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Mr. G. C. Swailes, in exchange for another bird, a remark¬

ably vigorous male Alario Finch, which I placed with this

hen, in a good-sized indoor aviary all to themselves, and almost

immediately had the pleasure of seeing her begin building.

The nest was built in an open Canary nest-box with a perforated

zinc bottom, which I had hung up high on the wall at the

back of the aviary. The nest was a beautiful little structure

of hay, neatly lined with hair from a common Canary nest-bag.

I never saw the eggs, but I believe that only two were laid; for

two young were hatched, and no eggs were left in the nest when

I examined it after the young had flown.


The hen began to sit on the 7th of July, and hatched on

the 19th or 20th. The young left the nest on the morning of

the 2nd of August, when to my great surprise I found them at

the bottom of the aviary. They could not fly for several days

after. While the young were in the nest the parents partook

of hard-boiled egg and biscuit, and Abrahams’ preserved egg,

but afterwards very little, if any, egg was eaten, and I think the

young were mainly reared on crushed hempseed and green food.

Considerable quantities of chickweed and lettuce were con¬

sumed, but not very much of anything else. Both old and

3 r oung birds now live on canary seed and German rape seed (of

which they eat about equal quantities) and a small daily treat of

hempseed, and, of course, green food.


The young birds were much like their mother, but greyer

and more speckled. One turned out to be a cock and the other

a hen. I thought for a few days that the mother would have

laid a second time, as she became rather busy with nesting

material; but colder weather set in, and all inclination to nest

passed away.


I consider the Alario Finch to be a somewhat delicate

bird, and I at first found much difficulty in keeping it in health

for any length of time. My Alario Finches went into a sort of

decline, and after death I found their bodies extremely thin. I

used then to keep them in an aviary with Waxbills and other

birds where they had canary seed, white millet, and so-called

Indian millet, with occasionally some egg. I do not think this

diet was sufficiently nourishing, and I have found these birds to

keep in health much longer upon canary and rape, with some

hemp. If they have access to millet seed they will often become

very fond of it and eat it in preference to the other seeds which

are more wholesome for them. I do not think that this is a

mere fad of mine, and I would strongly recommend all who



