222 
Breeding of fhe Blacli Seed-fincJi. 
On June ir)th young wore again to be seen in the 
nest, and tlio old birds now began to bother me for meal- 
worm.s every time I entered the aviary. These they would 
masticate, rejecting the skins. Unlike the Weavers Ihcy would 
never visit the nest in my presence, and would, if T examined 
it, manifest their displeasure with a series of harsh chirps. 
On July Ist two young birds left the nest, and on the 
same day in this aviary young of Zebra Finces and Sulphury 
Seed-eaters also made their exit; making quite a colony of 
birdlings. The young Zebra Finches are a great contrast to 
the Black Seed-linches; they look little gentlemen in their 
neat grey suits, and unlike the latter, which spend much oX 
their time lurking amid the thick cover near the ground, seek 
out the highest and most conspicuous places for their camping 
grounds. The little Sulphury Seed-eaters take the middle 
course; they neither lurk amid the thick cover nor yet seek 
an undue amount of light, but can generally be seen, in their 
unobtrusive brown garments, on some inconspicuous perch 
about on a level with one's eyes. However, the little Black 
Seed-finches are my favourites, and I should not care to be 
without at least one pair in my aviaries, and T hope that 
my birds may be with me a good many years yet. 
♦ 
The Breeding of the Masked Doves (Oejia capensis) 
By H. Beicht. 
My pair of this species have been with me three years. 
Last year they built as soon as I turned them out from their 
winter quarters, but did nothing more. 
This year T put them into the same aviary, and again 
they commenced building operations at once, piling up a huge 
nest on the top of a deserted nest of the Red Mountain Doves. 
A clutch of eggs was duly deposited therein and closely incu- 
bated, but they failed to hatch out, and eventually nest and 
eggs were deserted. 
A fresh nest was started at once in an apple tree, 
where they duly deposited their clutch of two buff-coioured 
eggs, but again failed to hatch out. I was much afraid they 
would give up their attempts at reproduction for this reason 
