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A. Silver—Breeding of White’s Warbling Finch



I was away, but on reaching home after a journey to my regret I found

two more young hatched and predicted trouble. The parents as expected

switched off their attentions to the latest arrivals, and a drop in the

temperature to almost a frost killed the two very fine young birds

which were unable to feed themselves. They proved to be male and

female and were sent to South Kensington.


The surviving bird, a female, is now in adult plumage as I write

on 7th October, and I have had to discourage further nesting on the

part of the parents. The nestlings are streaked on the chest, a character

absent in the adult birds of both sexes. A brief description comprises

the following particulars :—Above from bill to rump, dark blackish

brown. Tail black, with three outer feathers white at the tips, extending

down the feather farthest on the outer re trices. Wings like the back.

Throat dirty whitish, flanks drab brown. Chest drab brown, but

with broad smoky streaks. Abdomen and middle of belly dirty white.

Bill black, lower mandible lighter beneath. Legs light leaden brown.

Eyebrow streak dirty white, narrower, and not so conspicuous as in

the adults.


The old male is a handsome plain coloured bird, the broad white

eyebrow and chestnut ear-coverts contrasting with the dark slaty grey

upper parts, and the maroon underparts are conspicuous against the

pure white of the breast and abdomen. The female differs from the

male in being duller, paler, and generally browner. See B.M.C.,

Vol. XII, p. 641.


The nest was a deep cup, very like that of a Whitethroat, and

when removed after being used three times was quite clean. The

old birds always removed excreta and flew as far as possible from

the nest to drop it. On four occasions two eggs only were laid. Whether

this is a characteristic of the species I do not know. The male bird

sang from time to time a “ chipping ” song with a little twist at the

end, and when a Shamah lived temporarily next door tilted its tail and

was quite ready to do battle with him.


The Pretty Warbling Finches became unfriendly with the Green¬

finches (which reared two young) and were removed to another

enclosure. The male fed the female with living food, she fluttering

her wings like a nestling, but she rapidly developed what I believed to



