3



nests may be due to difference in the climates of the localities in

which we met with them.”


On the 22nd of August, a pair of interesting little hybrids

between a cock Indian Silver-bill and hen Dwarf-finch left the

nest. They are at present much like their male parent, but have

shorter heads and smaller bills. In colour, they somewhat

resemble him, but are rarher darker, and the upper tail-coverts,

instead of being pure white, as in the Silver-bill, are yellowish

brown. At the present time (October 7th) there is a second nest

of hybrids from the same parents, and from the noise they make

they appear to be getting on well The Silver-bill feeds them

most industriously.


A pair of Rufous-tailed Finches f Bathilda ruficaiidaJ made

a beautiful nest in the grass, composed of living grass cleverly

woven into a dome, and lined with dry hay ; but they devoured

their eggs.


A pair of Long-tailed Grassfinches nested and laid plenty

of eggs but without results, I think they must be both hens.


Besides the foregoing, we have reared a nest of five

Cockatiels and have another brood of four in the nest; half-a-

dozen Zebrafinches and three Bengalese complete the list of

birds reared here this summer.



OUR TAWNY OWLS.


By Miss R. Arderson.


Some of the earliest and pleasantest of my avicultural

recollections are those of the Tawny Owl.


Some years ago when staying at Scarborough, we saw a

most beautiful specimen hanging in a parrot cage outside a

dealer’s shop. The bird looked so disdainfully miserable in its

captivity that our youthful hearts were moved with pity, and for

five shillings we became its owner. On enquiry of the dealer if

he had any more, he disappeared in the shop and brought out a

small blinking Owlet. How old it was I have no idea, but its

head was covered with down and it had also a quantity on the

wings. For seven and sixpence we bought the two birds and

brought them home. They were both very tractable, and

delighted in being petted, and especially for anyone to ruffle

their hand in the deep feathers at the back of the neck. Both

had enormous muscular power in their legs and to remove them

from a perch, when they wished to stay there, was a matter of



