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Forcion Fhic/ics in Captivity.
nests of Swallows. Tlie usual number of eggs is three to five; these are obtusely
oval, pure white and when incubated the_y acquire a more bluish tinge."
" After the rainj^ season the old birds moult."
Von Heuglin goes on to saj' that he has known Ultramarine-finches to make
their home in the forest region, in which case the3' are seen singly or in pairs
and appear to nest in holes in trees : he is however not sure that all these belongto
the steel-grey type fll. ccneaj which he considers to be simply a varietjf of
the other.
Altogether, the above account is somewhat vague; inasmuch as the first
statement implies that the nest is built among the branches of trees; whereas
later on, we are informed that in wooded couutr}- it is probably built in holes ;
and, in culti-^-ated districts, unquestionabljr so.
The Combasou is a perfectly harmless bird and may be kept quite safely
with the smallest Waxbills, to which indeed it will make love continually during
the breeding-season; but ^vithout the savage violence of a typical Weaver: the
song too nearly resembles castanets to be pretty, but the bird itself evidently
thinks it very fine. As regards hardiness, the Combasou appears to be quite
indifferent to cold, one in my coldest aviar_y having been perfectly happy with
twelve degrees of frost, although it had only been in England three or four
months at the time : indeed my experience would tend to show that, when recentl}^
imported, fresh air is of more importance to this species than warmth, since one
of those tunied into my Bird-room died at the approach of winter, though well
fed and in good feather.
Dr. Russ calls this "The steel-blue Whydah-finch " or the "Atlas-bird" and
he justly says:—"The Atlas-bird is commonly numbered among the Ornamentalfinches,
but nevertheless incorrectl}^ for he proves his correspondence with the
Whydah-finches in nearly ever}- particular; he has the regular j'earlj^ change of
colour, the fowl-like scratching, the juniping-fiight love-sport, as well as the tempestuous
disposition. On the other hand he is distinguished from them in that
he does not bear the elongated tail, whilst in his nestbuilding and pure white
eggs he resembles the former. One may therefore regard him as a link between
the Whjrdah- and Ornamental-finches. Prominent Ornithologists however, as for
instance Cabanis, place him unhesitatinglj- with the first of these, and this example
I follow."
" For years I have regularly kept a pair in the Bird-room and have tried
ever}- possible means to obtain a satisfactory breeding-result; I procured a number,
retained the strongest pair, then again exchanged them, ofifered the most miscel-
Thc Com/mson. 277
laneous food, many kinds of nesting contrivances and the most varied building
materials—nevertheless I have only been able to rejoice in a single result. At
length I noticed, that a female was continually flying round the nest of a pair of
little red Astrilds and now and again slipped into it. The Ornamental-finches did
not permit themselves to be at all disturbed thereby, and thus I hoped that they
would rear foster-children from the eggs laid somewhere inside. But the female
of the latter never proceeded to egg-laying, whereas the clutch was placed in the
vicinity of the door and exposed to disturbances respecting which the Ornamentalfinches
certainly did not trouble themselves. After a long time the female
Steel-finch dragged coarse bents into an already used and very dirty Zebra-finch
nest upon the compressed structure and formed upon the latter a semidomed nestcavity.
The layifi-g of 5 eggs was incubated b}' the female alone in twelve days,
whilst the male defended the nest jealousl}' and pursued all other birds, even very
large ones, with outcry and flapping of wings.
The young above is fawn-brown, every feather bordered with pale reddish ;
over the head along the vertex and at the sides run three fawn-reddish stripes ;
tail blackish-brown; underside, breast, sides, underside of wings and tail fawn
yellowish ; abdomen and vent pure white. In the first 5'ear the young males onl)-
partly change colour, so that they appear dappled. The old strong bird commonly
remains eight or nine months, indeed sometimes a year and a half in ornamental
plumage, before he grows grey. Just as in the tract of Africa, from which the
Steel-finches have come, even in captivity they commence their change into the
wedding-dress from July to September."
" In the heat of a room they endure admirably for many years and indeed
they have frequently been wintered in an unheated enclosure. Nevertheless in
most cases, especially in small aviaries, one soon wearies of them, at least at
those times when they lose their ornamental clothing and become insignificantly
grey. Of a genuine song we can say nothing."
As for a true bird-lover becoming tired of this or any other species when
out of colour, I cannot but think the Doctor mistaken ; a gardener might as well
weary of his plants when not in flower, or a husband of his wife when not attired
to receive compan}^. As for the song, it is not melodious, but it has the merit
of unwearied energy, helping to swell the general concert; just as a big drnm, or
the castanets, though a mere noise when heard alone, serve to emphasize certain
passages.
Illustration of the male from two specimens living in the author's aviaries in
1894, but which both died before the end of that year.
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