208 Foreign Finchcs in Captivity.
had to be doctored, when she passed an unshelled egg, and recovered ; bnt, when a
hen bird once begins to laj' unshelled eggs, she is apt to repeat the experiment with
fatal results, and this was the case with ni}' hen Cherry Finch.*
jMr. Gonld sa}'s of this species :—" I found the plain-coloured Finch tolerabl}'
abundant on the Liverpool plains, and on the banks of the Naomi, and Gilbert
mentions his having observed it on the low ranges to the northward of Moreton Baj^.
In its actions, habits, and econoni}-, no remarkable differences were observed from
those of the other species of the genus.
" It is usually seen in pairs, or associated in small companies, feeding either on
or near the ground, the seeds of grasses and other annuals forming its chief supply
of food."
" A nest found by Gilbert was of a domed form, composed of grasses, and contained
five or six white eggs, about half an inch long b}.' three-eighths broad."
Mr. North says:—" This Finch is an inhabitant of Queensland and the northern
portions of New South Wales. Living well in confinement, numbers of them are
trapped annually, and sent to S3'dney and other markets for sale. The nest of this
bird is a large dome shaped structure, composed of dried grasses, thickljr lined with
feathers, and is usuallj' placed in a low shrub or among long grass ; the eggs are five
in number for a sitting, pure white."
Wiener considered this species very delicate ; Dr. Russ, however, saj-s that he
did not find it so : he observes, on the contrary :—" To judge by their build and
their placid disposition, the}- (the Australian Ornamental-finches) doubtless should
rank among the most vigorous cage-birds ; and, nevertheless, they promptly die in
extraordinary numbers—though certainly, as a rule, immediately after importation.
The causes of this lamentable state of things invai'iably originate in their bad treatment
during transport." He then goes on to recommend that when first received,
these birds should not be immediately turned loose in the bird-room, but at first be
kept in cages on a uniformly seed diet, and that no fresh ants' cocoons should be
given them, but only one or two mealworms apiece. Of course, in the case of my
own pair, which I obtained, as already stated, from Mr. Abrahams, it is probable that
they had been subjected to somewhat the same treatment as is here recommended,
consequentlj' they were in perfectly sound health, and, in all probability, bnt for the
* In 1S94 ;Mr. Abrahams geueroiisly replaced this bird ; but, so far, I have not -succeeded in breeding with it. In
JMarcb, 1895, I purchased a second pair, and in May they built, the first egg being deposited o]i the 7th May. The
hen was verj^ ner\-ons, and left the nest at the least alarm, tumbling about on the earth as if wounded, and gradually
retreating from her home until about tw^o yards away, when she hopped up into a bush and sat quite still. The
•eggs are very large for the size of the bird. Only two eggs were deposited.
The Cherry Finch. 2og
difficulty of egg-binding, both sexes would still be alive and well, as the male bird is,
he having passed three winters out in the cold, on one occasion amounting to as
much as twenty-one degrees of frost. Judging, therefore, from this example alone,
I should be inclined to regard the Cherry-Finch as the hardiest of all the Australian
Ornamental-finches : in the winter of 1894-5 I had a pair out in the cold-
It is not, however, always safe to base one's judgment on a single individual, or a
pair ; for, in the same aviary, last winter, I kept a St. Helena Waxbill in perfect
health, although its two companions, of the same species, died early after the commencement
of the night frosts.
Dr. Rn.ss gives the following account of the nesting of this species :—" The
extremely innocent and peaceable Cherry-Astrilds living in my bird-room very soon
started breeding, and, in fact, two pairs went to nest without disturbance, not far
from one another. The nest was regularly formed in a little basket standing in a
Hartz-cage, or in a dense bush ; domed over with dry grass stalks and fibres, but
without any particular skill. The laying consisted almost invariably of four proportionably
large eggs. Incubation occupies twelve days. The young plumage above is
uniform dull earthy grey, below dirty whitish grey, entirely without the transverse
striped marking. Only after very close examination is it possible to discover delicate
dark lines. The brown head-patch and the black throat-colouring are wanting. The
beak is clear leaden grey. I can safely affirm that I first reared this Astrild in
capti^'ity, and hitherto I only. This, however, seems to me remarkable, since the
bird is no longer rare, but may already be found in all bird-rooms."
Why Dr. Russ calls this species an Astrild I cannot imagine ; unless it be that
he sees a likeness between it and the Double-bauded Finch : in build, indeed, it is
very like that species, but its song ha;, the almost voiceless character of the majority
of the typical Grass-finches, and its manner of singing is precisely the same ; the
neck is elongated, the head projected rather downwards than upwards, the mouth
opened widely and emitting a faint humming sound, not audible at all when other
birds are singing. From the Silver-bills, wdiich are referred to the same genus, it
not only differs in song, but in its much more sedate behaviour ; it has none of the
lateral tail-wagging and jerky skittishness of the Silver-bills, but fairly earns its
title' of Modest Grass-finch.
Here I think we find a singular instance of inattention to habits in the great
German breeder, in that he places the Silver-bills, with their shrill voices and Waxbill
like liveliness, among the Grass-finches and Mannikins, yet places the Cherryfinch,
having the true characteristic habits of the Grass-finch, among the Waxbills,
I place both in the former group, because (as already explained) voice alone, or tailÎ