308 LIFE-HISTORIES OF BIRDS 



cage, they soon become reconciled to their lot, and make 

 rather agreeable pets. They quickly learn to recognize their 

 keeper, and come at his call. They feed readily upon dif- 

 ferent kinds of seeds, rape and canary being particularly 

 nutritious. They require considerable quantities of fine 

 gravel, and a great deal of water. In the season when veg- 

 etation is most luxuriant, the leaves of the common salad, 

 chick-weed, and grasses, are freely eaten. In the aviary, 

 they have been known to produce as many as four broods in 

 a season. 



The eggs of this species are oblong-oval, and with nearly 

 symmetrical extremities. They are of a white color, and 

 measure 1.14 inches in length, and .85 in width. 



