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I am not surprised to hear of Mr. Cresswell’s experience with the

Gouldian-finch. I have found the cock Gouldian so thoroughly meek as to

be quite powerless against the fierce onslaughts of a vicious little Bronze

Mannikin about a quarter of its own size, though the hen Gouldian has

often stepped between and driven off the tormentor.


I don’t think two Madagascar cocks would agree in a small space. I

had another when using the smaller cage, and all went well until one day

it became rather ill and weak, and the first one killed it (d).


They seem indifferent to cold after being acclimatized. I had no heat

in the room last winter, and, strange to say, the one I have shed its beautiful

scarlet coat for the first time this November, being in half colour when I

bought him twenty months ago. A. A. Pearson.



CRIMSON FINCHES.


Sir, — Perhaps the following may be interesting re Crimson Finches :

To one of my friends in N. E. Queensland, who had often sent me birds, I

had several times written, “ Please send me all the Crimson Finches you

can get.” They were very scarce in that district, and for a long time I got

other birds but no Crimson Finches; until a letter came which was quite a

surprise to me, saying : “ At last 1 hope to please you by sending a good

number of Blood Finches (the Queensland name for the Crimson Finch) ; the

trappers have taken quite a large number, and I am sending, via Brisbane,

eleven-aud-a-half dozen.” These were put on board one of the mail

steamers in charge of an officer who was a friend of mine; he enclosed

the bill, which was by far the largest amount I ever paid at one time for

foreign birds — lie had paid a good price for them, as someone in Sydney had

offered a high price.


My friend had been more than kind : I wanted Crimson Finches, but

not such a number, for although my aviaries were large I was puzzled to

know what I should do with one hundred and fort)' of these birds.


Unfortunately the ship was overrun with rats, and my friend had

the greatest difficulty in protecting the birds from these midnight marauders;

from this, and another unforeseen circumstance, he lost more than half on

the voyage home—-just sixty birds reached me.


In a large aviary these birds were most peaceable, but on putting a

pair into a waggon-shaped cage with other birds, the first day the cock

Crimson Finch broke the leg of the only hen Parrot Finch I had—the leg

was hanging by the skin only; this bird lived some months after with only

one leg. In a large aviary they will agree ; but in a small one, or in a cage,

they are the most combative of small birds, especially at breeding-time.


James B. Housden.


Sir, — I think it is undoubtedly a “ fallacy” for the Rev. C. D. Farrar

to assume, because his specimens were peaceable, that good temper is

■characteristic of the species. I have had several specimens and made

frequent attempts to keep them with other small finches, but they would

certainly have killed every bird smaller than themselves, had they been

permitted to remain among them. On one occasion I removed a pair


(d) A bird which will thus kill another (when not breeding) is, we should say, too

dangerous to be trusted in a mixed aviary. This experience of Mr. Pearson’s does not

support the advice given in the first paragraph of his letter.—E d.



