332 Foreign Finchcs in Captiznly.
and P. hyfoxauthns: lie speaks very highly of their iiest-buildiiig, in which I
qnite agree with him, but when he says the)- are altogether peaeeable, I can
onl)- wonder where he obtained his examples, since (as alread}- shown) my
birds have alwaj-s proved themselves misehie^-ous aud malicious thieves. As
Dr. Rnss says, the nests built in the Bird-room differ chiefly from those built
in a state of freedom in their materials : he observes that like other Weavers
the}' prefer Aloe and Agave fibre to anything else; indeed he states that they
refused many other kinds of nesting-material, such as drj- and fresh grass,
cocoa and bast-fibre. My own birds build chiefly with hay, they ha^'e nsed
Aloe fibre and bast ; but then they have not always been able to select their
materials.*
The de-velopmenf of the brood is said to be similar to that of the Redbilled
Weaver: Dr. Russ, however, states that in his Bird-room he had eighteen
examples together representing the four species, and he found it verj- difficult
to take observations of their habits when nesting; he bred the Bengal and
Manyar Weavers and the young seemed to resemble the adult hens; the
Masked Weaver built from time to time, and the Ornamental Finches utilized
the nests for their own purposes. In the matter of feeding the young and
all else, the treatment is the same as for the Red-billed Weaver.
Somewhat similar to the Baya Weaver, but far more handsome, is the
African Rufous-necked Weaver, of which I long possessed a beautiful male
example. Unhappily I turned him into my aviar)' of leteridce and thej'
must have pecked his feet, since he soon became to all appearance permanent^
lame, and never attempted the construction of one of those marvellous nests
for which he is famous: in the winter of 1894-5 he died.
The Weavers are a large family; of which, from time to time, many species
come to hand in a few heads onljr; to fullj^ illustrate and describe all of these,
would almost require a separate work. I have therefore confined myself to
some of the most beautiful, or more freqtiently imported.
The illustrations are from living males in the author's collection and from
skius,
• ITnpaired malts are quite unable to complete a nest ; as tliey require tlie assistance of the female in
p l a i t i n j i the receptacle for the eggs: this fact has given ri.se to the mistaken notion that the incomplete nests
a r e built designedly as roosting shelters.—.A..G.B.
BRUMBY & CI,-A.RKE, LTD , PRINTERS, Hur.i..
CONTENTS.
INTRODUCTION - - i. to
T H E TANAGERS -
SUPERB TANAGBR
PARADISE TAIIAGBR -
V i o i . E T TANAGBR
SCARLET TANAGER
T H E TYPICAL F INCHES -
SCARLET ROSE FINCH
SAFFRON FINCH -
CAPE CANARY
SULPHUR-COLOUKED
SEBD-EATER
ST. HELENA SSBD-EATERGREEN
SINGING-FINCH
GREY SINGING-FINCH
ALAEIO-FINCH -
BLACK-THROATED SISKIN -
T H E BUNTINGS -
NONPAREIL BUNTING -
INBIGO BUNTING
RED-CRBSTED FINCH -
PILBATED FINCH
GREEN CARDINAL
YBLLOW-BILLED CARDINAL
DOMINICAN CARDINAL
RED-CRESTED CARDINAL -
Plate
facing
5
8
] Front isj
piece.
10 ID
12 12
l 6
17 17
2 0 2 0
27 1 2 9 J
3 1 )
3 4 Í 31
3 8
4 1 . 1 38
4 4 4 4
4 8
5 0 50.
55 5 5
6 0
6 0
6 4
6 7 6 7
7 1 7 1
7 4 7 4
7 6 7 6
T H E GROSBEAKS- - - SI
VIRGINIAN CARDINAL - 82
W H I T E - T H R O A T E D FINCH - 90 ,
BLUISH FINCH - - - 93 T
W E A V I N G FINCHES
MELODIOUS FINCH
9 6
97
T H E W EAVERS - - - loi
W H Y D A H - L I K E WEAVERS - 102
A S T R I T D S OR WAXBITES
GREEN AMADUVADE -
- 103
OR.ANGE-CHEEKEDWAXBILL IIO
ZEBRA WAXBILL- - - 114 J
AMADUVADE WAXEILL - 117
AFRICAN FIEE-F'INCH - 122
LAVENDER FINCH - - 126
VIOLBT-EARED WAXBILL - 130
CORDON BLEU - - - 134
COMMON AFRICAN WAXBILL 139
ST. HELENA WAXBILL
AUSTRALIAN FIRE-FINCH -
SYDNEY WAXBILL
P.-UNTED FLINCH
RED-FACED FINCH -
CRIMSON-WINGED FINCH -
AUSTRALIAN FIRE-TAILED
FINCH
142 Í
146 •
150 ,
153
155 •
15S .
160
Plate
facing
82
90
9 7
105
n o
117
126
130
134
139
146
153
155
160