on the Violet-eared Waxbill.



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song is not so full nor well sustained. They sing best when

without a male of their own species ; but more than once I have

seen a female, with a piece of hay in her bill, dancing and

singing to the male. In the garden aviary during the summer,

for these birds are incomparably the better for a change to the

garden during the warm season, my old male always used to sing

away ; and then the low-voiced song, floating softly on the air,

often reminded me of our Skylark warbling so sweetly high up

in the heavens. My present birds do not now seem to be in song ;

one has to learn by experience; and I think my experiences, so

far as they go, have taught me that it was a great mistake on my

part to have allowed them to go to nest in the spring ; but more

of that anon.


Notwithstanding little infirmities of temper, it may be

gathered from the foregoing that the Violet-eared Waxbill is a

desirable acquisition. It is not everyone who can manage to

have an aviary (by “ aviary ” I mean “ aviary ” not a toy—it is

my custom to say what I mean and to mean what I say) ; but

any one who desires to have a pet which will give a minimum of

trouble and a great deal of pleasure will do well to try a pair of

these birds in a large cage, the larger the better. Although

probably young would not be reared, a pair are infinitely prefer¬

able to a solitary male. They seem to do well on the simplest

seeds, which should include spray millet; fine grit should not be

overlooked, nor a bath in warm weather. I do not see them

touching cuttle-bone, but they seem to have a decided weakness

for old lime. They prefer to feed on the ground, the most

natural mode, so the bottom of the cage should be carefully

attended to every day; and the seed should be scattered on the

ground in a spot above which there is no perch. Doubtless

flowering grass in season would be a great treat. In the aviary I

see them partaking freely of lettuce; but never forget that a bird

in the aviary may freely devour green food which might surely

kill the very same bird if kept in a cage. This is one of those

ugly facts which is apt to be lost sight of. It is not, as a rule, a

fidgety restless species, so that, if there be but the one pair and

the cage not too small, the mess made outside the cage is usually

nominal. In the winter the cage, if not a box cage, would have



