i f
'"f
! h
i .
=!• I
i! n
i :
I' I
i 8 8 Foreign Finchcs in Captivity.
is utterly indifFereiit to cold, quite as much so as the Zebra Finch.
At the same time, if Parson Finches are to be bred ; I believe from my own
failures, (with the exception of the one partial success previously recorded, where
two young birds actually left the nest,) that heat is a necessity; and that it is
only because they were kept in a rather high temperature, that the Parson Finches
belonging to Dr. Russ, Mr. Wiener and other German breeders, were so easily
and abundantly bred. If kept at a winter temperature of 70 degrees Fahr., I
should anticipate that none of the Australian Finches would be at all difficult to
breed. That thej' need a large area for exercise when breeding is improbable ; as
far as that goes, my? birds were well off: a cage three feet long, by two high and
two deep, ought to answer as well for the heavy Grass Finches, as for the more
active Waxbills.
Illustrations from living specimens formerl}', or at present, in the author's
possession.
;\l- J!
lii
f
!• If
It.
i'
I ' m
!