332 Mr. R. Phixlipps,


the aperture. In No. 3 nest of this yesiv, an 'eye-brow' was

deliberately added to the completed nest in the early morning

following a heavy storm — special work is usually carried out in

the early morning. The way in which these Waxbills adapt

their building to circumstances is sufficient of itself to prove not

only that birds, to quote Prof. Henslow (Avic. Mag. N.S. I., p.

218), " can build normal nests without parental instruction," but

a great deal more : it shews that they can and do profit by

experiences and ' improve the occasion ' in a quite remarkable

way. This year, between March and July inclusive, my one pair

of Violets constructed four nests, all in different positions, and

all differing from one another ; to describe them in detail would

be instructive, but tedious to the general reader, so to the first

three I will refer but briefly.


This year the two aviaries have been kept distinct, and the

two pairs of Violet-eared Waxbills have been kept apart. The

inner aviary has abundance of natural vegetation, the outer being

comparatively bare. In the latter there are just a few dead trees ;

and one of them, a golden elder, eventually gave signs of life by

throwing out a bunch of shoots at the bottom and another, a

very feeble one at first, about 3ft. 9111. from the ground. In

March, when the birds commenced to build seriously, there was

not a vestige of green in this aviary ; the lifeless trees were

crowded with miscellaneous birds during the day ; and Violets,

remember, do not like artificial nest-boxes of any kind. They

chose a quiet corner on the top of the wire-netting roof of the

Burrowing Owls' enclosure, and here a large heap of twigs, some

stout enough to be called sticks, was collected by the male, hay

following ; and then I interposed, destroying the nest and chang-

ing the female, not wishing to lose a bird from cold. This is the

only instance with me of a Violet-eared Waxbill in the garden

building elsewhere than in a living tree or growth of some kind.

Later, the same Violets were placed in the inner aviary, and a

nest was built in the top of a lime tree, some 9ft. from the ground ;

it was large, nearly round, compact, a typical nest of the species.

Before many days had passed it was deserted, why I do not

know ; perhaps it was too near the cats, perhaps too high off the

ground, perhaps the birds themselves were not really read\ r .



