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T H E CORDON BLEU.
Eslrilda pkcenicolis, SwAlNS.
fJ^HIS little bird, which is also known as the Crimson-eared Waxbill, is largely
imported and consequently in spite of its great beantj', is obtainable at a very
reasonable rate. It inhabits Senegambia to the Gaboon, N.E. and Eastern Africa as
far south as the Zanziba:- district; Equatorial Africa and the Congo River. The
male above is of a mouse-bro-^vu colour, with the lower back and upper tail-.
coverts of a bright cobalt blue ; the tail, Prussian blue ; the cheeks, throat and breast
cobalt blue, this colour also extending along the sides of the body; the eair-cpverts
bright crimson, fonning a crescentic patch ; centre of breast, abdomen, thighs, and
under wing and tail-coverts pale mouse brown ; the flight feathers above and below
dull brown; length 4 ¡^ inches. Beak, crimson ; legs flesh-coloux-ed ; iris yellowisfi ;
feathers encircling eye slightly paler tlian on the rest, of the face.
The female chiefly differs from the male in the want of the crimson car-patch.
•In its wild state, according to'Heuglin:—"This delicate little tirri] Iims in
Abyssinia up to 7000 feet above the sea les-el, in Tidcar, Senaar, 011 Hv- W'liite Nile,
and in Kordofan : it is nowhere exactly abundant, does not, like it;; relations, collect
into large companies, but is mostly seen singly or in pairs, both in thorn-hedges about
villages and farm-holdings, and in forest region, e; . • in the vicinit)- of water
courses. It is a resident bird and iucubr.^:- • • -trciiK'ly peculiar nests, which if '
casuall}- examined, liave" no distinct fonn auci . . g in a bush like little stray
heaps of straw ; they are also loosely placed bet^^•e.. , -is and twigs, or in hedges
generally' at a height of from 4 to 8 feet. The exterior of. the entire completed nest
consists of fine drj'straw stalks, the points of which usual!}' run inwards in a definitely
oblique direction towards the top ; a little concealed sloping opening, leads into the
very elegant n.. - -ivity, •hich is lined with grasses, feathers and wool. Before, after
and during the rainy season, I found in them from three to six pure white somewhat
cylindi'ical eggs, which when incubated became opaque and milky." He then proceeds
to tell us that the Granat-Astrild, like Uroloncha canfam, also uses the residences of
C O R D O N BLEU.
(Estnlda- pkaenicotLs)
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