208 Hooded Sis]i'i?is and Cross-hrcd Chaffinches. 
the hens, and taking a protectiA'e interest in their work. Each 
nest was built entirely of grass, the lining 'being of soft, fine 
grass, no hair or down being obtainable in the aviary. 
The (loldfinehes laid five eggs, typical in shape and 
colouring and sliglitly largei- than the ordinary English l>irds' 
egg. This was to be expected, because the Himalayan Gold- 
finch is a rather bigger bird than the English one. Four 
eggs were hatched, the first young one making its appearance 
on the 14th day. The next day the 'three remaining youngsters 
appeared. 
The lien Goldfinch sat very close the whole ])eriod 
of incubation, coining off occasionally for a very short period, 
hardly exceeding one -minute. The cock bird fed her con- 
stantly whilst she was on the nest, and, as far as I could^ 
make out, she only left the nest Avhenever she wanted to 
evacuate. No droppings were to be seen under, or about 
the nest, during the period of incubation. I provided plenty 
of mixed seeds, hemp, inga, teazle, linseed, and lettuce; also 
large handfuls of groundsel in fiower and in seed, dandelion 
heads, and lettuce. Seeding plaintain and 1"vurdock was grow- 
ing abundantly in the aviary, and the birds ate freelj' of the 
seeds and the leaves, I also gave Hartz Mountain Bread dry, 
with maw seed .sprinkled on it; also a small piece of bread, 
every morning, soaked in boiled milk. 
The parent birds went hunting around the aviary lor 
insects, and found a fair number of midges, flies, and spiders, 
with which they fed the young birds for the first few days. 
Afterwards to my great satisfaction they started feeding with 
bread and milk. On this diet they have successfully reared 
two young Goldfinches, which are now (July 1 8th), three 
weeks old— and are out of the nest, though unable to fly. An 
Indigo Bunting is greatly interested in these two young birds, 
and has been seen to feed them. 
Hooded Siskins: The history of the young Hooded 
Siskins is not so happy. They hatched out on the 1 4th day and 
the parent birds fed on bread and milk, maw seed, and live 
food caught in the aviary. They did not touch the groundsel 
or dandelion heads, but tucked into the burdock seeds pretty 
freely. I noticed no green food in the crops of the .young 
Siskins till the 10th day. Th<>y died on the 11th, and 12th 
