228



J. E. Sweetnam—Breeding the Painted Finch



General Observations on the Species


I am at a loss to understand the long dissertation in the article by

Mr. Phillipps already referred to about the difficulty in sexing adult

birds. In my pair the distinction is evident at a glance, the cock carrying

much more and more brilliant red on breast and head and, I think,

with the breast spots rather smaller than the hen.


Another pair of, evidently, younger birds which I obtained at the

same time, but parted with later, also showed the sex quite distinctly,

and the same applies to several other pairs I have since seen.


In that same article the writer questions the fact that Painted

Finches always roost on the ground. Mine have never slept anywhere

else, and the young reared by them did likewise from the day they left

the nest.


It is, however, an interesting example of acquired characteristics

that the young reared by foster-parents never so roosted, but always

on top of a nest box, hung high up on the aviary wall.


For the first week or ten days the adult Painted roosted on the floor

with their young but, after that, by themselves though still on the ground.


Though conclusions reached from the observation of an individual

pair of birds of any species should be accepted with reserve (which,

in this case is the more necessary since my pair have never been moved

from the inside aviary, slightly heated all winter, and with some

heat turned on even now on cold nights), I regard Emblems, picta a

fairly hardy bird, nor have I found mine at all subject to egg-binding.

In regard to the latter complaint, however, it should be added I have

lost no birds through it for several seasons.


In view of recent importations of this previously very rare and,

apparently, very prolific species, it is probable this season will provide

many more records of its successful breeding. If so, I hope they may

be communicated through the Magazine for the benefit of future owners

of a bird which I am satisfied needs only to be better known and more

easily obtainable to become a prime favourite with aviarists.


I would add that a brief description of the species by Mr. Seth-Smith

in Yol. X (1932) of the Magazine is accompanied by an excellent

plate—though the immature bird there depicted must be several

months old to show such definite breast spots, and so much red on

the forehead and lower mandible.



