THE COMBASOU. 265 



number of eggs is three to five ; these are obtusely oval, pure white 

 and when incubated they acquire a more bluish tinge." 



" After the rainy season the old birds moult." 



Von Heuglin goes on to say that he has known Ultramarine 

 Finches to make their home in the forest region, in which case, they 

 are seen singly or in pairs, and appear to nest in holes in trees : he 

 is, however, not sure that all these belong to the steel-grey type (H. 

 teneaj which he considers to be simply a variety of the other. 



Altogether, the above account is somewhat vague ; inasmuch as 

 the first statement implies that the nest is built among the branches 

 of trees ; whereas, later on, we are informed that in wooded country it 

 is probably built in holes ; and, in cultivated districts, unquestionably 

 so. 



The Combasou is a perfectly harmless bird, and may be kept 

 quite safely with the smallest Waxbills, to which, indeed, it will make 

 love continually during the breeding-season ; but without the savage 

 violence of a typical Weaver : the song too nearly resembles castanets 

 to be pretty, but the bird itself evidently thinks it very fine. As 

 regards hardiness, the Combasou appears to be quite indifferent to 

 cold, one in my coldest aviary having been perfectly happy with 

 twelve degrees of frost, although it had only been in England three 

 or four months at the time : indeed, my experience would tend to 

 show that, when recently imported, fresh air is of more importance to 

 this species than warmth, since one of those turned into my bird-room 

 died at the approach of winter, though well fed and in good feather. 



Dr. Russ calls this " The Steel-blue Whydah Finch " or the 

 " Atlas-bird," and he justly says : " The Atlas-bird is commonly 

 numbered among the Ornamental Finches, but, nevertheless, incorrectly, 

 for he proves his correspondence with the Whydah Finches in nearly 

 every particular ; he has the regular yearly change of colour, the fowl- 

 like scratching, the jumping- flight love-sport, as well as the tempestuous 

 disposition. On the other hand he is distinguished from them, in 

 that he does not bear the elongated tail, whilst in his nest-building, 

 and pure white eggs, he resembles the former. One may, therefore, 

 regard him as a link between the Whydah and Ornamental Finches. 

 Prominent Ornithologists, however, as for instance Cabanis, place him 

 unhesitatingly with the first of these, and this example I follow." 



" For years I have regularly kept a pair in the bird-room and 

 have tried every possible means to obtain a satisfactory breeding- 

 result ; I procured a number, retained the strongest pair, then again 

 exchanged them, offered the most miscellaneous food, many kinds of 



