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E. Ho'phinson — Mr. Sewell's Breeding Record



Cordon-Bleu.— “ Two pairs reared fifteen young.” Were first

bred in France before 1859 and often since both at home and abroad,

but it is not easy to rear the young.


Cuba Finch.— Two pairs also reared fifteen young with Sewell.

Everybody who has had them found them easy to breed. The first

breeder appears to have been Dr. Buss in Germany about 1880 and

Hawkins the first in the United Kingdom in 1899.


Olive Finch.— “ Ten reared.” Have been bred elsewhere easily,

the first record of success being before 1880.


Black-headed Mannikin.— Four young reared of this “ difficult ”

Mannikin. This I think is the real triumph of the series, for although

everyone has kept these birds without any difficulty and often for years,

the only attempts at successful records which I know are Neunzig’s

statement that they were bred by Dr. Russ and a record in Bird Notes ,

1912 and 1913, where Dr. Easton Scott describes success for which the

F.B.C. Medal was awarded. In spite of this award there was great

doubt as to the reality of this “ success ”.


Fire-tailed Finch, Zoneeginthus bellus. — Two young reared till

old enough to be removed to another aviary, but were then unfortunately

killed by a cat. Have been bred before in Australia, but I do not think

elsewhere.


Peters’ Spotted Firefinch.— Four reared from two nests. Mrs.

Drake in Cornwall was the first breeder in 1935, and has repeated her

success since, I think.


Orangecheek Waxbill.— Three young reared. Another case of

success with “ difficult birds ”, for difficult everybody who has tried

to breed them has found them. Neunzig says “ occasionally bred,

first by Dr. Russ ”, and there are a few recorded successes in the United

Kingdom, the first being Miss Alderson’s in 1901 ; she managed to,

rear one young bird out of four hatched.


Mr. Sewell is indeed to be congratulated on his record and from a

bird-breeding point of view on living in a warm place, where live food

in the way of white ants, a curse to everyone but a bird breeder, seem

always available.



