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THE ZEBRA WAXBILL.
Sporceginthus siibflavus, ViEILL.
' ' j m E Zebra Waxbill is locally distributed throughout the ^yhole of the^ Etliiopiau
region, where it is^ generally met with in flocks ; in the month of July Mr.
Aj-res saw a flight of them feeding in cultivated grounds near Maritzburo- "common
though it is, comparatively little seems to have been published respecting its
habits 111 a wild state,
Tlie general colour of the male above is olive-browu; the lower back and
upper tail-coverts crimson; the tail feathers smoky, with browner edges- the
central ones entirely brown, the outer ones fringed with white at the ends • 'lores
and a broad eyebrow, which partly encloses the eye, crimson; chin bright red •
feathers below eye, sides of face, and throat bright ^•ellow, shading into brio-ht
reddish orange on the breast and then graduallv passing into orange yellow ao-tin
on the abdomen and under tail-coverts ; sides of bodv greenish grey, barred with
buff; under wing-coverts greenish grey, edged with whitish; flight feathers smoky
with greyish edges. Length inches. Beak crimson, the ridge and euttin..
edge of upper mandible blackish ; legs flesli-coloured; iris crimson.'
The hen chiefly differs from the cock in the absence of the crimson eyebrow
the greyer cheeks and the paler yellow and orange of the under surface exceptinc^
on the under tall-co^'erts, which are as bright as 111 the male. Length 3-! inches"
Much the same may be said of this as of its predecessors ; it is perhaps a
little less delicate, but I have never known it to live very long in any of my
aviaries ; though in a cage witli other Waxbills, and .vith a box to which it can
retire at pleasure, it does not seem to mind a temperature of 50 degrees, or even
somewhat lower. *
Dr. Russ, who probably is able to secure a higher temperature than I liave
at command, does not appear to have much difEculty in keeping this or the other
African U'axbills in vigorous health. He says of this species Once again one
• During one night of tlie winter of 1854-5, tile temperalnre feli to 34 degrees witiiout .iffecting it.
It
The Zebra Waxbill. " 5
of the most abundaiit, most beautiful, and most beloved of the Astrilds, It hardly
ever comes into tlie market out of feather; and after their arrival fewer individuals
die than in the case of several other species ; ^vith proper attention it keeps in
good health in the dealers' cages for years, only it usually becomes black,
" I t wonderfully soon takes steps to breed, whether flying at large in a birdroom,
or in a small cage, Tlie power of production of this species is astounding;
tlie first pair in my bird-r(3om bred seven times in vain, and only the eighth time,
when small fresli ants' eggs had been obtained, was a brood of five young ones
satisfactorily reared, A pair belonging to Dr, Rey of Halle produced fifty-four
young in the course of one year, which however all died ; besides this sixty-seven
eggs were taken away. The hve-danee is comical ; the song scarcely more than a
Sparrow-like, yet not inharmonious chirp, repeated an innumerable quantity of
tunes in the early morning during the nesting season, JVest in a little Hartz cage,
with basket iiest, or in a little lined nest-basket, or a very small Friihauf's
nest-box,» open in front, always high up : somewhat negligent, as compared with
those of the nearly allied Astrilds; of strips of paper and bast, cotton threads,
fibres and hay-stalks loosely throM'U together, arched over, with a lateral, broad,'
and scarcely rounded entrance; inside, on the contrary, rather carefully lined with
horse-hair, wadding, and soft feathers. Laying three to four, even sometimes
seven to nine eggs, which are incubated alternately by the male and female
for two hours at a time. Nestling-down whitish yellow. Expansions of the beak
yellowish white. Young plumage bright yellowish grey, to be distinguished by the
weak, but clearly perceptible reddish yellow colouring of the croup ; little beak
shining black; eyes dark brown ; feet black brown. The change of eoloior begins
after three weeks ; in five weeks the feathering below is clear yellowish, upper
surface darker brown; after eight weeks the yellow becomes deep and shining, the
little beak red and the superciliary stripe, which began to appear about the s'ixth
week, IS perfected. Then the bird is fit to propagate its kind. The lively orange
red of the male is first shown in the second year ; by the fifth year it has sometimes
extended itself uniformly over the throat, breast, and front of abdomen ;
males so coloured are however rare.
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Ciiaractenzed by Dr. Russ as a " I.-ralmof'chen Nistkasten," 1 at first imagined that this might be a cigar-box
to contain " Ear i y weeds," somewhat after the style of the " Zwischen-Act Cigarren " sold in Germany. Several Germans
Whom asked were quite unable to give me a better e..planation; but one gentleman wrote to his friends in Germany
wlio told him It was a cage in which to take out an Eagle-Owl to the chase: this gave me a false cine, althongh I never
heard of that bird being used for hawking. Finally, Dr. Jordan, of the Tring Museum, sent me a cutting from a
German newspaper, advertising '.Friihaufs Nest-boxes, always recommended by Mr. Carl Russ, in Ms Works." Sold
b y Carl Frnhanf of Schlensingen, Thuringia.
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