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I will keep it under observation throughout its next change of colour and

development of tail. I have adopted the suggestion of Mr. Pbillipps and

Dr. Butler, and have entered the bird as a Resplendent Wliydah.


Henry J. Fueejames.



Sir,—I n reply to Mr. Pbillipps, I beg to say that my Dong-tailed

Couibasou had some white under the wings and was flecked with white on

the abdomen. It was only the central feathers of the tail that were long,

I had the bird about two years: half the year lie had a short tail and

mottled brown body, and when he came into black plumage he grew a long

tail. When I bought him he looked like an ordinary Combasou out of

colour, (bj


C. D. Farrar.



CRIMSON FINCHES, ETC.


Sir, —Having had a lot of Crimson Finches, Red-rumps, Dong-tailed

Grass-finches and Parrot-finches brought me last November, I can testify

to the quarrelsome disposition of the Crimson Finch.


One cock which I have now will clear the decks of all other birds, be

they ever so many and without regard to their size. When mine arrived, all the

hens were together, and I kept them so for a week ; then I paired them,

and out of five pairs only two pairs agreed — all the others fought like mad ;

but one cock put in with other species settled down and sings away quite

contentedly.


Dong-tailed Grass-finches, when first imported, will agree for a while,

but soon they begin to choose their mates, and then a general scramble

begins — pitched battles are the order of the day, till night comes on. They

are truly named Squatting Grass-finches, as they do a lot of squatting on

cage-bottoms.


W. Osbai.deston.



BREEDING EXPERIENCES.


Sir, — Thinking that the experiences of a fellow-aviculturist may lie

interesting to some of your readers, I venture to give briefly some results

of the last breeding season.


To begin with, my Snowy Owls, a pair, brought from Norway in 1891,

went to nest last summer for the first time; five eggs were laid, and when

the female began to sit the male stood sentry during the whole period of

incubation, but was never seen to go on to the nest except to take food to

his mate. Two young were presently seen 111 the nest —a hole scratched in

the floor of the covered part of the aviary. Whether the other eggs were

broken, or whether young were hatched from them but became dried up

and unrecognisable by the time it became possible to clean out the refuse

round the nest, was never ascertained. Two young were, however, partly

reared, and though one went wrong and died, the other survived and is now

strong and vigorous. The parents, up to now (Jan. 21), have not molested



. (£) Thank you ; your bird was likewise a Resplendent Whydah.—R.P,



