Foreign Finchcs in Captivity.
far as I liave been able to discover, this is all that has been published
hitherto respecting its habits in freedom.
I ha^^e had my male example for five or six years, and it regularly
assumes its bright colouring in April, retaining it for fully six months.
Touching its behaviour in the Bird-room Dr. Russ can tell us next to
nothing: indeed he sa3's he should scarcely dare to speak of it as an imported
bird, if he had not received a single specimen, purchased for him from one
of the small dealers. This example was in bad condition and just on the
point of going out of colour. It flew for some time in his Bird-room, but
was sickly and in the first year did not regain its bright colouring. Subsequently
it was killed bj- the bite of a Parrot. Dr. Russ considers the bird
a ver}- great rarit}'; but I thiirk, if he followed the example of Mr. Baumgarte
the Railwa}- official, whom he mentions as visiting the small dealers'
shops, he would find the Comoro Weaver now and again offered for sale as
its commoner relative. I believe man)- of us lose a good deal, by sticking
too exclusi-\-ely to the larger dealers ; personally I am foolishly conservative in
this matter, never going out of mjr waj' to look for chance rarities; though
if the}' come to me, I purchase them.
1 do not consider the Comoro Weaver half so beautiful a bird as the
Madagascar species; Dr. Russ, on the other hand, though he possessed onl}'
a bad example, speaks of it as having a " dissimilar more beautiful and
more fiery scarlet" colour: this I believe is an error, an optical illusion
arising from the fact that • the scarlet of the Comoro bird is more restricted
and surrounded by duller tints. When the two birds are disputing within a
foot of each other, the red of one is indistinguishable from that of the other.
Canarj' seed is the staple food of this and the allied Weavers, but they
are very fond of spray millet and paddy-rice.
Illustration from a living male in the author's collection.
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