270 FOREIGN FINCHES IN CAPTIVITY. 



The above account will seem extremely strange to any student of 

 living Whydahs ; that this most sprightly of all imported species 

 should be described as " placid " and as flying " not exactly clumsily 

 (or heavily) " sounds like nonsense, but then, to compare it unfavour- 

 ably, as regards activity, with the stately and peaceful Paradise 

 Whydah, makes one almost wonder whether Von Heuglin could have 

 been speaking of the Pin-tailed Whydah. 



Possibly the habitat of a species may affect it both in disposition 

 and plumage ; but, if this is the case, why do all who have ever kept 

 this bird in aviaries, complain of its mischievous activity ; which, 

 during the breeding-season keeps all its associates in a constant state 

 of terror ? 



Dr. Russ, who calls this the " Dominican Whydah Finch," re- 

 marks : " In captivity the Dominican Whydah Finch develops a 

 considerably greater activity, which even degenerates into malignity 

 and tyranny towards the entire community of the bird-room. Scarcely 

 do the little Astrilds, or other Finches, assemble in a coloured crowd 

 at the feeding place, or lie comfortably in the sand, in order to sun 

 themselves ; or, splashing the water over themselves, begin to bathe, 

 than the Dominican Widow rushes very suddenly into the midst of 

 them ; and, partly in consequence of its tempestuous plunge, partly 

 owing to the waving and filliping of the long tail, the whole world is 

 hurried into blind anguish and foolish terror. The bird carries on 

 this frightening and scattering, as it were, for his pleasure, for days 

 and weeks together, and, consequently, there is nothing else to be 

 done, but to catch and separate him. Although this is probably the 

 reason for which he is banished from most of the smaller bird-rooms, 

 it is, nevertheless, on the other hand, as surprising as lamentable, that, 

 hitherto nobody at all has made patient experiments, in suitable 

 quarters, towards breeding him and attained success." 



Dr. Russ then goes on to tell how, a specimen of this bird, in 

 the possession of Dr. Luchs, after wearing the female livery for ten 

 years, had suddenly assumed the colouring of the male ; excepting, 

 that the four long tail feathers did not make their appearance. Dr. 

 Luchs, rightly no doubt, ascribed this change of appearance to old age. 



With regard to what Dr. Russ says, as to breeding this species, 

 it is evident that in order to attain success, an aviary of some four or 

 five yards in length, would have to be devoted entirely to the ex- 

 periment ; and only those who were wealthy enough to have many 

 aviaries of such dimensions, could well afford to give up one to so 

 common a species, unless, indeed, a man made up his mind to confine 



