on the Nesting of the Chingolo Song Sparrow. 27


this season. From the commencement of May until the end of

July my aviaries had to look after themselves and, when I was

again able to resume the management of them, I found that

losses had been so heavy that I had very little material to work

with. This is the more annoying because at the time I was

taken ill I had some rather interesting nests, namely one of the

Violet-eared Waxbill (two young), Lesser Ruddy Waxbill (two

young), Blue-breasted Waxbill (eggs), Rufous-backed Mannikin

(one young), Grey-necked Serin (three young), and Ouail Finch

(eggs). None of these young birds came to maturity. I have

also had eggs from the Blue Grosbeak, two nests and one egg

from the Violet Tanager, one young Sulphury Seedeater, and a

nest (presumably containing eggs) on which a hen Paradise

Whydali sat steadily for some time. One may talk about the

weather, bad luck, etc., but the fact remains that from all the

above nothing has been satisfactorily reared except one young

Serinus ango/ensis, two young Chingolos, and a large number of

Bengalee-Striateds, etc.


Certainly there are times and seasons when the possession

of .an aviary is anything but a source of pleasure. Indeed, were

it not that the aviculturist is born and not made, I doubt if any

sensible person would ever enter upon so difficult, laborious, and

expensive a hobby. However, in the long run he has his rewards

if he be a genuine ornithologist, and perhaps one of the chief of

these is to be able now and again to see the nesting operations of

a really rare bird.


Needless to say the subject of the present notes does not

come under this category, lor the Chingolo is quite a common

South American species and, as far as my experience goes, quite

an easy one to breed. It would not in the least surprise me to

hear that it has already been bred and possibly several times

over. Our Editor writes me that he has succeeded in crossing

this with an allied species.


I think it has before been remarked in our Magazine that

the term Song Sparrow is more or less of a misnomer, as applied

to this species, for its song is certainly not remarkable and it is

more nearly allied to the Buntings than to the Sparrows.


I had a couple of Chingolos in a well-shrubbed aviary in



