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November they commenced building in the rush nest and laid two eggs ;

they incubated them very little, and they were eventually thrown out on

the bottom of the cage and broken. A second nest followed in January and

met with the same fate. The}’ are shy and restless birds in a cage, very quick

in their movements and easily disturbed, darting about when approached,

and I attribute the non-success in these two instances to the dining-room

not being private and quiet enough for them. The hen showed signs of

wanting to nest again last month, and as the weather was not very cold, I

turned them into my outdoor aviary of mixed birds. They soon began

nesting operations and are now sitting ; I have seen three eggs in the nest

(in a cocoa-nut husk) and fancy another has been laid since. The young

should hatch in a few days—if I am fortunate enough to get any—and I

shall take a peep as soon as I can without being seen by the parents.


I take the Parrot Finch to be one of the best of rare finches to nest

in captivity ; a bird anxious to live, and does his best to do so—quite a relief

after the apathetic and discouraging Gould. He is a frugal liver, feeding on

canary seed, white and spray millet, and greenfood—chickweed and above

all, flowering grass, given in abundance, roots as well, as soon as it can be

gathered by the road-side. I generally throw twenty or thirty fresh roots

into my aviary daily, and take away those of the previous da}- ; all the

birds, Parrakeets included, are very soon down among them.


The hen Parrot Finch, I have noticed, builds the nest, sitting in the

rush basket or husk, taking in the material as fast as her mate brings it to

her, and shapes a snug domed nest.


As regards ants’ eggs, mealworms and such food, I have neverseen 1113^

Parrot Finches touch them, although the former are in the aviary all day;

but they eat a little hemp, and I don’t think a few grains a day per bird

hurt them. A. Savage. I Rouen).



Sir, —I can now supplement my notes on Parrot Finches. The

nest to which I above referred has produced two young: they left the

nest last Saturday, June 12th, and are now beginning to feed them¬

selves. They are mostly green in colour, dingy on the breast and vent,

very little red at the base of the tail, and a tinge of rather indistinct

yellow on the throat. The legs and beak are yellow or amber, and the

beak has a dark streak towards the point. They appear strong and lively,

and seem to be doing their best to live, continually crying for food,

following their parents and trying to feed themselves. I still hold this

finch, more than ever, as one of the best of rare or expensive birds to keep

in the aviary, and can thoroughly recommend him. Mine have nested in

an aviary with some thirty mixed birds, from Parrakeets down to Waxbills,

without any fuss or trouble. I said in my previous notes that they did not

eat ants’ eggs or mealworms ; they did not until the young were hatched, but

then they partook of them freely,* also milk-sop ; it is as well, I think,

therefore, to supply all, especially when they have young.


I have at present three young Many-coloured Parrakeets in the nest,

about a fortnight old, and all doing well, so far.


A. Savage. (Rouen).



* B3' “ freely,” I allude to the ants’ eggs. They have about half-a-dozen meal¬

worms a-day.



