Rreeditio; of the Mclba Finch. 
325 
"Master Mclba," as wo iianiod him, was covered with 
clown and was very blark skinned as a caUow- IK-d.-^eliiit^', but 
on leaviiiL; tlie nest had a li}:;ht .urey breast, with practically 
no lacing, a darker head, greenish wings and tail, with no 
rufous anywhere — and was still sliowing patches of down on the 
head. On August 3rd. he was .seen feeding at the seed tray. 
Ultimately "Master Mell)a " turned out to be a hen and 
now (Xovember 24th) is not distinguishable from an adult. 
On July 20th the same pair commenced another nest, 
which three days later contained a clutcii of three eggs. A 
young bird left the nest in August, but disappeared three 
days later. 
Of, August 4th the adult cock somehow escaped and 
was flying about and disporting amid the neighbouring trees, 
most of the day, but was fortunately recaptured before dark. 
At least a dozen nests were built and clutches laid. 
The clutches never numbered more than three eggs, more 
generally only two. 
The old birds all look very fit and should do better 
next year, as the breeding pair were practically newly imported 
when they reached me in the spring. 
I fancy they fed their young one on -a good deal of 
insect food, which they were able to obtain for themselves 
in the large aviary in which they lived. 
The young bird had the same way of screwing its 
head round and opening wide its mouth, when asking for 
food, as the Zebra and other allied Finciies. 
♦ 
Robin and Cuckoo. 
By Mrs. Ellen L. Beadnell. 
It is said that the commonest foster-parents to the 
young of the Cuckoo arc — and probably in the order men- 
tioned — the Meadow-Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Reed-Warbler, Hedge- 
Sparrow, and the Robin Redbreast, and as the following brief 
account concerns the upbringing of a young Cuckoo by the 
last-mentioned of these birds I venture to hope it may in- 
terest some of the readers of this periodical. 
On the 1 2th and 13th of July the attention of my 
