THE PARADISE WHYDAH. 273 



the Whydah Finch seems to get gradually more lively, and begins with 

 increased industry his song : which, indeed, is only a little harmonious 

 chirping of monosyllabic long-drawn sounds, partly shrill, partly 

 euphonious. Now for hours he takes a short flight in the bird-room, 

 in which he invariably settles on the same branch. With the further 

 development of the ornamental clothing, his actions become constantly 

 more lively, until at length he performs his jumping love-dance many 

 times during the day. 



" According to the style of feeding, the change of colour proceeds 

 more or less quickly, so that it is completed in from about four to six 

 weeks. He who has not previously set eyes upon the Sparrow-grey 

 Whydah Finch, will now recognize him with difficulty. 



" Frequently a bird, which has been considered to be a female, puts 

 on its beautiful clothing in the second or even third season of love. 



" Although through a long season of years, and in the most diverse 

 manners, I attempted to breed the Paradise Whydah Finch, I was 

 throughout unsuccessful in attaining a satisfactory result. Even when 

 I was able to prevail upon a horticulturist to turn some pairs loose in 

 a large greenhouse, no success was met with. Still I can give an 

 account of one partially successful case as follows : 



" In the case of all birds which are constrained to nest at the 

 particular season of their ornamental plumage, there is a great difficulty 

 in obtaining for them females which are derived from the same region, 

 and are anxious to breed at the same time. I, therefore, turned loose 

 three females with one male in the bird-room. During the first year 

 these did not exhibit the slightest inclination to nest. Only towards 

 autumn of the second year, all three began to drag straws hither and 

 thither, and, in November, whilst the male was still exhibiting full 

 ornamental plumage, they collected bents, threads of bast, tufts of 

 cotton-wool and the like, into an apparently disorderly heap on the 

 wire bottom of a high-hanging cage. I could, however, never make 

 sure of an approach between male and female. When, after a consider- 

 able time, I at length investigated, I found an extraordinary double 

 nest within the large tower, of all possible materials. One nest cavity 

 was shaped like a baker's oven, roofed over and neatly rounded off 

 with fibres and long horse-hairs, the other was a flat, loosely compacted 

 hollow, the hinder margin of which scarcely stood up at all. In the 

 first nest were three, unfortunately dead, young ones ; in the second 

 a living one. I now had reason to lament that I had not made an 

 examination sooner, for now I had missed the chance of learning the 

 appearance and colour of the eggs, the duration of incubation and 



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