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so identical with the Robin’s note that my Robin answered him

immediately, and now they frequently call to each other.


After he had been in my possession a week he began

to sing a very pretty melody, which I can only compare to the

Robin’s, but the notes are more connected and of longer duration.

He is very fond of singing, and is at it incessantly from morning

till night; in fact, he will sit on his food-dish and utter a few

notes between the mouthfuls of food, and may be heard singing

away when all his neighbours are having their afternoon snooze,

and long after they have retired for the night.


I have also amongst my collection the Blue and Black,

Striated, Crowned, and Chestnut-backed Tauagers ; but have not

had them long enough to allow me to speak about their vocal

abilities.


Since writing the foregoing my Crowned Tanager has

shown a little inclination to tune up. Yesterday (October 12th),

when all his neighbours were having a rehearsal, he commenced

to give a song very similar to that of a Starling, and flapped his

wings in the same manner, at the same time doing a sort of dance

like the Bengalese, but at each bow he tapped the perch with his

beak. He did not sing very long—but then, he is not in good

plumage and minus his tail, therefore he may do better later on.



CORRESPONDENCE,



RED-HEADED FINCH.


Sir, — It maj' perhaps interest some of our members to hear that I

have bred three hybrids from a cock Red-headed Finch and a hen Ribbon

Finch. The young birds are two cocks and one hen, and were bred in am

outdoor aviary without my knowledge, so that I was much surprised by

their sudden appearance on September the 1st. The two males show their

hybrid origin very distinctly, having the band of the male Ribbon Finch

and also red (which is apparently increasing) on the head; the tliroat-band

is also of the brick-red shade shown on the head of their male parent, not

the more purple shade of the pure Ribbon Finch. I found, 011 searching for

the nest, that the parents had driven out a pair of Zebra Finches from a

box 011 a pole in the aviary, and built their own nest on the top of the

Zebra Finches’ nest—which latter contained five eggs.


I have owned the Red-head cock four years; and one mate of his own

species and three or four Ribbon Finch wives, that have been supplied to

him in succession, have all died egg-bound.


I moved to my present residence this Spring, so that my birds were

not turned into their present aviary until quite the end of June ; since then

Saffron Finches, Parson Finches, Zebra Finches, Bengalese (two pairs) and

this cross-mated pair have all bred in the aviary; and I have now a pair of



