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• Foreign Finc/ia in Cipfivily.
ochreous; sides of body and thighs gre.yish brown; under wing-coverts vellowish
white. Length inches.
This species changes its phimage entirely from time to time in the most
unacconntable manner; not merely to the duller winter plumage : - T h e whole of
my SIX Bombay cock birds at their second moult assumed a plumao-e like that of
bnlliantly coloured hen birds and answering very closely to the'description of
Wallaces flavidi^entris: this dress they retained for an entire year without chan-e
and then the copper colouring began, to re-appear in patches.
In like manner the hens vary considerably, some examples being almost as
bright in the under-surface colouring as Zebra Waxbills ; whereas others are of a
pale sandy buif colour, slightly smoky on the breast. Some old cock birds after
four or five j-ears of aviar.v life get patches of black and white on the copper-red
of the face and throat, which greatly interferes with their beauty.
I have, from first to last, had some five or six dozen' examples of this
extremely hardy little bird. I have knowu it to staud 21 degrees of frost without
the slightest inconvenience, and a friend of mine wintered some m a somewhat
w i temperature may have been considerably
^ Jerdon writes of the Amaduvade as follows This pretty bird is far from
being common in .the South of India. I have observed it in great abundance on
the top of the Neilgherries, where it frequents meadows and bushy ground but
frequently also enters gardens, and is considered destructive to various seeds, buds
¿^^c. I observed it in the Deccan, in the neighbourhood of well-wooded towns It
IS said to be common in some parts of Mysore. Mr. Elliott says, it is common
in Dharwar, particulariy in the sugarcane-fields, along with M. Aialacca I am
informed that it builds its nest of well-woven grass, attaching it to a stalk of
Ra^mla. It is caught in great quantities in certain parts, and kept in cao-es with
M.^ undulata and others. It is said to fight with great courage (for ^^.hich purpose
It IS kept by the natives) and that it will continue the combat till blood is drawn
on one or both sides."
I n a later account Jerdon says " It frequents bushy ground, gardens and
especially sugarcane fields, and long grass, associating in large flocks except
towards the end of the rains, at which season it breeds. The nest is large made
of grass, and placed in a thick bush, or occasionally in long grass or reeds and
the eggs, six to eight in number, are very small, round and white. This species
he meant the Zebra Fmch, specimens of which I saw there.
tfii;
The Aviadnvade IVaxbill. 119
moults t\vice a year, the male after breeding assuming the plumage of the female.
Large numbers are taken in many parts of the country and caged. The male has
a pleasant little song, and it is also said to fight with much spirit, for which
purpose it is kept by the natives. The popular name of Amaduvad originally
applied to this species, and Mr. Blyth has shown that this word took its origin
from the city of Ahmedabad, whence it used to be imported into Europe in
unmbei-s."
F. Buchanan Hamilton states that it "inhabits long reeds on the banks of
nvers. In spring, and the rainy season, it goes in large flocks ; in October, they
pair and begin to build."
There is not the slightest diificulty in getting this species to build in an
aviary if bushes are provided in which it can construct a nest, and plenty of hay
for It to work with : I have had several of these nests built both in my Bird-room
and cool aviary: they are large obtusely elliptical structures; with a perpendicular
length of some nine or ten inches and a diameter of about five inches ; the entrance
hole is neatly formed a little above the middle and in front.
In every instance in which my Amaduvades have built, other birds have turned
them out and taken possession of the nests. My first nest was built in a box-tree
in the Bird-room; but it was no sooner completed than a pair of Cordon-bleus
drove out the little architects and seized their dwelling; these in turn, were ejected
by a pan- of Lavender Finches. The fight for possession shortly afterwards resulted
in the death of the cock Cordon-bleu, and about the same time the hen Lavender
Finch expired; the two widowed birds now consorted and occupied the nest for
some time without result.
In my outer aviary all the nests were seized as fast as they were completed
by a cock Parson Finch, who simply used them to roost in and made a back door
to each nest for his own convenience, or else to gratify his destructive
instincts^ One hen Amaduvade died egg-bound; but no eggs were deposited in
any of these nests.
At dawn and even a little earlier yon will hear the Amaduvades calling to and
answering one another in an aviary; the call notes are clear and musical like the
song, and may be S3dlabled thus :—" Tsee, hit, tse-coP
Dr. Russ is a great admirer of the Amaduvade; he s a y s : - " I might pronounce
this bird to be not only one of the most beautiful, but also the most lovable of
all little Astrilds ; I consider it the most pleasing of all."
" T h e feathering changes in an extraordinary manner, becomes more brilliant
at breeding-time and afterwards again duller, even to plain grey; the beak always
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