170 H. Jones—Notes on the Breeding of the Zebra Finch


to like the defence of their nests and favourite perches against the

intrusion of other birds.


Neither do Zebra Finches breed as well in mixed collections. As

soon as the young birds are able to feed themselves, remove them from

the breeding aviary. They are very mischievous and soon want a nest

for themselves. It is unwise to add even mated pairs to an aviary

where the stock have already settled down to serious work. The fact

that aviary-bred birds breed better than imported birds goes without

saying.


Aviaries .—I find that Zebra Finches do better in a large shelter shed

with a small flight than in the usual aviary with small shelter shed

and large flight. Heavy rain seems to be fatal to young birds, possibly

from the fact that they come from the rainless regions of Australia.


Food .—Staple foods are white millet, Indian millet, and spray

millet, all given separately. To each pint of white and Indian millet

I add one teaspoonful of cod-liver oil, mix thoroughly with the hands,

and allow to stand for twenty-four hours before serving. The tins

I mix the seed and oil in I scald out with boiling water after each

mixing. Since mixing cod-liver oil with their seed I have never had

a case of egg-binding. I lost some dozen hens before using the oil.

Canary seed I find too fattening. I give lettuce all the year round

and seeding grasses when I can get them. When the birds are breeding

they will take mealworms ad lib., and they seem to have a passion for

cuttlefish bone when they have young in the nest. So that they may

get it quicker, I cut off slices of cuttlefish, about the thinness of

newspaper.


When the young first start feeding themselves they eat nothing

but spray millet, so it is necessary to see there is always plenty of this

about where the young can get at it, i.e. on the floor. They seem to

find the other seed too hard to crack at first and many young Zebra

Finches seem to be lost at this age because they cannot get sufficient

spray millet.


Nests .—The birds will use anything, but I think the best nest is

a cardboard shoe or stationery box. Fasten the lid to the box and

bend about a quarter of the lid down as a platform. They like the

boxes even better if one-half of the aperture thus left is covered with



