time, I had a Shamah who also was of opinion that I was meant to be eaten,

but he was mildness itself compared with the Dhyal.


For the past two seasons a cock Red-lieaded Bunting ( Emberiza luteola)

and a hen Saffron Finch, in one of niv outdoor aviaries, have paired, built a

nest in a box and laid eggs; these, I suppose, could hardly be expected to

prove fertile, at all events, they have never hatched.


I have noticed, lately, a number of the Japanese Bunting ( E. rutila)

at a bird shop; it seems to be seldom imported. I had for some years a pair

given me by the late Mr. Allon, which he received, I think, from Germany.

They are handsome birds : the cock bright chestnut above and yellow

beneath, with a brown patch on the throat; the hen is generally pale and

without the throat patch. Their disposition is rather timid, but they are

very hardy. The cock has a bright little song, which is, however, not very

noticeable.


I do not remember to have noticed any remarks on the North

American White-throated Song Sparrow {Zonotrichia albicollis) in the pages

of the Magazine, and conclude that it is a rare bird in captivity. A pair has

been in my collection since November, 1897. During the first winter they

resided in an indoor aviary ; in the following spring they were removed to

outdoor quarters, where they have since remained. In disposition this

species is shy and retiring, the hen especially so, taking the shortest

possible flights and quickly taking refuge under cover when observed.

Through the spring and summer months, the exceedingly high-pitched and

reiterated notes of the cock are almost incessant during the day and even

frequent at night; the hen also sings at times, but her short and scrappy

song is more of a Bunting character, though loud and harsh. I have never

noticed these birds to be at all pugnacious, as might perhaps have been

expected.


The Diuca is another bird that sings freely at night, especially when

the moon is shining brightly. W. H. Hudson, in “ Idle Days in Patagonia,”

writes very enthusiatically of the song of this bird, and it is certainly

bright and cheerful; but, as rendered in captivity, I think this is about as

much as can be said for it; in the silence of night, however, it can be heard

distinctly at a considerable distance. This species does not seem to be as

hardv as one would expect—a pair I attempted to winter in the open,

succumbed to the inclemency of the season. In a moderately heated aviary

it gives no trouble, and, if afforded plenty of space, would probably breed

freely. My birds once nested, but the eggs were thrown out and broken

when on the point of hatching.


The moulting of the Avadavat has always been rather a puzzle to me.

My birds are kept indoors. I have, unfortunately, never taken any notes on

the subject, and cannot, therefore, speak precisely, but roughly I should say

Mr. Page’s dates are about usual. The puzzling part, however, is that,

besides the more or less regular yearly moult, there are various and frequent

subsidiary changes of colour. I shall endeavour, in future, to make more

accurate observations on this interesting subject.


Whilst referring to colour changes, I should like to record an

observation on the assumption of colour in the genus Pyromelana. This

spring I had occasion to catch an Orange Bishop, at the time when the

change was commencing. While handling the bird, I noticed that the red

feathers on the head were a palpably fresh growth and not, as is generally

believed, merely a change in the colour of the old feathers.



