignment 

 of Giant-little-Pies, and now they gradually took up their abode in all 

 bird-rooms. They first went to nest with Mr. Emil Linden, then Count 

 York, of Wartenburg, and in my bird-room. The bird's mode of life, 

 especially the development of the brood, at once proved, quite conclu- 

 sively, that it was one of the Ornamental Finches. The pair is always 

 inseparable, and the male performs precisely the humming, hopping 

 love- dance of the Little-pie (Bronze Mannikin). The nest is constructed 

 in any kind of cavity, or even openly in a bush ; in the latter case, 

 tolerably skilfully built in a rounded form, and with a narrow lateral 

 entrance hole, of bast, thread and stalks, and lined with blades of grass, 

 as well as little soft rags, wadding, etc. The laying consists of four to 

 six pure white eggs. The young plumage above is dull uniform chocolate- 

 brown, below whitish grey-brown ; beak black ; feet blackish-brown. 

 The change of colour begins in about the sixth week, in that the plumage 

 above grows darker, and below lighter, until finally pure white. After 

 the first year the feathers of the head first show the metallic gloss, and 

 then also the yellow-brown spot on the sides, which is very gradually 

 developed (see scientific description), is fully defined. Many pairs nest 

 readily and productively, others on the contrary, year in, year out, make 

 no attempt at nest building." 



The German name " Riesenelsterchen " seems a contradiction, unless 

 the " chen " be accepted as a diminutive of affection, and the name 

 translated " Darling Giant Magpie," which would be absurd. 



Barly in 1896 I purchased a beautiful pair of this species, which 

 I turned into my largest flight-cage, in the hope of breeding from 

 them. At first they quarrelled so incessantly that, thinking I might 

 have secured two males, I caught and carefully compared them ; I was 



