^'•f I,
il' ;
il''
'' I
i 1 •
198 yori'igìi Find/cs in CaptivUy.
Bullfinch, approach \vithin a yard of the nest, than the little fellow hnrls himself
furiously at him, and thongh he ma)' fail to scare the larger bird at the first
onslaught, he repeats the attack until the intruder is driven off.
Tlie eggs are hatched in about eleven days, and about three weeks later the
young leave the nest, but are largelj- dependent upon their parents for food for
about another week : during this time they give the old birds little rest, pursuing
them continually, throwing themseh'es sidewa^-s, turning their heads 'upside down
and trumpeting noisil_y : the attitude of the young Zebra-Finch when being fed is
most grotesque. About eight weeks after leaving their nest the 3'oung are like their
parents, and are then ready to breed. Therefore, prOA'ided that all things go well,
more especiallj' with the hen birds (which sometimes die from soft eggs in cold
^^-eather) a good stock of this prett}' little Finch can soon be acquired.
If permitted to do so, Zebra-Finches will breed at any time in the year ; in fact
my first 3'oungster left the nest on Christmas Day, in the Bird-room, at a temperature
of 50 degrees Fahr. It is not however ad\-isable to let these birds breed incessantly,
for it certainly weakens the old birds, and even the 5'oung are wanting in vigour.
As a proof of its indifference to cold, it is sufficient to mention that in the severe
winter of 1890-1, a pair of this species in my outside aviar}', were building in a
German Canary-cage, at a temperature of 15 degrees Fahr. The)- fortunately went
no farther, or I might have lost the hen : indeed she did not laj- and hatch out until
the following July : but I found them C[uite as livelj- and happy with seventeen
degrees of frost, as when they had from thirty to forty degrees of heat.
The Zebra-Finch is perfectly able to rear- its 3'Oung on seed alone, especiallj' if
plenty of grass in the ear is given ; and I firmh' believe that they do better on this
than when they are supplied also with soft food. I found the latter tended to make
tire old birds too excitable, so that they ^vonld start a fresh nest and pluck their newly
fledged young to line it, thus killing several healthy little fellows before they were
strong enough to defend theuiseh'es.
The call-note of the Zebra finch is a monosjdlabic note, like that produced bj? a
penny wooden trumpet, and the song is a repetition of the same sound five times,
the first four notes uttered rapidly, and the fifth coming in with a decided jerk at the
end ; it is not unlike the bleating of a kid, and therefore is by no means remarkable
for melody.
Dr. Russ gives the following account of the species:—"No other of the
Australian Ornamental-Pinches is so treasured and widely distributed as this, one of
the smallest and most brightly coloured." " Its breeding in nature and propagation
could be intimately studied, and yet very few facts respecting its life when at liberty
The Zebra Fineh. 199
are published. It had already been bred by Vieillot, and even figured in its young
plumage. Until a short time ago it could only be occasionalljr purchased; frequcntl}',
for a long time, not at all. The price at that time was 24 Marks for the pair, only
when it continually .showed richer breeding results, 18 Marks. Since, both flying
freelj' in the Bird Room and in little breeding-cages, it has reared numerous broods
of from three to seven young ones, and at times has been bred much more numerously
than it has been imported, it may count as fully acclimatized. Exactly the
experiences gained by it, are applicable to the breeding of all cage-birds. Marvellous,
comical activity characterizes it, but not the graceful rapidity of the smallest Astrilds.
Confiding and bold, whether brought over from the bush or bred here. Not
gregarious, they nevertheless live undisturbed near together, quarrels droll : they
rush angrily against one another, nodding their heads, pecking with their beaks,
without touching one another; neither gives wa)' to the other, and a monotonous
oft-repeated cry makes their anger known until they fly apart. In the Bird-room
the)' willingl)- take possession of the nests of other birds, yet not so shamefully as the
Riljbon-Finch. Call-note a monosyllabic cry, like the sound of a child's trumpet, it
may often become intolerable in a dwelling-room if it has no nesting contrivance, even
thotigh breeding is neither purposed nor permitted. The call-note repeated in three
or four syllables and prolonged, is also the song of the male* Love-sport comical,
little trumpet notes resound on both sides. A pair eagerly commences nest-building,
whenever it has an opportunit}' of doing so and at any time of the year, in Hartzcages
with basket nest, little nest boxes, paste-board boxes, or openly in a bush.
Buildiiiff-viateriah : the coarsest things, twigs, straws, dry, and even fresh chickweed,
moss, and the like. Neit: nothing less than artistic ; the cavity lined with feathers,
cotton, hair, and other materials. ]\Iany pairs eagerl}' btrild a nest, lay one or two
eggs, desert the nest in order to commence another ; then the)' are still too young for
genuine breeding; they usually in their extraordinary restlessness commence
immediately after their change of plumage, when about eight weeks old, to nest thus
and continue for a long time before they are finally able to breed productively.
Until they have completed a year the opportunity of nesting should be withheld. Then
five to six broods are not unusual, a pair frequently produces thirty young without
stopping. Laying: four to seven eggs. Lieubation : eleven days. In the da)'time
the sitting is alternate, at night both consorts together. The young are fed for a
considerable time, even after their flight they like to sit with their parents in the nest.
iXest/ing eloivn : yellowish-white. Young plumage : dirty yellowish mouse-grey ; beak
^Tliis is not a cliai-£icten.stic description of tlie song, which might be better rendered thus : get a penn}' trunijjet
and sound fonr times as rapidly as you can, then give one isolated j e rky note.—A.G.B.
T
Ifj
; • !'