26 o



they have liberty in an ordinary room, this habit of squatting;

becomes an element of danger. In a room they will probably

squat on the draughty floor, facing the room, with their raised

tails against the wainscot, or, worse still, on the window itself a

most dangerous place.


In the garden aviary, until they had learned wisdom by

bitter experience, my birds, when first let out, used to sit on the

ground, and passed a great part of several weeks on a sunny

hillock. But a hillock in London is not often a sunny one for

any length of time ; and when cold and wet followed the warm

weather they built for themselves a squatting place (I flattered

myself that they were nesting) against a post, amongst the

Virginia creeper stems, aud completely covered by the leaves.

Probably it was because of the denseness of the foliage that they

did not make a covering to this structure. It was about two feet

from the ground, several inches high, rounded laterally, with a

flat side against the post, nearly flat on the top, with the solid

part largest above and tapering off below, like a rounded

pedestal. It was made entirely of dry grasses, broad ones pre¬

dominating, with the peculiarity that from top to bottom, and

all round excepting against the post, the grass ends were

arranged so as to hang down some 3-6 inches, not in chance

confusion, but with what had the appearance of being designed

symmetry and orderly arrangement, like a fashionable shower

bouquet. It was a remarkable piece of architecture, and worthy

of being preserved, but was so interwoven amidst the stems that

I found it would be impossible to remove it without cutting

the stems and destroying a large mass of Virginia creeper.

During the summer it was quite hidden ; and it was not until

the autumn, when the creeper had shed its leaves, that I was

able to see and appreciate it fully. The Masks were removed

to their winter quarters ; and, since, their natural instincts seem

to have become blunted, or they have turned lazy, for they are

usually satisfied with ordinary nesting boxes, or the deserted

nests of other birds. In truth my Masks have proved them¬

selves, with the one exception mentioned above, very inferior

architects, and sadly lacking in energy and perseverance

compared with the White - eared Grassfinches, whose nests

and squatting places, alike in general character but varying

considerably in detail to suit varying circumstances, continue to

surprise and please me year by year.


In the early summer of 1899, an odd male Mask paired

with an odd female White Ear, a nest being built in the heart of



