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Mr. R. Phiixipps,



tlie “steps” and, gathering the chicks np in my hands, placed

them for the night in a snug retreat. Keeping as a rule to higher

perches and more in the open than the Cuba Finches, they felt

the cold much more; and I doubted if they could survive;

happily on August 4 there was a change in the weather, which

gave them a new lease of life.


But to take up the thread of my story.


On the morning of July 28th, with the help of a caudle,

I managed to look into the Waxbills’ box. For a moment there

was a gleam of blue, but this vanished, and the box appeared to

be empty, the nest having been trampled down flat. A closer

scrutiny revealed certain light-brown grave-like mounds, scattered

about without any order; for the moment I hardly realised that

these were young birds, squatting about fully extended like

Thicknees on the bottom of the box: each was so tight that they

were evidently alive, so, having ascertained that there were five

of them, I quietly withdrew.


Having put down my caudle, etc., I re-entered the aviary,

and, looking up towards the nest, found that the eldest had come

out ; this was at 9.50. It was a fine little fellow, and shewed more

blue on leaving the nest than Leah’s young one had done when

some weeks older. The blue patch on the side of the face was

well defined and extended boldly around and over the eye; that

on the chest did not go downwards but swept round along the

sides and flanks ; lower back and upper tail-coverts blue ; above

drab brown ; below lighter and almost pinkish ; beak and eyes

black; legs and feet brown, with the claws a trifle darker but not

in any sense black. Doubtless it was the blue chest of this bird

of which I had obtained a glimpse when I peeped into the box

ere it sank down prostrate on the floor. The second, also shewing

a fair amount of blue, appeared at 11.30, the third at 7 p. 111., and

the fourth at 7.15. All of these could fly ; and they collected on

a perch above the nest, although the plumage of the latter two

was none too forward. The fifth I picked up off the ground on

the following forenoon ; but it also was on a perch before the

evening. The last three were little balls of light pink-drab, very

light below, washed feebly here and there with blue—but not

a suspicion of blue was visible on the sides of the body for a few



