22 Mrs. Wharton Tigar—Notes from a London Aviary


transport, they were nearly all damaged in flights and tail. I had

first choice of the collection soon after they were landed, and I chose

four of the brightest specimens I could find—my greediness resulted

in all four being cocks ! Afterwards I secured others that turned out

to be hens. When these birds are in full colour there is a very

decided difference in the sexes; the red of the head extends farther

in the cocks, and the hens have green flanks. Their colours

certainly are vivid, with brilliant peacock-blue bodies, bright green

sheen on wings, and red tails and heads. Among the hens I secured

were two that Mr. Goodfellow had hand-reared. These were

delightfully tame and followed me about the aviary; one would

even perch on my hand and eat a mealworm while sitting there.

On the whole, I found the Regias active in the aviary, and the hens

paid frequent visits to the nests, but it went no further. The cocks

utter a sound like a guard’s whistle, much the same as the call of

the Red-headed Parrot Finch (E . psittacea).


I secured at least one pair of all the little finches brought back

from East Africa by Mr. C. S. Webb. Among these pride of place

belongs to the Hartlaub’s Spotted Waxbill (Mandingoa nitidula

nitidula). No importation of this species had before been reported,

the reason being that these birds are widely distributed, and even

isolated specimens are rare; it is their habit to keep to the thick

tropical undergrowth, and consequently they are very difficult to

locate. In general colour they rather resemble a Green Avadavat,

but are of a more cobby shape; the cock has a bright yellow rump,

orange red cheeks, and black spots on his sides on a white back¬

ground; his beak is black, with a red tip, and the feet are brown.

The hen is very similar but altogether paler. When caged, my hen

plucked the cock bare of feathers on back and forehead. In the

aviary they got on well, and were always together; they are not so

retiring in their habits as the Peter’s Spotted Firefinch (Hypargos

niveoguttatus), but are like them in many ways. Their call is

similar, and both these species spend most of their time hunting on

the ground for insects. The cock Mandingoa carried grass about,

and once I saw him displaying to the hen in the usual manner,

bobbing up and down, straw in beak, getting closer and closer all



