264 
British Pirds in an around my Ai'iarics. 
few (lavs they generally make their way out a,i;'ain. The latest 
visitor is a cock (Ireat Tit, and it looks as if he is yoini;' to 
remain a prisoner. 
All the otiier aviaries are covered with J^^-inch mesh 
netting, and the only hird that has been able to get through 
this is the Common Wren, and it is of course possible that it 
may have got in through a broken mesh. This bird lived in 
cap.ivity for nearly a year, becoming very tame. 
The British birds I have introduced myself are the Field- 
fare (an account of the nesting of this species apjieared in B.N. 
last year) the Redwing, the Nuthatch, the Cirl Bunting, the 
Reed Bunting, the Brambling. the (ireenhnch and the Hawfinch. 
Of these, the only ones that nested this year were the 
Braml)!ings, Greenfinches, Cirl, and Reed Buntings. 
The Cireenfinches were two hens, but they mated with an 
odd cock Chinese Greenfinch, and had several nests, half a dozen 
fine youngsters being fully reared. These resembled their male 
parent. In the first nest of young ones, a cock Yellow Weaver 
took a great deal of interest, and although I never actually saw 
him feed them, he was nearly always near them, and he occupied 
a good deal of his time in weaving a wind screen and cover to 
the nest (I'idc plate), the mother finch in no way objecting. 
The Bramblefinch hen l^uilt a very pretty nest (I'tdc 
froiiiispiccc ) in a willow, and hatched out four young ones 
I'nfortunatcly an invasion of rats at this time made it necessary 
for me to have some men into the aviary to block up their holes. 
These idiots elected to hang their coats on the willow in which 
the nest was situated, and. as they were there nearly all day, it 
caused the lien to desert. The next day I found the day-old 
young ones stone cold, but thinking that there might still be 
soire life in them. I put two into a Greenfinch's nest, containing 
one young one about a week old. and two into another finch's 
nest containing infertile eggs. One young one was alive the 
next day in each nest, and they survived several days longer, 
but made no growth, so I don't think that they could have been 
properly fed. The hen Brambling disappeared, but whether 
she fell a victim to the rats, or died of a broken heart, I can't 
say. 
