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Mr. W. E. Teschemaker,



details of their former life in a state of liberty. How often have

I vainly wished that my birds could unfold to me the story of

their early life!


In this case, however, I was more fortunate, for I know

that the first impressions of my Cinnamon Sparrows, as they

looked from their nest, were of the Kajiar—“ the little cup in

the hills; ” we can see the gallant Captain ascending the tree and

can even hear him say “Bother!” as he lost two of the young

birds on the way down. Further I had learnt that my birds were

two young hens and an adult unrelated male.


I received the Cinnamons on 4th May, and turned them

out about ten days later in the small “ Waxbills’ aviary”—not

without some misgivings, having been warned by Capt. Perreau

that they would probably prove spiteful. Perhaps it would be

well to say at once that I think this an unfair estimate of the

character of this species. Though very pugnacious with its own

kith and kin, I have found it quite harmless in an aviary even

when associated with birds much smaller than itself. Also I

hardly think Capt. Perreau has done justice to its personal

appearance. The adult male with his large black bib, bright

chrome chest and rich cinnamon back is distinctly a handsome

bird ; and so is the female with her yellow cheeks and richly

coloured and striated wings.


The Cinnamons made themselves completely at home in

their new quarters, proving as vivacious as the European Tree-

Sparrow, and fully as inquisitive. In a very few days’ time they

had selected a nest-box and by 2nd June they had constructed a

nest of the typical Passerine domed type inside the latter. The

eggs also closely resembled the sparsely spotted type of the

eggs of the common House-Sparrow but are smaller : length

72 mm., breadth 53 mm. Some of the maculations are pale

reddish-brown and others sepia. Both the clutches I have seen

have been “ fours.”


They began to sit on the 13th June and, when I took the

nest-box down on the 26th June, it contained four young which

I estimated to be three days’ old, giving us an incubation period

of ten days.



