182 
Nesting of the Mealy Redpoll . 
but, whei any acUilt once acquires the vice of shrub-eating as 
a fixed habit, it also is most surely doorned. 
The Mealy Redpoll builds a very neat and compact 
nest, generally lined with a few feathers; the cup is very, 
small but rather deep (see photo) ; the young force the walls of 
the nest outwards as they increase in size. As many as six and 
someittimes even seven eggs are found in a clutch. The same 
nest is said to be frequently repaired and used again, but every 
nest that, has been built in my aviary has been a fresh one, 
though on one occasion the .same site was used again. 
The relationship of the various races of the Mealy Red- 
poll is a very interesting subject, but it is far too involved 
to di.scuss on the present occasion. Through the kindjiess 
of a lady who resides in Italy I received several large Red- 
polls of the Mealy type caught in Liguria. From private 
correspondence with one of our best known ornithologists I 
was surprised to find that it is not definitely known whether 
Howard Saunders was right or wrong in saying that the only 
race of Redpoll which breeds in the mountains of Central 
Europe is the Lesser. 
The old pair caught in East Anglia produced three 
clutches (18 eggs), and reared 11 (I removed one clutch). 
Another pair reared three young. Mealy Redpolls do not ap- 
pear to be a well fixed type, young ])irds of the same age 
showing variation of plumage, especially with regard to the 
marking on the upper throat. All the young birds, however, 
had brown rumps and a grey patch on the upper back. 
The most interesting data from an avicultural point 
of view which I noted with regard to the young Mealies 
related to the age at which they became independent. My 
attention was drawn to this matter by the escape of one 
youngster from its own aviary into an adjoining one. The 
latter contained only a pair of Tyrants which could not pos.sibly 
have fed it, yet it looked after itself, cracked hard seed and 
turned out as fine a specimen as its brothers and sisters. I 
was not satisfied with an isolated oliservation, thinking it might 
be a fluke, so I most carefully noted the age at which the 
youngsters from another nest commenced to eat seed anrt then 
I was bound to accept it as correct. It was far and awaV' 
the most interesting observation which I made in the aviary 
