520 
liveliest interest whilst I was placing the grass in the cage,'^' which 
it nearly filled ; and in the course of a few days, in fact before I 
had found time to supply tliem with nesting materials, they had 
laid four eggs in the bare wire nest, bare with the exception of a few 
blades of grass which they had plucked from the growing plants. 
The eggs, Avhich were extremel}^ fragile, were broken and the nest 
was forsaken. 
They then commenced a nest on the floor of the cage, amongst 
some hay and grass I had thrown in, which was soon flnishod, but 
deserted when seventeen eggs had been laid in it. In the meantime 
I introduced a quantity of the tops of the common Heed, about 
eighteen inches in length, dropping them into the cage in an 
upright position amongst the growing grass. I also supplied strips 
of bass matting, cut into lengths of from twelve to eighteen inches, 
nests of the Meadow Pipit, and the downy catkins of the Sallow. 
A third nest was built among the upright grass and reed-stems, 
about six inches from the floor: this was a deep, cup-shaped edifice, 
the exterior of which was composed of bass matting. The lining was 
of fine grass from the Pipits’ nests, with here and there a piece of 
Sallow' dowui. When a bird Avas on this nest, notliing Avas visible 
save the end of its tail. After laying tAvelve eggs they began to 
sit, but after eight or ten days this nest Avas abandoned and pulled 
to pieces, the materials being used in the construction of a fresh 
nest. Subsequently tAvo others Avere built, making six in all, 
containing the folloAving numbers of eggs ; viz., 4, 17, 12, 8, 4, aud 4, 
total 49, laid betAveen the 30th May and 2nd August. At this latter 
date I removed the materials from the cage, fearing that the birds 
might become exhausted ; indeed, they did not live long, the cock 
dying in the next April, Avhilst the hens died in the folloAving 
November and July. On removing the remains of the nests, Ac., 
I found a quantity of broken egg-shells, shoAving that other eggs 
must have been laid. Tavo eggs Avere frequently laid in the same 
nest in one morning, so that I presume the nests Averc common to 
both hens, and I frequently saw the cock-bird pair Avith both. 
I had birds laying in 187G, ’77, and ’78, aiid found that the 
simplest plan for providing nesting places Avas to stick the tops of 
Pampas Grass round a six-inch pot of earth, a site they took to 
* Tlie size of the cage was four feet by two feet, and about three feet liigh. 
