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The call note is a peculiarly metallic twang-twang, but the

breeding song of the male is most remarkable. It commences

with a great deal of show of singing—throat puffed out, head

turned from side to side, etc.—but very little sound is the result;

then the head is drawn back and a clear metallic blast is given,

sometimes quite prolonged, strongly resembling the sound of a

toy trumpet. When first heard in a wild state this sound is most

puzzling, and the little pink bird, sitting most probably on a

pink stone, is practically invisible. They nest very early in the

year; the nest is slightly built, outwardly of dry weeds, and

lined with goat’s or camel’s hair ; it is placed in a fairly open

cranny of a rock or under a stone, occasional^ in a wall, and

usually contains five or six eggs of a beautiful pale blue

lightly spotted with dark purple specks. In an aviary, the

Trumpeter Bullfinch is perfectly hardy, and although a bird

which can know nothing but cloudless skies and great heat

throughout the greater part of its range, appears perfectly

indifferent to the greatest cold we ever have in this country.

Some of mine were wintered for me by a friend and endured

the greatest severity of the winter of 1895, i n a peculiarly cold

aviary open to the north , and nothing could possibly look more

perfectly healthy than they did—singing all through February.

Of course all birds of the desert must be accustomed to great

and sudden variations in the temperature. All seeds are eaten,

canary and spray millet being the greatest favourites. They are

partial to the seeds of many grasses and weeds, and shepherd’s

purse is very popular. No insect or egg food is touched. They

are fond of the green of dandelion. The young are fed on the

seeds of grasses and weeds disgorged from the crop. They

prefer an open box to build in, placed under cover and on a

beam or ledge. The female pulls the lining of her nest over the

eggs until she commences to sit. They are extremely fond of

salt, and are always nibbling lime in some form or other.


Although, as I said before, this is a very amiable little

bird and not at all inclined to be pugnacious, still, as far as my

experience goes, it will not breed successfully in an aviary with

other small birds : for as soon as the 3 r oung are big enough not to

require brooding during the day time, the parents will spend

a great part of their time driving away an}^ other bird that

approaches their nest, and thus neglect to feed the young often

enough.



