Bev. J. E. Sweetnam—A Bramblefinch Chaffinch Hybrid 179


NOTES ON THE BREEDING OF A

BRAMBLEFINCH CHAFFINCH HYBRID


By The Rey. J. E. Sweetnam


The Editor’s recent plea for more contributions from members

must be my excuse for this account of the breeding and rearing of a

British hybrid which, though somewhat rare of its kind, hardly comes

within the scope of the Societies’ activities. Nor can I myself claim

any special knowledge or experience in this direction, the breeding

of this hybrid having come about through the inclusion of a few British

birds in a mixed collection of Foreign Hardbills in a small outside

aviary—which, by the way, is built on the ancient ramparts of this

old town (Taunton), part of which form the eastern boundary of the

Vicarage garden, and of the two ancient parishes of St. Mary Magdalene

and St. James.


I have had both parents for some three years. The hen Chaffinch

was aviary-bred, and is so tame that she flies to the wire whenever I

approach the aviary and follows me about for mealworms. Last year

the same pair hatched out three young but, unfortunately, I had to

leave home that very day, and all died before my return for lack of

proper attention and feeding. As last year, the nest was built in an

ordinary canary nest-pan hung on the outside wall of the brick shelter

(a converted outhouse) and sheltered from the elements by a piece of

zinc. This year there was only one fertile egg, which did not increase

my prospects of success in rearing, but I left the other three eggs in

the nest for a few days and the hybrid has suffered no ill-effects from

lack of companionship in the nest. Incubation commenced on 17th May,

the young was hatched on the 29th, and left the nest on 11th June.

I took the precaution of placing the hybrid in a cage with the door

open, where the mother continued to feed it (the sex is not yet evident),

until the attractions of the larger world drew it into the aviary, where

it is now very much at home, and still making such insistent demands

on the mother that I wonder what would have happened had she

produced triplets, or even twins. Apart from an occasional and casual

inspection of the nest the father took no interest in the proceedings,

and made no attempt to feed his strange offspring.



