Visits to Members' Aviaries. 
which the Duchess of Wellington enumerated to me as some of 
the occupants of the aviary. A recent letter informs me that 
this bird had been found dead beneath the nest and that it was a 
hen Olive Finch. I did not know that this species was in the 
aviary, but it raises a very interesting point, as to the effect 
environment may have in altering the character of some species' 
nests. Olive finches have nested on several occasions in my 
aviary, and I have seen others in friends' aviaries, but all the 
nests I have come across have been globular in form with .1 
hole at the front for entrance. The nest described above was 
a charmingly neat cup-shaped one, well made and closely woven. 
In a bush we looked into a nest of Indigo Buntings, which 
contained a couple of partly fledged young birds; and had the 
pleasure of seeing the parent birds feed them several times — 
a recent letter informs me that both young birds are on the wing 
and independent of their parents, who are nesting again. 
Amid the rank grass of the aviary was an all but complete 
nest of Long-tailed Whydahs — its base rested on the ground, 
spherical, or rather oval, in form, the entrance was close to the 
ground, well hidden by rankly growing grass; it was strongly 
woven, the exterior being constructed of coarse grass stems, 
and the weaving was not close — it was lined with the downy 
(cotton-like) heads of reedy grasses, making the all but finished 
nest very compact and close, so much so that one could not see 
into the interior at all. I have heard since that the nesting has 
been successful, and that young Long-tailed (Giant) Whydahs 
are on the wing. This makes the third season in four years in 
which this species (not the same pair) have reared young in these 
aviaries. 
The other nests we noted were Green Singing Finches 
(Seriiius icterus), Goldfinch (Carduelis cardiielis) and Canaries. 
The latters' nest was a replica of the nest of the Wild Canary 
(ScriuHS canarius), of which I have seen photos. 
Every moment spent in the aviaries was of absorbing 
interest. Gaily clad weavers (in full dress) flashed in and out 
of the foliage; waxbills, butterfly-like, flitted to and fro in and 
out of the picture, also a fair number of other ploceine finches, 
but limits of space forbid enlargement thereupon, 
