Foreign Finches in Captivity.
Orange-cheeked and Grey Astrild and tlie little Helena-pheasant (St. Helena
Waxbill).
" chirping, not remarkable; C«/r/y/«>^expanding- the tail elegantly and
movnig It almost rythmically from side to side/ the head comically stretched
np«-ards, «'ith jerky movements, dancing round and pursuing the female M'ith loud
chirrnpnig, presents a most fascinating picture. Is one of the most abundant
Astrilds."
In his "Fremdländischen Stubenvögel," Dr. Russ says If towards twilio-ht
the community of the Bird-room and especially the Ornamental Finches exhibit
unusual agilit.y so that tliej- either assiduonshr cro^vd round the feedino--place for
the last time or are alreadj- wrangling for the most comfortable resting-places the
Orange-cheeked Astrild, called by the dealers Little Orange-cheek, appears to b»
one of the most lively. The whole assembly is innocently engaged .,-ith its various
occupations, ^^•hen the observer makes an unintentionally hasty movement and
immediately with shrill tsit, tsit! the male Orange-cheek seare¡ all its a.ssociates
into flight. It IS 111 fact the sentinel among these birds. In due form, with ar<.us
eyes it seems to watch over the safet)- of the entire community; if the .vindow of
a passing cab throws a light on the ceiling of the Bird-room, if a paper kite or
a flock of pigeons rises into the air, but particularly in the case of any unusual
appearance close at hand,-as for instance if a lady visitor has brought her muif
^^•lth her - the warning-crv of the little Orange-cheek alwaj^s terrifies this whole
feathered ^^•orld out of its tranquility and frequentlj- disturbs their rest for hours "
Ever^-one ^vho has kept the Orange-cheeked Waxbill in a large aviary must
have noticed this highly nervous peculiarit.y, indeed it is such a nuisance that in
ni3- opinion, the Orange-cheek is better kept in a cage, where he cannot distnrl.
the peace and upset the nerves of a whole room full of birds. Even without
.S. mclpodus screaming 'caution,' all Waxbills are snfliciently timid and often
simultaneousl)- get a scare and fly up in a ero^vd for no apparent reason ; when
one IS quietly sitting in a corner watching them.
I have not been able to discover any account of the habits of this vei^- common
African species in a wild state. One would have supposed that one, at least, of
tlie man)- naturalists and explorers who have visited West Africa would have ta'ken
the trouble to record a fe.v facts respecting the birds which swarmed around them •
indeed they have done so in the case of many, far le.ss deserving of their attention
than .S'. metpodus.
Of course there is every probability that it is a reed-frequenting species like
Its congeners, that it breeds after the rains, building a large domed nest with
The Oninge-Checkcd Waxbill. „3
covered entrance tube; that it usually occurs in flocks excepting when breeding
and that it seeks its food on the ground. These may almost be regarded as certainties,
but before they can be added to the life-histoiT of the bird, they must
have been recorded by some eye-witness.
The illustrations are from skins in the author's collection.
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