196 Notes of Lcadenham House Aviaries. 
damp and chilly summer I do not think the birds have been able 
to catch as much live food for themselves as usual. 
No. 3 (large) Aviary : Here I have trird to get together a 
collection of rarer British birds witn a view to breeding them but 
not one has attempted to nest! Foremost in this aviary is the 
aforementioned old veteran — a Red-headed Weaver {Quelia 
erythrops) bought by me with another in 1907 from a neighbour, 
who bought them from Hamlyn the previous year, not knowing 
what they were, as they were out of colour. It is hardly likely 
that these birds were bred in that year of their importation 
(1906), and therefore my old friend irust be at least 15 years old, 
which beats Mrs. Hartley's records in your last issue, and he has 
been kept out winter and summer except during the war. The 
other foreign inmates of this aviary are a pair of I-ied-billed 
Weavers (Onelea quelea) who have attempted nests but never 
properly finished them — the courtship display of the male, 
usually on or above the nest is rather amusing — wings straight 
up over back and a long high note; a pair of Half-masked or 
Black-fronted Weavers and a pair of Indian Rain or Black- 
breasted Or.ail. The last named Weavers built three nests, 
one of which was the best, and was used, two or three eggs 
being laid in it; it was hung from a rambler rose stem right in 
the open and front portion of tlie aviary. These were eggs on 
June 21 st, and July 4th they hatched, it being wet chilly weather. 
Nine days later I found one young one dead under the nest ; its 
feathers were just beginning to grow. I could not be sure if 
there was ever another. The female went into the nest after 
this, but on July i8th it was empty. I was away from home 
until July 13th, after which I began to supply ants' eggs, but I 
could not make out that she found them, and I am of opinion 
that the youngsters died for want of sufficient live-f'"o1. She 
was most assiduous in hunting for this, but c'i 1 not appear to 
me to catch sufficient. The cock bird was very jealous over 
the nest, and occasionally looked into it, but I could not see that 
he ever fed and he had begun to build a fresh nest, which 1 hoped 
would be used, but it was never properly completed; it was a 
very disappointing experience. 
A pair of Jun;'-'- Bush Quails {Perdinila asiatica) com- 
pletes the foreign list. " Britishers " (or preferably 
