A. Silver—Breeding of White’s Warbling Finch



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I supplied insectile food and meal-worms and mixed canary and grass

seeds together for them and placed them in a roomy cage. Soon they

recovered and became pugnacious so that I had to keep male and

female White’s Finch apart and the others, which were two pairs of

Pretty Warbling Finches, caged in pairs. They moulted in the winter,

and by the spring were all in perfect feather ; sprightly active birds,

almost noteless, and eating little or no seed when soft or living food

was present.


About the end of April I placed them in aviaries, but found them

anything but amicable, so allocated one aviary to the White’s Finches

and allowed the Pretty Finches to live with a pair of Greenfinches in

another.


During May the male White’s Finch started “ carting ” hay and

lodged a nest on some fir needles in a very insecure position. Two

eggs were laid, the hen sitting close ; but, as I expected, the nest was

dislodged, eggs broken, and their first attempt at rearing a family

came to naught.


I made a hay nest, placed it in an open fronted box, and shortly

afterwards the male adopted the provision and my maid informed me

the hen was sitting steadily. Other matters claimed my attention, and

the care of the birds was left to her. She reported an egg-shell and was

instructed to keep meal-worms present all the time, and a friend

kept me fairly well supplied with large wood ants and their cocoons.

Meal-worms in a white condition and their pupae were used more than

the ant cocoons. Both fed the young bird, the other egg being clear.

Apparently incubation lasted twelve to fourteen days and the young

bird was several days old when seen about 1st or 2nd July. When

it left the nest it was discovered at the end of the place near the door,

but flew back under cover and did not “ flounder ” about; soon taking

advantage of a ledge and a peastick placed on the ground. After two

days it was seldom visible, hiding behind some pine branches most of

the time. A satisfactory report of its well-being was given to me

morning and night as I had no time to investigate for myself. When

trying to show it to a visitor I found two more young hatched which

were reared and flew and although their tails were half-grown were

still entirely dependent on their parents. They thrived apace whilst



