402



H. V. Highman—The Bed-eared Firetail Finch



marshy land where they hug the dense shrubs, rarely being seen in

the open.


My specimens were trapped one at a time and placed in a small

cage and there retained sometimes for six weeks until twelve birds

were secured. The dozen were then railed to me in Perth, 200 miles

away. I turned these birds straight into my aviary, and from two

dozen birds the losses to date are three, one death being that of a

specimen I forwarded to S. Harvey, a leading South Australian

aviculturist, nearly a thousand miles away. My aviary is approximately

20 X 8 X 7 feet high. One end is completely enclosed to form

a shelter, and the flight is roofed and packed with dense foliage and

small bushes. In this aviary many species are kept, ranging from soft

food eaters to Parakeets, the food being greatly diversified and consisting

of canary, panicum, millett, linseed, rape, and the usual greens and

soft food. The Red-ears have access to this varied diet and seem to

partake of all, including the soft food.


During the day they hide deep in the bushes and are rarely seen,

but early morning and sundown they are extremely lively. At the

outset I was astonished at their tameness. When entering the aviary

to feed in the mornings they rarely departed from the seed table.

They keep to themselves and do not even mix with Zonceginthus hellus

(Beautiful Firetail) of which two pairs are cohabitants with three pairs

of Zonceginthus oculatus. The Red-ears are terrors for their morning

bath even on the coldest of mornings.


It is generally understood that this species nests from October to

February, but I have a pair nesting in August. The nest is deep in

the centre of a tea tree bush and is oval in shape, built of dried grasses

with an entrance at one side approached by a short tunnel formation.

Both birds constructed the nest. Three eggs have been laid and appear

pure white in colour. Being winter here and the days conse¬

quently short, my time for observation is very limited, having my

business to occupy me during the day. This fact has not permitted

me to observe which bird is incubating the eggs. I cannot even sex

the birds with any degree of certainty. All appear alike in plumage

although some are not so distinctly marked, but some birds have

a much higher pitched call than others. I presume these to be the



