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Breeding of the Grey Waxbill.



tail, an example of perpetual motion, he flits here and there amidst

the foliage searching for some hapless fly—but to progress.


About the same time, in my ignorance, I bought a pair of

St. Helenas so-called, in reality a cock St. Helena and a hen Grey

Waxbill; still there it was, the St. Helena died and the three Grey

Waxbills didn’t, so that in this aviary I commenced the season with

three, all of whom had braved the hardships of a winter out of doors,

merely helped along by having their shed warmed on frosty nights

and on the coldest of days.


Despite, or in consequence of this, they decided to set up

house-keeping' late in February or early in March, when their first

nest was built. For various reasons, this and their two next nests

were deserted and a fourth started on April 1st “ April-fools’ day: ”

said I, ‘ Believe them not,” and I didn’t, but there I was wrong as

events subsequently proved, hence this article.


This last nest was added to and enlarged until it was roughly

six inches high and wdde and about twice as long. I have never yet

been able to discover exactly where the birds got in and out, but it

was somewhere on the far side where I could not see properly ; I

fancy there was an entrance tube, the nest proper being some little

way in. All of these nests were built on the ground in a corner and

easily visible ; three out of the four were built behind bare pea sticks,

the remaining one behind a privet hush, in no case was there grass

within a yard of the nest. It was unfortunately impossible to see

the nest from the outside of the aviary, and the birds must have left

it as I opened the aviary door to enter, as I never saw them leave it

or approach it closely until July 23rd, when for the first time I stw

one of them go to it with what I took to be a crushed up mealworm

in its beak.


I was inside the aviary about this time several times a day

and did not see them feed before this, again at this time they also

became much tamer, and I presume that the young must have

hatched about if not on this day.


The three adults now became exceedingly tame and would

come almost to my feet for mealworms. On August 3rd two young

left the nest and four days later they were dead; I was away from

home and never saw these young ones, but two more left the nest



