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270 Foreign Finches in Captiviiy.
Very little lias been ptiblislied respecting the wild life of 5. ciiculla/a; but
Voti Heugliii says tliat it is fond of buildiiig on the i\Iango-trees in the Negrovillages
; so that it is the exception to find one of these trees without the nest of
this finch. He often found five or six on the same tree. The nests are spherical
and very large in proportion to the bird; marvellously strongly compacted
together of fine grasses. The same nest is used several times in succession. The
sitting consists of four white eggs.
Mr. C. E. Bewsher says that in the Isle of Anjuan, this bird is found " on
high lauds in flocks; common; nest and eggs sent" and that the native name is
" Nean Saughan."
Mr. E. Newton remarks of the above :—" The eggs are white, and measure
.55 bj' .43 ; the nest is, like those of man}- of the genera, entirel)' composed of
the almost ripe stalks of grass, with the seed still on them, and is a domed
structure."
Dr. Russ saj^s that the nidification is also described b}^ Dr. H. Dohrn in the
Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London for 1872 ; but neither Dr.
Dohrn's name nor the species fSpcrniestes meullafaj occurs in either index to that
volume.
According to Dr. Russ, this Bronze Mannikin breeds quite as well in a cage
measuring 14-15 inches high, 12-18 long, and 10-12 deep as when fljdng at large
in the Bird-room, in a nest-box or Hartz-cage covered with paper; forming its
nest of ha3% bast, cotton threads, soft rags, &c., heaped together carelessly and lined
with hair and cotton, but never with feathers. Both sexes work at it so zealoush'
that the nest is readj- in a single da}-. " They incubate, not by turn, but
together, always simultaneously, and are not easily disturbed; so that one ma^-
confidently examine the eggs or young. The time of incubation lasts 12 days ; the
yoiiiig desert the nest between the i5th to the i8th da}' and the course of the
brood from the first egg to the flight occupies nearly five weeks." Dr. Russ
then remarks that after leaving the nest the young behave just like Zebra-finches,
and he adds:—" Dr. Rey gives a ver}-- interesting description of the feeding:—
" Six }'Oungsters sat in a row and as soon as the first pleader was pacified, the
old bird hopped upon its back in order thereby to provide for the second. Thus
she moved along, until the whole row was satisfied." As a rule they nest three
to four times in succession and every clutch consists of from four to seven eggs ;
nevertheless one nrust separate the j-oung when fledged, because the}- disturb the
old ones when nesting. The breeding season begins in September and lasts up to
January; in the spring also some broods commonly ensue."
The Bronze Mannikin. 271
'' The young plumage is of an almost uniform chocolate brown, above darker;
below clearer yellowish brown; wings below clear brownish yellow, tail blackbrown
; beak black. The change of colour, if the little birds are well nourished,
takes place gradually from the fourth week and is completed in about three
months. But occasionally it is very gradual, so that the young birds imported by
the dealers from Africa may often be abundantly seen in young plumage and
more or less mottled, in all possible gradations."
In the store-cage the little Magpie is quarrelsome and tyrannical towards all
others ; in the Bird-room it pluckily chases even considerably larger birds, as for
instance, the Rice-Amadina (Java-Sparrow) from the food-place and even from its
nest. Those who delight in Ornamental-finches especially esteem its liveliness,
hardiness and comical behaviour. In its love-sport the male croaks its rattling
song with wide open beak and meanwhile hops up and down in regular time with
seemingly pompous gestures, he however remains sitting in the same place and
whilst singing only moves to the right and left. The circumstance that he may
be made at home in the smallest cage, according to Schlegel even on the writingdesk
or work-table, contributes to the favour shown to the bird. When our first
brood was fledged, I happened to be in Paris, in order to see tlie International
Exhibition of the year 1867, and my wife carefully noted down the whole proceeding.
The preparation for nesting was arranged above the stove in the
dwelling-room and the birds devoted to love only obtained air through a gauze
window. The adroitness with which the old birds attended to every single young
one, so that it might not have an accident in its first flight, seemed especially
admirable. When, after the completion of the brood, the nest was examined, it
caused no little astonishment. My wife had been quite unable to explain where,
for some time past, many varieties of trifles in daily use, which had mysteriousl}'
disappeared, could have got to. Now all these things came simultaneously to
view, such as threaded sewing-needles, bj' the side of complete little skeins, little
scraps of ribbon, trimming and anything else appertaining to that class of trifles.
The little rogues had secretly with hurry and eagerness dragged all into their
nest, as soon as nobody was present in the room. However in spite of all the
needles the young rejoiced in a most excellent development. According to my
experience, which was subsequently confirmed by that of other breeders, the little
Magpies bred here, nest quite as productively as the wild ones. In both cases
there is now and again a pair, which will not make the slightest attempt at
breeding. In the Appendix I again refer to this brood. The provision corresponds
with that prepared for the smallest Astrilds; they also need ants' cocoons, egg-
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