392 Canaries and Cage-Birds. 



either wanting to build nests in the same boxes, or laying eggs in their mother's nest, or sitting 

 in it when they ought not to be there. When the Australian Zebra Finches have once fairly 

 begun breeding, they will often continue to do so all the year round, not even stopping during 

 moulting-time. A thoughtful breeder will prevent this, for exhaustion of the old birds and a 

 weak progeny must be the result. 



In the aviaiy the Zebra Finch will build his nest in many places — sometimes in nest-boxes, 

 sometimes preferring German cages, and sometimes making a huge pile in a bush, in the midst 

 of which bundle of sticks, weeds, hay, and straw there will be a very small nest, snugly housing 

 a young family. 



Very curious crosses have been bred with the Zebra Finch. A most remarkable one was 

 a cross between the Zebra Finch and the Spotted-sided Finch, or Diamond Sparrow, bred by 

 a celebrated German amateur, and exhibited alive by Dr. Russ at the Crystal Palace Bird 

 Show in 1876. Whilst writing I have the opportunity of daily watching a male Zebra Finch 

 who paired with a St. Helena Waxbill, built a nest, and the pair are now busy sitting. 



SPOTTED-SIDED FINCH [Amadina lalhnmi), Australia. (Illustrated.) 

 Spennestes guttata (Russ), Fringilla hucocephtila, Loxia guttata, Fringilla lathdmi, Amadma guttata, Stagonopleiira guttata, 

 Zoiueginthus guttatus. English dealers' name — Diamond Sparrow. German name — "Diamant Amandine, "or " Tropfenfink." 

 French name — " L'Oiseau Diamant," or " Diamant Ordinaire." 



The Spotted-sided Finch, or Diamond Sparrow, is the reverse of the diminutive and active 

 Zebra Finch, for he is nearly as large a bird as our Sparrow. He lias a somewhat heavy body, 

 and his habits are not active. The plumage of the Diamond Sparrow is as splendid as the name 

 will lead the reader to expect, but the colours are strong and the contrasts great. Silver-grey 

 head and back, somewhat darker brownish-grey wings and tail ; the lower part pure white, 

 with a broad rich black band extending along the sides, which bands are ornamented with large 

 irregular pure white spots ; the chest is crossed by a band of velvet-like black. The end of 

 the back and root of the tail are rich carmine-red, which gives the bird a very brilliant appearance 

 when flying. 



Male and female are so much alike that it is difficult to select a pair. Some dealers 

 and some amateurs believe that the female has fewer or smaller spots on the sides ; but 

 these and other marks often prove misleading, and probably the best way to select a pair 

 will be to compare the size and fulness of the heads carefully, and then to match a bird 

 with a round and full skull, with one whose head and body seem to be a trifle smaller. 

 The former will prove the male, the latter the female. 



This Australian Finch has been known for many years, and is annually imported 

 in very large numbers, generally arriving in a deplorable state, the majority being without 

 any small feathers whatever. Hundreds of almost naked, shivering bird bodies, each provided 

 with a pair of wings and little else in the way of feathers, being huddled together in a 

 box-cage, would be a ridiculous sight, if the poor birds did not look so pitiable. But their 

 real state is not so bad as it looks. The dealers place each bird immediately after arrival 

 in a very small cage by himself, and in a surprisingly short time the feathers grow again. 

 In from two to four weeks' time nobody would recognise in the fuU-plumagcd bird the 

 miserable naked little creature which had been shivering in the ship's cage. 



Different theories have been propounded to explain why the Spotted-sided Finches 

 pull out each other's feathers during the voyage from Australia. Some writers think that the 

 absence of animal food causes the birds to masticate the ends of feath.crs ; others say that the 



