50 C. N. Abrahams—Experiences and Incidents in South Africa


Many a valuable nest of young we have lost, due to these little gentlemen.

They will kill and almost completely devour a nest of four young in

one night. Before dusk my wife and I would search an aviary carefully,

looking for the last scout and destroy every trace of them. Then we

would put out tempting poisonous food in the hope that it would be

nice enough and sufficient to keep them busy for the night.


But, alas ! we’d awaken next morning only to find that there had

been sufficient for all and some to spare. And the Japanese army had

pushed on and were busily marching to and fro, in a thick black stream

towards a nest. On examination one would find they had reached—-

Japanese heaven, I sometimes think—and the nest is a thick black

mass of ants and the young birds all dead.


They are tiny black gentlemen, so small that they can creep through

mosquito netting, and that’s why we call them Japanese. We have

gone to considerable trouble in trying to cope with this pest.


This breeding season we have introduced a new system of nesting

area. In some houses we have planted large branches of trees, to which

suitable nesting bushes, boxes, baskets, and coco-nut husks and tins

are fastened. In others we have suspended a nesting surface, also

consisting of bushes, boxes, tins, etc., from the roofs of the houses,

by wires, the idea being to bring the points of control down to a minimum.

These points are covered with some sticky substance, i.e. tanglefoot,

over which the ants will not pass, only here again we have to protect

the birds from being caught on it. And so the game goes. So much for

the Japs. I think we’ll beat them before the end.


But there is the other side of the story. And all the trials, and all

the troubles, cannot offset the great pleasure we find in our birds, with

their interesting ways and habits and breeding results. Although the

latter has been nothing really wonderful, so far as rare species goes,

we have had a great deal of pleasure out of it. And after all, what

more interesting and pretty can one wish to see than five common young

Zebra Finches, with the backs of their little heads firm on the ground,

forming a semi-circle, with mouths wide open, earnestly begging for

food ; while Ma and Pa hop from one to the other, placing a blob

in each little mouth, to a deafening chorus of keen little voices and

quivering tails.



