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S. McGredy—Hybrid Grassfinches and Others



Whilst quite a pretty hybrid I would not recommend any member

to deliberately try and breed them as they are not quite so attractive

as the Longtail Grassfinch which, in my opinion, is the prettiest of all

the Grassfinches, not even excepting Gouldians.


Grassfinches breed freely with me and I have had, as stated, quite

a little flock for some years.


Against all the walls of my aviaries—and covering as much space as

possible—I have frames about 12 inches deep covered with cheap

garden trellis. After erection these are stuffed with dry heather and

once provided I have never known Grassfinches to make use of any other

nesting-sites, though plenty are provided inside and out. In fact,

all Finches seem to relish the dense natural “ hedge ” and one never

knows what treasure is going to emerge as the nests in many cases

cannot be seen.


The great beauty of this type of indoor cover is that one’s natural

curiosity is kept in bounds as it is practically impossible to go * ‘ poking

.around ”. But, and a very big but it is, if mice can get into the shelter

it is practically impossible to dislodge them without pulling all the

heather out.


Some three years ago my man informed me that a lot of birds

seemed to have deserted their nests (I am afraid he was poking around

against orders). On investigation I discovered, in a bottom corner of

the framework, traces of mouse droppings. I examined every nesting

receptacle in the aviary—but no mouse. In the end I shook the

“ hedge ” vigorously and out jumped Master Mouse. Not content

I started pulling heather out, and inside half an hour, with the active

assistance of my man, ten corpses lay on the floor. Unfortunately,

I started to pull another hedge in the same aviary to pieces and spoilt

a lot of nests. I may add this is the only serious trouble (by serious

I mean undiscovered) I have ever had with mice and though half a day

was spent in examining the aviary, both inside and out, the method of

ingress remains to this day a mystery.


For nesting sites outside I favour clipped box-trees, and I always

nail to two stout posts about 6 feet above the top a wooden cover

roofed with felt to prevent rain reaching any nests.


During my tour of investigation to-day I discovered in one of these



