on the Violet-eared Waxbill. 333


Nest No. 3 was built in some Virginia creeper, hardly a

natural site, but the vegetation was backward and the bushes at

the time were thin. Last year the bushes were thin, owing to the

aviary not having been reserved, and it was in the same creeper

that this pair builded that second nest which they had not had the

courage to occupy. This year's nest was a splendid construction,

neat, compact, tight — exceptionally and quite, remarkably so;

when I came to try and force a finger through, the finger met with

such resistance that I was unsuccessful until I tried the spot

where the aperture had been. Judging by appearances, the female

laid in this nest ; but the male would not sit, and spent his time

making love through the wire to his enemy's wife. I changed

the females, and there was a terrible outcry ; I restored them to

their proper mates, but all to no good. Then I removed the

pair from the inner aviary, and placed the other there, in order

to give them a chance — this was on June 10th. Some time

afterwards, I examined this last nest ; it then was empty and the

aperture firmly built up.


Notwithstanding the absence of covert in the outer aviarv

and the presence of its miscellaneous occupants, these same

birds went to nest again, this time in the semi-dead elder tree I

have referred to, in a site that was fully exposed to view, wind

and rain, and offered a not very safe hold for the nest — but there

was the bit of green, such as it was, 3ft. 9m. off the ground.

Seeing that they meant business, on June 16th I shut up all the

other birds, and left the Violets in sole possession of the aviary.

On the 18th, both were building; 19th — Male building steadily,

assisted rather feebly by female ; 20th — Roof put on ; 21st — Dome

finished before breakfast: afternoon, they began to carry feathers ;

22nd — Before breakfast, position of aperture altered from the

west to the south side of the nest, apparently because the wind

was now blowing sharply from about the north-west: a few

feathers carried late in afternoon : the male was in the nest most

•of the afternoon, and the female, just outside, like a wife leaning

her head on her husband's shoulder, had the appearance of

resting her head lovingly against the side of the nest; 23rd —

Before breakfast, aperture altered so as to face S.W., our peeping—

from a window about lift, to the south being resented : at some



