THE TWITE. 79 
of Beverley, Yorks., gives the following interesting account of his experiments in 
breeding Twites in confinement :—‘“A pair of Twites (Acanthis flavirostrts) have 
this season bred and reared young in my small aviary, and as it is, I believe, a 
rather uncommon occurrence, a few notes may be acceptable * * * * * *, 
The birds are a very interesting pair, both being abnormally coloured—the cock 
about half white pied, and the hen pure white (the latter may be known to some 
of my readers, as it has been exhibited at both the Palace and Aquarium shows). 
They are kept with about half a dozen other Finches in an aviary quite out in 
the country. 
The hen commenced to build on May 14th, and laid her first egg on the 
17th, laying altogether five eggs and sitting closely after the third was laid. I 
did not again look at the eggs, but saw the old birds busy feeding on the 2nd 
of June and following days. I looked in the nest on the 8th, hoping to find some 
fine young birds, but the nest contained only one poor starved thing which died 
on the following day: the weather was very stormy at the time they were hatched 
and I think this was the cause of their doing so badly. 
On the r5th I noticed that the hen had nearly completed another nest, and 
she laid on the 16th and three following days: having a Redpoll nesting at the 
same time, I gave her two of the Twites’ eggs, making up the number for each 
with infertile eggs; both birds hatched on the same day; the two in the Redpoll’s 
nest perished at once, though she is a good feeder, and has reared two broods of 
her own this season; the Twite successfully reared hers, and they left the nest 
on July 19th, and are now very fine birds, but quite normally coloured; this I 
expected, as I have reared a large number during the past few years from both 
white, pied, and cinnanion Lesser Redpolls, and have inbred them, but have never 
had one vary in the least from the normal colour.* Young Twites are not nearly 
so precocious as Redpolls; they were a long time before they attempted to peck 
for themselves, and even now (August) clamour to the old ones for food, whereas 
I have seen young Redpolls a week after leaving the nest shell hard Canary-seed. 
My birds have no soft food given them, but as much of the flowering top of the 
dwarf-grass, dandelion, and hard-head tops, thistle, plantain, etc.,as they wish, and 
as many aphides off rose, apple, or plum-trees as I can at the time obtain; infested 
branches being put in the aviary for the birds to peck them off. The latter, I 
consider, are very essential for the successful rearing of Finches in confinement, 
especially for the first few days after they are hatched.” ft 
* Nevertheless continuous inbreeding is believed to be the pnuncipal cause of albinism,—A.G.B. 
+ If soft food is given, I do not find aphides to be essential —A.G.B. 
