64 THE NATURALIST IN AUSTRALIA. 
Taking Mr. Phillips’ successful experience as here recorded as their guide, bird 
fanciers should encounter no serious obstacles in breeding these beautiful finches for 
the market. The essential elements for success are no doubt the maintenance of a 
congenial temperature, more especially at the moulting and breeding seasons, combined 
with a large margin of liberty. On the question of temperature, Dr. Butler, and 
other authorities quoted in his Monograph, are, in the author’s opinion, inclined to 
lay too little importance. It must be borne in mind that the natural distribu- 
tion of the Gouldian finches is restricted to tropical Australia, and that they 
are not obtained south of these limits in common with the many other Australian 
species that are extensively imported. Dr. Butler attests to having kept one male 
bird in an outdoor aviary throughout the winter, but, against this isolated instance, 
numberless individuals perish indoors at the first approach of the winter season. Were 
they, in fact, naturally adapted for a colder climate, their geographical distribution, instead 
of being limited, as now, to the north, would be co-extensive with the Australian 
continent. It is, at the same time, an undoubted fact that Gouldian finches can 
withstand considerable extremes of temperature. At Normanton, in the Gulf of 
Carpentaria, close to their native haunts, and where the author saw a number that were 
breeding in an outdoor aviary, making their nests in the hollows of some rockwork, the 
thermometer at night was down to, and below, 50° Fahr. In the daytime, however, 
by way of compensation, it rose in the shade to from 70° to 80° or more, a range of 
temperature under which, in captivity, these finches are most supremely happy. The 
contrast, in fact, exhibited by the demeanour of the examples in the author’s possession 
under the varying conditions of our fickle English climate is convincing. But a few 
weeks since, May, 1896, a brief premature spell of sunny summer weather maintained 
the temperature of their room to a height of from 65° to 70° Fahr. with windows 
open and without the aid of fires; all the birds were full of life, the males unburdening 
their pent-up hilarity in a continual stream of song. To this succeeded a return of 
bitter north-east wind, driving the highest day readings of the thermometer to below 60°. 
The birds.at once began to mope, the males ceasing or indulging little in melody, while 
the females crouched forlornly with their heads tucked under their feathers, and’ only 
roused themselves to take their food. But, in fact, for the prompt supply of artificial 
heat, more serious complications would have undoubtedly ensued. 
A brief space may be appropriately devoted to one other noteworthy Australian 
finch. This is the so-called “Firetail” or Firetailed finch, Estrelda bella, of the 
southern provinces of the Australian continent, which is especially abundant in the 
