170 Mr. Reginald Phiixipps,


1901, of a building pair in my garden-aviary, says of the male—

“ Sings a great deal,” and another, two days later—“ Male on

high perch in front singing as if master of the aviary.” In

January last, at page 91, Dr. Butler wrote :—“... .the more gaudy

Grass-finches, somewhat recalling the colouring of Phonipay-a

and many of them with similar whispered songs.” I find myself

unable to follow Dr. Butler here ; none has a whispered song that

I know of, nor has any similarity in colouring attracted my

attention. Neither, may I add, have I noticed any likeness in

habits or carriage between Phonipara and Poephila ; moreover,

the former lay spotted eggs, the latter white.


The nests of Phonipara are domed ; but nests built by the

same pair (for both birds work) differ from one another according

to circumstances and environment. Gosse has the following

curious reference to domed nests (86 ):—“An exceedingly in¬

teresting memoir, from the pen of Mr. Hill, on the prevalence of

domed nests within the tropics, and the connection of this fact

with electricity, will be found in the Zoological Transactions for

September 14th, 1841.”* Perhaps some Fellow of the Society will

kindly look up the reference, and report to us of its nature.


The nests are constructed chiefly of dried grasses; and,

with me, feathers were freely used, although not necessarily for

the lining ; for these birds, if proper materials are not within

convenient reach, will make use of almost anything that may

come handy, and will build almost anywhere and under any cir¬

cumstances. The eggs, when fresh and blown, are clear white,

spotted, chiefly around the larger end, with red or reddish-brown,

ox perhaps with pale brown. As far as I have seen, with healthy

properly kept birds, the spots are of a rich deep reddish or

reddish-brown when laid, but this colour fades. The only eggs

that I have myself seen which were spotted with pale brown were

those of a “ pair ” of female Olive Finches, who set up house¬

keeping together in my aviary ; this was not because they had

become tainted with the suffragette microbe— pas si beie —it was

only because at the time I had not a male for them ; and, even

in this case, the eggs may have been brightly coloured when first

laid, for they may have been, and probably were, some weeks old

when I rifled the nest.



Apparently the Proceedings of the Zoological Society.—E d.



