on Nesting of Munia castaneithorax. 123


I had it under observation for the best part of one day. When

ever the hen Canary came off the nest it raised its head and neck

and, opening its minute beak, rolled a short bulbous tongue to

and fro with a slow, rythmic, pendulum-like motion the rate of

which never varied. This action must either serve as an

incentive to the parent to feed it, or more probably as a guide to

aid the parent in feeding it in the semi-obscurity of a domed

nest with a tunnel entrance. Needless to say its foster mother

could not feed it (and how its own parents could introduce any

food into that tiny gape is hard to understand !), so I put it in

spirits and found a place for it in my cabinet.


At eighteen days a young Chestnut-breasted Finch is a

little brown bird exactly resembling a young fiaviprymna and

totally unlike its parents. It has not a black, or a white, or a

chestnut-coloured feather on it. After that age, however, there

is not the smallest resemblance between the young of these

two species.


The young castaneithorax which I now have was hatched

about August 24th, and left the nest on September 10th. From

September 13th to October 3rd I have no notes (owing to absence

from home). By October 4th it had developed a pale chestnut

breast and the lower chest and abdomen had become nearly

white. On Oct. 14th it showed one black feather on the throat.

On the 22nd another appeared, and the first feather of the series

forming the black bar across the chest. On the 26th its beak

began to change colour, the bluish shade appearing at the base

first. (This appears to be normal as I have observed the same

thing in the young of the Long-tailed Grassfinch). The change

of colour of the beak was completed by Nov. 8, thus occupying

thirteen days. On the 13th two more black feathers appeared on

the side of the chest, forming a continuation of the black bar;

on the 14th another ditto. On Dec. 9 I examined this bird care-

fully. Its back and tail were then mouse-colour ; breast, pale

chestnut; abdomen, pure white; two dark feathers on back of

head, two black ditto on throat, and many around the base of the

beak. The black bar was most clearly defined and the feathers

composing it were almost all new sheath feathers, many of them

having only just come down ; yet the bird showed no sign^ofji^



