Nesting Resulfs at Park Lodge Aviaries. 
145 
iinpleasunl . Tlie hen has a hi^'-li pitclunl " twoot," ropoatcd at 
intervals. The cock alone possesses a h)Ve-(laii('e, to wliich 
tlie hen appears nol only indiflVrent, but af times supremely 
contemptuous, and, siie will take the sti'aw from his l)eak and 
throw it away with a look tiiat clearly says, " Don"t make 
such a ridiculous ass ot youi'seif." 
I do not consider them to Ik? vei'y hardy, 1 have had 
several losses from pneumonia, hut they certainly do not re- 
quire coddling. It is suflicient to make sure tiiat they are 
housed every night from Novemlier till April at least. They 
re(piirc nothing more. 
'\^'ith these remarks (all too lengthy I fear, Mr. Editor) 
I will pass on to the next species on our list, viz.: 
The Bib Fixch. Of all the impertinent little busy- 
bodies, with an opinion of themselves which should be the 
envy of a cabinet minister, commend nie to Bib Finches. They 
instinctively recall Ciulliver's travels in Lilliput. Tiieir ridic- 
ulous little swaggering song, and the absurd way they pounce 
on all the big feathers and which, like certain high-minded 
county officials falling over their swords, they seem quite 
unable to tackle. They are not very hardy. I lost four out of 
six to my regret, for I am very fond of my fearless little Bib 
Finches. They, too, prefer a rush nest, and what they lack in 
inches make up in sheer eflfrontery and keep all marauders off 
their home. The young are quaint little beasties and, if my 
memory serves me aright, have no bibs, but are a homogeneous 
brown. The little white egg is, of course, about the size of 
a tear drop. I have no doubt Mr. and Mrs. Bib think they 
are as big as Ostrich eggs and much more beautiful. If Bib 
Finches were as big as Sparrows they would be a nuisance; 
fortunately they are not and nobody in the aviary takes them 
really seriously, which annoys them intenselj-. They are ver^ 
interfering, and arc sometimes called the African Parson Finch. 
The connection may be a coincidence, I give it for Avhat it is 
worth. If you have never kept Bib Finches you can nave no 
idea what, amusement you can get out of so tiny and independ- 
ent a bird. Blue pencil looms in the distance, so I will take 
number three on our list, and that brings us fo: 
Zebka Finches and also the first of our illustrations 
-"The Nest of the Zebra Finch." It is not always realised 
