Bl : / ' THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESENTED BY PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID 6 Y BIRD-KEEPING. BIRD-KEEPING. & f) radical laid seven eggs, and hatched them in due time. The hen was so. tame that she would allow herself to be carried about in the husk while sitting on her eggs, hissing and setting up her feathers when touched, but never flying off. Her mate brought her a green caterpillar every four or five minutes, and occasionally took her place on the nest. When the young birds were hatched, the caterpillars were brought to the nest almost every two minutes, from early morning till late at night When all but one had flown, the lady detained it for a few hours, to take its portrait in water-colours, and after holding it in her hand awhile, put it into a cage, and the old birds fed it through the wires, till she released it. This spring the same pair, as she supposed, returned to the husk, and have a family in it again. They quite understand her kind feeling towards them, and are undisturbed even by a large outside blind which is put down over the window and covers the husk. She tells me the Titmice do not resort to the basket of fat during the hot weather, but if a cold day intervenes they eat it eagerly, apparently requiring the caloric supplied by the fat during the cold. Robins, Thrushes, Sparrows, and Finches continually visit the basket also during the winter. Titmice. 105 The LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE (Parus cazidatus). This bird is known throughout England by different local names " Long Tom," "Bottle Tit," "Poke- pudding," "Long-tailed Mag," "Muffin," and "Mum- ruffin." It often associates with the Cole Tits and Blue Tits, but is more generally seen in flocks :of twelve or fourteen of its own species. It is said to feed en- tirely on the small insects infesting the branches and leaves of trees, and on the larvae of flies, and on this account it is very difficult to keep in confinement : to reconcile it to any other, food has been repeatedly tried in vain. It builds a very curious nest, like a bottle hanging down from the branch, of moss and lichens, lined with feathers, with a small hole near the top; sometimes it has a second entrance door. Some nests have been found with sixteen eggs in them, and the young birds seem quite to distend their house by their movements. The Long-tailed Titmice are con- tinually flitting about among, bushes and trees during the day, and towards evening gather themselves into a compact mass, fighting for the inmost place, till they have established themselves for the night. WAGTAILS. There are several species of these birds known in England, so called from their curious habit of jerking their tails while running along the ground. The PIED WAGTAIL (Motacilla Yarrellii) is constantly to be seen in the neighbourhood of a pond or brook, and Mr. Yarrell says it is a clever fisher, and snaps up the smaller minnows and fry when they come to the sur- face. It often runs about on the ground near horses and cattle at pasture, pecking at the insects which they disturb, and follows the ploughman in order to pick up the grubs turned up by the plough. It is a very pretty bird, and is so merry and lively, and so amusing in its rapid movements and darting flights, that several people have tried to keep it in confine- ment, and it is said to do very well in an aviary, espe- cially if reared from the nest, when it may be taught to fly in and out of it, and to catch insects for itself. It must be fed upon ants' eggs, mealworms, and various insects, and will learn to eat the Nightingale's paste, and is fond of bread and meat occasionally. In wintef it will often come close to the house, to pick up crumbs 106 Wagtails. 107 or other scraps, or perhaps the insects attracted to them ; but in summer it generally frequents the banks of streams and ditches, and feeds a good deal upon aquatic insects. The country people often call it the " Dish-washer," from its love of water, and the "Washerwoman," its habit of beating its tail on the ground resembling the process of beating the linen by the river-side, common in countries where the washing is done by the side of rivers and streams. The Pied Wagtail has a sweet and varied song, but does not sing so loudly as the GREY WAGTAIL (Mota- cilla campestris), or so sweetly as the YELLOW WAG- TAIL (M.flava or sulphured), sometimes called RAY'S WAGTAIL. The former is a very pretty bird, more slender and with a longer tail than the Pied Wagtail. It is grey, with a black throat and chin, black and white tail and wings, and the under part of the body is of a bright yellow ; but during the winter months this colour fades into a very pale yellow, and the black on the throat becomes yellowish-white. This bird remains all the winter in the south of England, but is said to migrate from the northern counties. It is not such a familiar bird as the Pied Wagtail, but is said to have a peculiar fancy for flying against win- dows and pecking at the glass, either attracted by the flies crawling up the panes, or to see its own image reflected in it, which would seem most likely : many birds delight in the small mirrors which are sometimes io8 Bird-keeping. placed in an aviary. The young birds may be reared on ants' eggs, and bread soaked in milk, and are very fond of hard-boiled egg, which, mixed with Nightin- gale's paste, should be the food of the adult birds. The Yellow Wagtail may be treated in the same manner. It is only a summer visitor to this country, and is known in some parts as the " Oat-seed Bird," because it generally resorts to fields in which oats are grown, on its arrival in England ; but it is wholly an insectivorous bird, and, with its relatives, renders us great service by its destruction of noxious insects. THE PIPITS Appear to be a link between the Wagtails and the Larks. They resemble the former in the movement of their tails, but their plumage is more of the colour of the Larks', and some of them have their long hind claws. There are three species of Pipits, called the MEADOW PIPIT, TREE PIPIT, and ROCK or SHORE PIPIT. The MEADOW PIPIT (Anthus pratensis\ called also the " Titlark," " Titling," " Song-bird," and " Moss Cheeper," is very common in stubble and turnip-fields, and will run about the sheep feeding in the latter, and pick up the insects and worms. They are gregarious birds, assembling in flocks, and roosting together on the ground at night. The female is said to cover her nest, which is generally on the ground, with dead grasses, when she leaves the eggs or young. This bird has a feeble plaintive song, and sings on the wing, but on the descent, instead of in ascending, as the Lark does. The TREE PIPIT (Anthiis arborcus) is a much better songster, and sings in a curious manner, rising from the topmost twig of a tree and fluttering onwards as it sings. It has a short hind claw. 109 no Bird-keeping. Both these birds are kept in cages and aviaries. They feed chiefly on insects, grasshoppers, beetles, and small caterpillars, but seeds are sometimes found in their crops. They require a varied diet in confine- ment mealworms, ants' eggs, the Nightingale's paste, crushed hemp-seed, etc. The Tree Pipit is the more delicate of the two, but both birds are subject to atrophy, and require - great care and very nourishing food during the moulting season. At other times, too, their feathers are apt to fall off. The young birds may be reared on ants' eggs and bread soaked in milk. They are very docile, and will learn to imitate the songs of other birds. They are very clean birds, and require plenty of water for bathing. The ROCK or SHORE PIPIT (Anthus petrosns\ some- times called the Mud-Lark and Dusky Lark, is a com- mon bird on the southern shores of England, feeding chiefly on aquatic insects and small shell-fish. It is a very sprightly bird, and has a very sweet musical song. Bechstein says it may be treated like the other Pipits, but it is not easily accustomed to the food of the aviary. He recommends a cage of the same description as that recommended for the true Larks, only with two perches in it, as most suitable for the Pipits. p. Ill CANARY. p. LARKS. The SKYLARK (Alauda arvensis). I have had some doubt whether I should include this bird in my notices of cage birds, because I am unwilling even to think of him in imprisonment : his whole nature so unfits him for cage life, and his instinctive desire to soar into the air while singing is so great, that, if kept in a cage with a wooden top, he often hurts himself seriously by springing up against it. As, however, Skylarks are frequently caught and sold by bird-catchers, and oc- casionally a nest-full of young birds comes into the possession of those who are anxious to make them happy, it may be well to give some directions for making prison life less intolerable to them. And, first, the Skylark must have a roomy cage, long enough to allow him a run, the longer the better, and mode- rately high ; the roof of the cage must be of green baize or cloth, and the back should be boarded. It should be without perches, and the floor must be covered with red gravelly sand and powdered chalk, with old mortar bruised. This he delights to roll in and dust himself ill H2 Bird-keeping. with. He should have a fresh-cut piece of turf every day if possible, or at least three times a week ; this may be kept fresh by watering it and putting it in a saucer. The food and water should be put outside of the cage. The young nestlings are very difficult to rear : they should be old enough to have their tail-feathers nearly an inch long, before they are taken from the nest. The young males are nearly yellow, and the females greyish-brown. They must be fed from the early morning till it is dark at night, once in two hours, with scalded crumbs of bread, scalded rape-seed and crushed hemp-seed, and ants' eggs. When old enough to feed themselves, the yolk of egg hard boiled and mixed with grated bread crumbs should be their chief diet, varied with a mealworm every day, ants' eggs, German paste, sponge cake, a little lean meat now and then, watercresses, lettuce and cabbage. In a wild state the Skylark feeds on insects, seeds, and oats. The young birds should not be placed in the room with other birds when they begin to sing, or they will take their notes. They sing best in a cage, and this should be placed in the open air on every sunny, warm day, so that they may have plenty of fresh air. They are apt to get their feet dirty and clogged with hair, wool, or any loose substance of the kind in which they can entangle their long claws, if allowed to range the room or aviary ; and if they are not very Larks. 113 carefully cleansed, they will become lame or lose their claws. Larks are subject to all the ailments to which tame birds are liable, and especially to diarrhoea, for which they should have some saffron put into the water-glass, and a little grated Cheshire cheese, old and dry, mixed with their food ; or a little ground rice may be given them, and now and then a small spider. The Skylark has one malady peculiar to it : the skin at the root of the beak becomes yellow and scabby, and for this it should have cooling food watercress or lettuce, and ants' eggs and mealworms. In garden aviaries, where they can have plenty of air and exercise, Larks have beeri known to breed occasionally. The hen will frequently lay eggs in confinement, but will very seldom sit on them. She is, in her natural condition, a very affectionate mother, and many instances are recorded of her carrying her young out of a field invaded by mowers, sometimes in her beak and sometimes on her back. An anecdote is told by Mr. Blyth of a hen Skylark, who would not leave her nest even when the mowers levelled the grass all around her, and they actually shaved off the upper part of the nest without injuring her. A young man who witnessed this, went an hour after to see if she was safe, and found that she had constructed a dome of dry grass over the nest, with an aperture on one side for ingress and egress, during the interval. Both 8 1 1 4 Bird-keeping. male and female, though naturally shy and timid, are very bold and fearless during the nesting season, and wilt attack any bird that approaches their nest : their peculiar mode of rising from their nest helps to con- ceal it. Their legs are very long, and the strong toes are de-tached throughout, so that they can walk among rank grass, and can spring clear of it, leaping upwards of two feet into the air before they put their wings in motion. Their spiral flight, and their joyous song as they ascend into the sky, are too well known to need record here. The WOODLARK (Alauda arborea). The Wood- lark's song is very much prized, and ranked by many amateurs next to the Nightingale's ; he sings far into the night. This bird is more easily tamed than the Skylark, and appears more happy in captivity. He is of an affectionate disposition, and if pains are taken to gain his affection, he will become much attached to his owner ; but he is a delicate bird, and dainty in his appetite, and requires variety in his food. Most of the Woodlarks perch, therefore he must have a square perch put into his cage ; but if he does not use it, it should be taken away. A cage similar to that of the Skylark should be provided for him, long enough to allow of his running backwards and forwards. He must have a fresh-cut turf, if possible of clover, three or four times a week, and plenty of gravel and chalk. His legs are as brittle as glass, and if he gets his feet Larks. 115 clogged with dirt or hair, etc., they must be soaked in warm water and very carefully cleansed. He sings best when allowed to range a room or aviary, but requires warmth, and suffers much in moulting. He is subject to tympany, and must be relieved by prick- ing the swollen part with a needle to allow the air to escape; and to obstruction of the oil-gland, which should be pierced and anointed with fresh butter. His claws will sometimes grow diseased and drop off, and for this there is no remedy but the preservative of cleanliness. In addition to the Skylark's food, the Woodlark may have sweet almonds blanched and macerated, with hemp -seed and roasted bullock's heart. He is very fond of a paste made of the crust of a French roll soaked in cold water for half an hour, squeezed dry, and added to three teaspoons-full of wheat flour, half a teaspoon-full of brown sugar, and an ounce of grated carrot ; this should be well mixed and rubbed through a sieve. All these are delicacies; the daily food must be hard egg and bread crumbs. In his natural state, the Woodlark eats insects, grubs, and seeds of various kinds, and green food, the young shoots of wheat, etc. He sings perched on the branch of a tree or circling in the air, and rises nearly as high as the Skylark. He is a smaller bird and yellower than his relative, and has more red about the breast. The hen is a larger and handsomer bird than the cock, and, as she sings a little, is often mistaken for her mate. 82 Bird-keeping. Some Woodlarks are obstinate and whimsical about their song, and will not sing when anybody is in the room. In this case the cage should be hung outside the window. The young birds can be reared in the same way as those of the Skylark. CANARIES. i. Even-marked Jonque Norwich. 2. Crested Buff. 1. Lizard (Golden-spangled). 4- Cinnamon. FINCHES. Hitherto I have written of soft-billed birds, feeding on insects ; I come now to those which have hard bills, the seed-eaters, which are much more adapted to a cage life. The Larks appear to hold a middle rank between the two kinds, as they eat seeds as well as insects ; but they are often classed amongst the great tribe of Fringillidae, perhaps because their beaks are not toothed like those of the soft-billed birds; yet they require soft food, like the Nightingale and other warblers. The extensive family of Finches comprehends Grosbeaks, Buntings, Weaver-birds, Tanagers, and Finches proper, and most of the little foreign seed- eating birds. The first of which I shall treat is the Canary, the cage bird par excellence, a thoroughly domesticated bird, perfectly happy in confinement, and breeding and rearing its young both in the cage and aviary without difficulty. The CANARY (Fringilla Canaria). The green bird of Teneriffe and the Canary Isles has become greatly 1 1 8 Bird-keeping. altered in plumage and song by a long course of cross breeding ; but the original colour still appears in many of the birds bred in England, and these are generally the strongest birds. The principal breeds are distinguished as "Norwich," " Yorkshire," " Belgian," " Lizard," " Cinnamon," "Scotch Fancy," "London Fancy," and "Manchester" or " Lancashire Coppy." Canary societies and ex- hibitions are consequences of and incitements to the popularity of these birds. Prizes are given for " evenly marked " and " unevenly marked " birds : the former have two, four, or six regular markings, on eyes, wings, and tail ; the latter have the same markings, but only on one eye and one wing, or both eyes and one wing, and so on (birds irregularly mottled or blotched on the body are called " variegated "). There are prizes also for clear orange yellow birds, distinguished as " Jonques," and creamy yellow or " Buff " birds, depending on depth of colour, quality of plumage, elegance of shape, etc. The crested varieties are valued for shape and fulness of crest ; it ought to be flat in the crown, full, and regular, and coming well over the beak and eyes of the bird. The most admired are the dark crests ; those which are grey or yellow are' not so pretty. The " Norwich " Canaries are perhaps the most general favourites ; they are rather large, square birds, with massive heads, and renowned for their beauty of plumage and song. The " York- Finches. 1 1 9 shire " birds are still larger, and longer in shape. The " Coppies " are very large stout birds, with clear crests or " coppies." The " London Fancy " birds have degenerated so much of late years, from repeatedly breeding from the same stock, that they are now very small and weakly. The perfect birds should be of a deep golden colour throughout, excepting the wings and tail, which should be black ; but they only keep the perfect plumage for one year, losing the black feathers of the wings and tail more and more in each successive moulting. The like degeneration of plumage occurs with the "Lizard" Canaries/ very beautiful birds of a deep golden bronze green, the feathers spangled with yellow or white throughout, excepting the crowa of the head, which is deep yellow in the birds known as " Golden -spangled " and white in the "Silver- spangled" Lizards. The "Cinnamon" Canaries are so called from their resemblance in colour to the cinnamon bark, but of late years the colouring has become much richer, and the "Jonque " birds (for there are "Jonque" and "Buff" Cinnamons)' are of a rich golden brown, still with the cinnamon tinge. They resemble the Norwich birds in shape. The Belgian Canaries, at first imported from Belgium, are now extensively bred in England ; they are very long, slender birds, standing very high on their long legs, with such extremely high shoulders as to look quite humpbacked, Those which are con- 1 20 Bird-keeping. sidered the most perfect seem to me deformed ; I do not admire them at all, and they are very delicate birds. The Scotch Fancy " or " Glasgow Dons " are still more extraordinarily shaped ; the body quite describes a curve, from the crown of the head to the tip of the tail. The greatest possible contrast to these is presented by the little German Canaries, insignificant- looking birds, with no beauty of plumage, but famed for their excellence of song. Many thousands are ex- ported from the Hartz Mountains yearly, and sent to all parts of Europe, America, etc. They are generally short, plump birds, with very well-developed throats, Many are sold under the name which do not deserve it, but the true German Canary has a very soft, sweet song, full of beautiful trills and shakes, and flute-like and bell-like notes, not so ear-piercing as the ordinary Canary's song : he will sing all day long and by can- dlelight, and under most adverse circumstances, and is generally very sensible, affectionate, and easily tamed. I have kept Canaries for many years, and I find that they will live very happily together, males and females, all through the autumn and winter, in a cage from three to four feet long, and two feet high and wide ; placed on a stand surrounded by plants in pots, at a south window on a landing-place, without any appa- ratus for warming it. If covered up very warmly at night during the cold weather, they never appear to Finches. 121 suffer at all from the cold. On sunny days the window may be opened, if care be taken to prevent them from being exposed to a cold wind or draughts, always most injurious to birds. Canaries are sufficiently hardy to live out of doors in warm parts of England : at Osborne in the Isle of Wight, and in Mr. Wollaston's shrub- berries at Welling in Kent, they have been, I believe, naturalized for some years ; but birds born in the house would, I think, suffer from cold, if no provision were made for sheltering them during the frost and snow of winter. This I believe Mr. Wollaston supplied them with, keeping a cage in a greenhouse, with an opening of the same kind as the entrance to a bee-hive, but larger, for the birds to resort to in case of inclement weather. It is well, of course, to make Canaries hardy, and they will live in an outdoor aviary if care be taken to protect them from cold during the winter nights ; but I have been told that they rarely sing as constantly as the birds in the house, and on cold sunless days will often look moped and ruffled, and appear to feel the cold intensely. They are generally much less tame than the house birds, too, and therefore no object seems to be gained by placing them out of doors, unless they are allowed to range the garden and shrubbery at plea- sure, and means are taken to protect them from all invading foes, so that they may be able to build and rear their young in safety. My birds, having never known liberty, are perfectly happy in their large winter 122 Bird-keeping. cage, and welcome their visitors gladly, instead of flut- tering about in alarm when any one goes near them. Such ,a cage as this should be open on all sides, domed or waggon-shaped, and wired with tin wire, unless made of lacquered brass, which must be freshly lacquered once in two years. This is handsomer in appearance and lasts longer : the tin wire will always become blackened by time, but the rust on it is not unwholesome, whereas the green rust on common brass Wire, when corroded, is poisonous to the birds. The wood should be either mahogany or varnished deal ; the former is the best less liable to warp and less likely to contain insects than the latter. The seed should either be put into " bird-hoppers " or in long covered boxes outside of the cage, with china or glass pans to take in and out of them. The hoppers keep the seed clean, and the birds peck it down, and scatter away the husks. The water should either be placed in glass fountains, the mouth of which goes into the cage for the birds to drink from, or in similar pans in boxes to those of the seed-boxes. The object is to keep both seed and water from becoming dirty and from being scattered and splashed about : some birds waste their seed a good deal, and if a great quantity is pecked out of the hopper, it is well to examine it carefully, lest it should be bad, musty, or tainted by mice, and thus distasteful to the birds. The old-fashioned bird-glasses are objectionable, not only because they sometimes slip Finches. 123 on one side, so that the bird cannot reach the hole, for this exhibits an amount of carelessness as to the com- fort of our little prisoners which is not to be tolerated, but because, if very full, the seed and water fall into the cage, and if not filled up well, or if the water is sprinkled about by the birds, they are often obliged to stretch their little necks painfully to reach their food. Sometimes, too, the young birds contrive to get into the glass, and are in danger of suffocation or drowning, as they cannot turn round to come out again. A foun- tain in the middle of the cage looks exceedingly pretty, when it is large enough to admit one ; and the self- supplying fountain formed of a glass globe, with a long neck inverted in a green china stand, with openings for the birds to drink from, answers well, as it keeps the water clean and always at the proper level. A bath, wired round like the cage, should be fastened on the doorway, and in this the birds should have a bath every morning, unless on a very cold sunless day. When they have all washed, however, it should be removed, as some birds are so fond of washing, that they will go in and out of the bath again and again, till they become completely chilled. In winter, the water in which they bathe must never be quite cold. It is well to have a second board and two sets of perches for a large cage, as these can be washed and dried after being splashed by the birds. Coarse gravelly sand must always be spread over the 124 Bird- keep ing. board, and the cage must be thoroughly cleaned out every day. The perches should not be fastened to the cage, but be removable at pleasure : they should be broad and smooth. A swing suspended from the centre of the cage is a source of amusement to the birds. They much enjoy a pot of mignonette or chickweed, and soon devour every flower and leaf. A fir-branch may be given to them occasionally too : of course any plant injurious to Canaries must not be put within their reach. Plantain-stalks and millet in the ear are very good for them, especially in winter. All birds like variety in their food, and although sugar and sweet cakes are forbidden dainties, cracknels and plain biscuits are good as occasional luxuries. The staple food must be canary and bird turnip-seed (the small summer rape- seed), and a small quantity of hemp-seed on cold days, and a pinch of maw or poppy-seed occasionally, always to be given during moulting. When building, the birds must have hard-boiled egg chopped very small, and stale bread crumbs grated, or colifichet, mixed with a pinch of the same seed every day. This egg food should be always freshly mixed ; if left to become sour it will kill the birds. Stale sponge cake is the best substitute for it if eggs are scarce ; but this will not do for the young birds. The Hartz Mountain bread lately introduced into England is said to answer admirably in its stead : it is sold in little packets costing three- pence each ; a teaspoon-full of the powder, mixed with Finches. 125 water into a stiff paste, is sufficient for a day's egg food for two Canaries : if not eaten during the day it must be taken away at night, as it soon becomes sour. While the hen is sitting she can do without egg food ; but as soon as she is about to hatch, a supply must be put into the cage for the nestlings to be fed upon. Chick- weed or lettuce should be given to Canaries three or four times a week, excepting during the breeding season ; if only given occasionally, they will eat so greedily of green food as to make themselves ill. Gar- den cress is very good for them too, especially in cold weather, and as it can be grown in a saucer in the house, it provides them with a winter vegetable. Canary and millet-seed sown in the same way will be a treat to them, and they will delight in the young green leaves. Whole oatmeal or groats should be given to them every day ; sometimes a piece of bread soaked in milk, not boiled (unless given as medicine) ; a little lump of bay salt, or a piece of cuttle-fish, or old bruised mortar ; should always be put in the cage ; and a slice of apple, pear, or potato now and then, or rice pudding. Birds that are accustomed to receive these delicacies from their mistress's hand will look and ask for them when- ever they see her, and they will help her much to win their affection. They require warmth in moulting (always a trying season to birds), and plenty of nourish- ing food : a rusty nail in the drinking-water acts as a tonic if they appear weak, and a small piece of Spanish 126 Bird- keeping. liquorice is good for hoarseness, and scalded German rape-seed for wheezing and shortness of breath. It should be prepared thus : pour boiling water over it, let it soak for two hours, wash it well in cold water, strain, and dry it in a cloth or over a sieve ; or it may be merely soaked all night in cold water, and well dried, in which case it will keep for three days : if scalded, it must be freshly made daily. This, and colifichet, or the Hartz Mountain bread should be substituted for the dry seed. Boiled milk may be given as an aperient, and a lump of chalk if they have eaten too freely of green food. Homoeopathic tinctures are very efficacious for some ailments, and suit the highly sensitive organ- ization of birds. I discovered this when my birds were stricken down by a sudden change of temperature from intense heat to cold, at the end of August, 1869. They were moulting at the tirru,' and it affected them most injuriously : I never saw a more deplorable spectacle than they presented, huddled together, shivering and gasping. Eight died of inflammation brought on by the chill, and I feared I should lose them all. Allo- pathic remedies failed to relieve them, and at last, in despair, I resorted to the homoeopathic remedy for in- flammation, and put a few drops of tincture of aconite (3' x ) into the drinking-water. The birds drank eagerly of it, and even bathed in it ; and finding them less suf- fering after a few hours, I continued the remedy, giving them mercurius also, and my little patients all recovered. Finches. 127 I gave phosphorus afterwards, with good results, to the birds which appeared to moult with difficulty. Mr. Kidd recommended a very small quantity of raw beef, scraped, and moistened with cold water, once a week during moulting, and other bird-fanciers give spiders and ants' eggs ; and perhaps these may be use- ful now and then, as most birds are partial to insect food. Meat can hardly be required for seed-eating birds. I have heard of its doing them great harm when continually given, by fevering their little bodies to such an extent as to cause their feathers to fall off, and exciting in them carnivorous propensities, which made them attack their companions. Hard egg or stale sponge cake would be much better for these birds when they require very nutritious food. With this may be mixed a pinch of good Cayenne pepper, extensively used now to enrich the colour of the birds. There is no doubt that it has a marvellous effect upon their plumage when given in large quantities, but the stimu- lation must be repeated at every moulting, or they suffer extremely from its withdrawal, and I think it must have an injurious effect upon the constitution in time. It is said to affect the voice of singing birds, and is to be avoided when the quality of the song is a matter of importance. It is, however, useful, mixed with bread and milk, for asthma. For surfeit or inflam- mation, or to an egg-bound hen, if very ill, two drops of castor oil might be given with good effect ; brown 128 Bird- keep ing. sugar is good for a hen under such circumstances. Cage birds are occasionally troubled by hardness and obstruction of the oil-gland above the tail, at which they are continually pecking ; this should be anointed with fresh butter, and pressed, or, if very bad, gently pierced with a fine needle before applying it. Over- much pricking, however, must be avoided. I once had a bird brought to me in a wretched condition, owing to this. The gland had become so sore that the poor little bird could not bear to touch it, and its feathers lacked the needful supply of oil and looked draggled and miserable. When old birds become weakly and drooping, a little sponge cake steeped in sherry may do them good, or a few drops of brandy in their water, but this must be sparingly given, or it will fever the bird and produce inflammation. A warm bath at 96 is very useful to an egg-bound hen, but great care must be taken against breaking the egg in holding her in the hand. This is a safe remedy for most ailments to which birds are subject : they must be held in the hand so as to immerse all but the head in the water, for three or four minutes; then taken out and well dried, and placed in the sunshine or near a fire, to get their feathers thoroughly dry. Some people find steaming them over a cup of very hot water, covered with a folded handkerchief, on which they can sit for some time, warmly covered up, answer well. The feet VVHIDAH BIRD. p. 129 Finches. 129 will sometimes get clogged with dirt : if the bird is not fond of bathing, and will not cleanse them, they must be soaked in warm water and carefully relieved of their " clogs." An old bird's claws will sometimes grow so long as to prevent its perching comfortably, in which case they must be carefully cut with sharp scissors, taking care not to draw blood. It is better, however, to avoid catching birds as much as possible, especially if they are wild and fly about in alarm. They often do themselves harm by their fluttering : when ill, they are generally quiet enough to submit to be taken up to be put into a bath. All cage birds should be tame enough to recognize their mistress as a friend, and not to flutter about wildly at her approach ; and then they will tell her of their wants, go down to the glasses if they want fresh food or water, look up at her and chirp, and pull her hair, perhaps, if they .want materials for a nest, and attract her attention to their nestlings if anything is amiss with them ; and they will generally allow her to take them up in her hand, without rushing frantically about the cage as a new or untamed bird will do. Early in spring, towards the end of February, if the season is warm, or early in March, the hen Canaries must be removed from the cock birds, or they will fight with one another, for the favour of the ladies to whom they take a fancy. At the end of March or at the beginning of April, if the weather is cold, the pairs 9 130 Bird- keeping. may be put together. If they build too early in the year, and the young birds are hatched in cold weather, they often suffer from it, especially if the hen does not cover them constantly. It is not wise to allow the birds to choose their own mates : in order to pro- duce strong and beautiful offspring, careful selection is requisite ; an old cock and a young hen, or a young cock and an old hen, should be mated; and the colours should be well contrasted ; for instance, a jonque cock should have a mealy hen, and a green bird a yellow mate, and so on. A clear deep yellow bird without a spot of black about him, should be put with a varie- gated green and white hen, to produce marked birds. Some of the young birds will, as a rule, follow -each parent in colour, and have a much better plumage than if two birds of the same colour were mated. Two crested birds must never be put together : the progeny will probably be baldheaded. A still stronger reason for not allowing birds to select their mates themselves, exists in the fact that birds of the same family cannot be paired with im- punity. Two of my birds were mated by mistake which were brother 'and sister, and almost all their young were feeble, blind, or deformed ; and this is frequently the case, I believe. When the pair have made friends, and the cock bird begins to feed the hen, they may be put into a proper " breeding-cage," or into a common Finches. 131 wire cage with compartments. Birds are sometimes put in pairs in an aviary or large cage, with nesting- boxes or baskets in the corners, but it rarely happens that matters are carried on amicably thus. One box or basket is selected by two hens, perhaps, and neither will be persuaded to build or lay her eggs in any other box or basket ; consequently there will be con- stant combats over the right of possession, and when one hen succeeds in establishing herself on the nest, the other will stand by her till hunger drives her to the seed-box, and then she will take possession of the nest. Then jealousies and rivalries will occur both between the husbands and their wives : each pair will do far better apart, either in an orthodox " breeding- cage " sold for the purpose, or in a cage divided into compartments (with a space between each), in which the nest-boxes or baskets are placed. There are some advantages in the breeding -cage alluded to, and those birds who are shy and court re- tirement for their nursery cares prefer them : they should not be less than twenty or twenty-four inches long, by twelve wide, and fourteen or sixteen inches in height, boarded at the top and back, and with wired front and sides. They are sometimes boarded at the sides, but the nursery compartment gets so close in hot weather, that the wired ends are far preferable, and a piece of brown paper, or brown holland can be placed over the upper part. Underneath the part par- 92 132 Bird-keeping. titioned off for the two nest-boxes, should be a com- partment for the young birds to be placed in, when it is nedessary to remove them from their parents. The objection to this cage is that the nest-boxes are neces- sarily placed so high up in the cage, that the young birds sometimes fall out, and get seriously injured in consequence. One of mine had a broken back, and another a dislocated leg, from an accident of this kind, when they were quitting the nest. Moreover, it is not so easy to keep clean as the more open cages, and the perches are generally fixed into the wooden back. Therefore I much prefer using an open wire cage, with a movable wire partition at one end, for the nursery for the young birds ; and hanging-up boxes or baskets for the nests in the larger compartment, at a moderate distance from the floor, so that the young birds are in less danger of becoming seriously damaged by a fall from the nest. Some hens, however, will not build in a box placed low in the cage, and when this is the case, they must be allowed one placed nearer the top, which can be moved when the young birds are nearly fledged. All hens like to have a covering over the top of the cage, to give shelter to the nest. Many kinds of nesting-boxes and baskets are manu- factured now : some made of tin and earthenware are recommended as preservatives against insects ; but the latter are very cold, and must have a lining of felt or some other warm materials which is apt to harbour Finches. 133 these pests. My birds disliked them extremely, and would never willingly go into them. Some prefer baskets to boxes ; but they are often lazy about build- ing a nest in these, whereas they cannot well dispense with one in a square box, though some hens will con- tent themselves with putting the nest materials in, without taking the trouble to arrange and weave them together. In this case, it is best to make a nest for them, of moss, cow-hair or deer-hair, and cotton wad- ding, using this last sparingly, lest the birds should get their claws entangled in it. They will generally lay their eggs contentedly in this ; but if they pull it out of the box and scatter it about, they must be left to their own devices till the young birds are hatched, and then, if the mother bird is not very shy, she will allow a little arrangement to be made for their warmth and comfort. Any change, however, must be made very cautiously, for some birds exceedingly object to their nestlings being touched, and will desert them if they are meddled with. The nest materials should be hung up in a net, if possible, outside the cage, or they will soon be scattered all over it ; they need a little wool to felt into the harder materials, and some birds will not build without it. The hen lays four or five eggs one each morning as a rule ; sometimes she will begin to sit as soon as she has laid the first, but it is best to leave her to herself, and not to substitute ivory eggs, as is sometimes done ; unless she shows a dispo- 1 34 Bird-keeping. sition to eat her eggs \ and if this is the case, either with her or her husband, they are not likely to succeed in their nursery. But the attempt may be made to take them away till the hen is ready to sit, and then give them back to her. She will sit thirteen or four- teen days. If after waiting a day or two no young birds appear, the eggs should be put into warm water for a minute : if they float, they are in all probability addled and useless ; but if they sink, they may be re- placed in the nest for a day or two : if not hatched then, they should be taken away, or the hen will go on sitting, in the vain hope of hatching birds which are dead. The egg food which I have mentioned, and which should be given to the birds as soon as they are mated, must be put into the cage in readiness for the first appearance of the young birds, and it is necessary to watch the old birds' proceedings, as now and then they are unnatural enough to leave them unfed, and occa- sionally the cock will maltreat them, and pull them out of the nest, or peck them. Some birds are very shy of being seen to feed their young, and it is very difficult to find out whether they perform their duties or not ; others will delight in seeing them noticed, and will call our attention to their infant brood, apparently with very great parental exultation. The father generally takes the greatest share of the duty of feeding the young, and feeds his wife also Finches. 135 while she is sitting on the nest ; but sometimes a cross- grained bird will be annoyed at her attention to them, and will not only neglect, but injure them. If he does this once, he must not be trusted again, but removed, as soon as the young are hatched, to the next com- partment, and the mother bird will bring up her brood by herself. If, however, the cock begins to feed the young birds, they may be left to themselves, but con- stantly supplied with food, till the hen begins to pick up materials for another nest ; then another box or basket must be given to her at once, or she may, perhaps, drag the nestlings out of their nest in her efforts to make a fresh one. Sometimes she will lay her next set of eggs in the old nest among the young birds, and will even sit upon them with the first brood all around her ; but this should not be permitted, and, as soon as these are fledged and able to leave the nest, they must be put into the nursery compartment, in which a nest can be placed for them to roost in at night. The father will feed them through the wires . of the division for some time, but they must soon have some egg food placed within their reach, and, in due time, crushed hemp and canary-seed, and water must be given to them, and they will gradually learn to feed themselves, though not without clamouring for food from the old bird whenever he comes near them. They begin to see when they are nine days old, and generally leave the nest at the end of a fortnight ; 136 Bird-keeping. when they are a month old, they may be removed to another cage ; but the soft food and crushed hemp-seed must be continued till after the first moulting, which generally begins when the young birds are six weeks old, and tries their strength a good deal. They must now be put within hearing of a good songster : they will often begin to warble before they have done moulting, and they will need a singing-master. A German Canary, Nightingale, or Woodlark hung up in a cage near, but out of sight, will teach the young cocks best ; and, if they hear no other bird singing, they will acquire his notes. It is not easy to discover the sex of the young Canaries : the hens warble too, and, indeed, old hens will sometimes acquire a short song, sufficiently con- nected to cause them to be mistaken and purchased for cocks ; but there is much more movement in the throat of the cocks, and as the song becomes more powerful, this is more and more exhibited. During the first moulting, of course, birds require even more warmth and nourishing food than at other times : if the new feathers do not come easily, a warm bath might do good, but it must only be given on a sunny day. By degrees the young birds should be accus- tomed to a cold bath, and most of them will take to this eagerly when they see the old birds washing and preening themselves, and will imitate them ; but some will refuse to go into the bath ; and, if they are not Finches. 137 accustomed to it in early life, they are very trouble- some to deal with afterwards. I have purchased birds who never could be induced to bathe ; but I have led them to partial cleanliness by sprinkling water over them, and sometimes, after they have been wetted thus once or twice, they have gone into the bath, or have sprinkled more water over their feathers from the water-glass. It is of great consequence to accustom all birds to bathing; it will prevent a good deal of discomfort from clogged feet, and keep them from being infested with parasites, little red mites which torment them exceedingly, and which are very diffi- cult to get rid of. Tobacco blown over their feathers and powder sold for destroying insects sometimes prove efficacious ; and a bath of tobacco-water (a weak dilution) might be of use ; but if a cage once becomes a harbour for them it is very difficult to dislodge them, and an old cage is a dangerous habitation, if birds troubled with insects have been kept in them. The " Zollverein " and " Pagoda " cages, made of metal, are sometimes recommended as less likely to become a receptacle for these pests ; but they have the draw- back of being very cold to the birds' feet in winter, and very hot, if exposed to the sun, in summer. They are generally very small too, and not nearly so con- venient to the inmate of the cage, as the mahogany and wire waggon-shaped cages. If these are kept clean and the birds well supplied with baths, there Bird-keeping. f & will be no trouble about insects ; but a bird newly purchased should be very carefully examined before he is, admitted into the company of our little pets ; and if he is dirty and ragged, and pecks continually at his feathers, and seems restless and out of order, the probability is that he is beset with some trouble- some parasites, hidden underneath the feathers. It is not wise to purchase " nest-bags : " they are often re- ceptacles for these creatures, and the poor little birds suffer greatly from them. It is necessary to change their nests when they become very dirty ; but this must not be attempted, except with very tame birds who have entire confidence in our good intentions towards their young, until they are tolerably well fledged, as the mother will sometimes show her dis- pleasure at having her nest meddled with by refusing to return to it. She may, perhaps, still feed the young birds ; but if a cold night follows and she does not cover them, they will perish, unless pretty well covered with feathers. Some birds so much resent all interference, that one cannot venture to examine the nest closely ; but it is needful to keep up some supervision, as a weakly bird may die in the nest, and, if it is not thrown out by the parents, it will remain trodden down by the living birds till corruption takes place. When it is necessary to remove them to a fresh nest, they must be handled as little as possible, They should be taken away from Finches. 139 their mother as soon as she shows symptoms of a de- sire to build again. One of my birds began to pull out the soft feathers of the young birds, and to line her new nest with them. She was not properly sup- plied with wool, and, I suppose, thought the coming brood would need the soft warm lining. More than three broods in the year should never be permitted the hen would become completely ex- hausted. If the two broods have been satisfactorily reared, it is as well to be contented with these ; but some hens will continue laying till they moult, or even through the moulting season, and this is very bad for them. They should be separated from their mates when this occurs : when they persist in sitting on a nest without laying, as they sometimes do, the nest and nest-box should be taken away. The hen some- times suffers from sitting long in hot weather, and will come off her nest bathed with perspiration. A mode- rately cold bath and plenty of oatmeal would relieve her. The open breeding-cages admit so much more air than the boarded ones, that the hens do not suffer nearly so much from the confinement in these. My birds are used to being looked at, and do not mind it, so I use long cages with three compartments in each, and this accommodates two pairs : the centre compart- ment serves as a nursery for the children of both, while their respective parents feed them, and some division 1 40 Bird-keep ing. is necessary. If the two cocks were close together, they would probably fight through the wire division, and be too much engaged thus, to attend to their wives and children. Some pairs do better out of sight of other birds, and must be put into a quiet room apart; but if Canaries are accustomed to be noticed and petted, they will become very tame and sociable, and thoroughly at their ease. If single birds are kept in small cages, and these are generally the best for good songsters (indeed, some birds refuse to sing in com- pany, and prefer a very small habitation alone, to the bustle of an aviary, or large cage full of other inmates), they will greatly enjoy an hour's liberty in the morn- ing, and be much the better for a good flight round the room. I had a German Canary who always reminded me to have his cage door unfastened, by a succession of little piteous chirps : he took a long flight as soon as his door was opened, and then perched upon the curtain-rod or the window-sill, and sang with joy. Then he would fly to the breakfast-table, and help himself to the bread : if there were any flowers in the room, he would perch upon them, and demolish every bit of mignonette ; and then go to the mantel- piece, where there was a small French clock, and chirp, and sing, and flutter his wings to his reflection in the glass, which I suppose he took for another bird, for I saw him sometimes taking up crumbs of bread and pretending to feed it. He was a most engaging Finches. 141 little pet, and sang deliciously. I have a still more excellent songster now (in charge for a friend), who sings all the evening after his cage is covered up. As late as ten o'clock at night I hear a tentative little note or two, followed by a soft low warble, swelling out into the full song if a word of notice and encouragement is given : he is of the true Hartz breed, and has many of the Nightingale's trills and deep bell notes. I was advised, in order to keep his song in perfection, to feed him entirely on bird turnip-seed and Hartz Mountain bread, only allowing him a little green food, and no other dainties. These Hartz birds are especially sus- ceptible to changes of temperature, and must be most carefully protected from all draughts ; a sudden chill would probably ruin the voice for life. I should never venture to put them out of doors. On a sunny, calm day, the hardier Canaries will enjoy the open window, and their cages may be hung outside ; but care must be taken to shield them from a blast of wind, and to shelter them from the extreme heat of the sun. The cages which have a penthouse roof are useful to be put out of doors, as protecting the birds from the ex- tremes of heat and cold, which are so injurious to them all. It is cruel to leave birds exposed to these, or to allow them to remain out of doors late at night. They ought never to be out after sunset. The sun has a very reviving power over birds that are ailing. I have seen them quite restored by being put within 142 Bird-keeping. reach of its rays ; and in an aviary on a cold day, they will crowd one against another to get into the sun- shine, e Old birds especially need this ; but when they cannot have it, they are often cured of slight ailments by being put at a little distance from the fire, for an hour or two. Perhaps I should say here, that when they become old, they are sometimes unable to shell their seed, and it must be crushed for them, and soft food be provided for them, or they will be starved. Sometimes, too, the lower mandible of the beak will grow to an exagge- rated length, and thus prevent the poor bird from pick- ing up seed. This must be carefully pared with a sharp pair of scissors, and the operation will require repeating frequently. The GOLDFINCH (Fringilla carduelis). This is a great favourite amongst cage birds, and deservedly so, for he is a very sprightly, beautiful bird, and is very affectionate, docile, and intelligent. He is very happy in an aviary; but I do not like to see a Goldfinch con- fined in a very small cage, as he is so restless that he is scarcely ever still, and is continually climbing about, trying all the wires of the cage, and twirling his beak along them. On this account he ought not to be kept in a bell-shaped cage, as he is apt to grow giddy. He is very easily tamed, and may be safely allowed a flight round the room while his cage is cleaned. He is capable of great attachment to his owner, and may GOLDFINCH. p. 142 13ULLFINCH. p. 161 Finches. 143 be taught various amusing tricks, such as firing off' cannon, dragging a little waggon up an inclined plane into his cage, opening a box for his seed, ringing a bell for it, and hauling up water from a little well underneath the cage ; and all these he will learn very readily, and without any coercion. Some of the tricks which professional exhibitors of birds make a trade by, I fear, cause their Canaries and Goldfinches a good deal of suffering, and much cruelty is practised to make them proficient in them ; but I have taught Goldfinches all the accomplishments named, except- ing firing off cannon, without difficulty, and they have appeared delighted to exhibit their cleverness. One of my birds lived in a cage made with a seed- box attached to the wooden back, and he always lifted up the lid when he wanted a seed, and soon grew so crafty as to take out two or three seeds at a time, and put them by his side between the wires. I taught him this in a couple of days, by fastening a piece of silk round the lid, and gradually lowering it till it was quite closed ; and he learnt nearly as soon to draw up a little silver bucket with water, from the glass which formed a well, suspended by wires from the bow window attached to his cage. In the floor of this was a hole, across which went a narrow bridge of wood, to which a little ring was fastened, attached to a tiny -silver chain holding the bucket, which was about the size of a thimble. I drew the bucket up to the bridge at first, 144 Bird- keep ing. and fastened it while the bird drank the water, then let it down and refilled it, and drew it up nearly to the top, and I gradually left a longer and longer length of the chain between the bridge and the bucket. The bird soon found out that he must pull the chain up into the cage, but let it go while he drank, till he com- prehended the necessity of holding it with his foot ; and as soon as this was made clear to him his education was finished : he hauled up a bit of the chain, put his foot on it, hauled up another length, and held that, and so on, till the bucket came to the bridge, and he could drink out of it. He never forgot the art, and was often so proud of his cleverness that he would pause to sing, after he had drawn the bucket within his reach, before he quenched his thirst. This bird was never happy out of his cage, and when it was out of repair, and he had to live in a cage of ordinary construction, he pouted and moped, and was exceedingly displeased with his new abode. Of course care must be taken that the lid of the box is not heavy enough to distress the bird while holding it upon his head, and that the machinery of the bucket, chain, and well is always in order : any hindrance to the bucket's fall into the well to get refilled would be most serious, and cause the bird great suffering. A chain attached to a waggon may be drawn into the cage and held in the same manner, and the bird may be taught to ring a little bell, by suspending it in a corner of the cage, and Finches. 145 leaving him without seed till he is hungry, pulling the string attached to it and ringing, and then putting some favourite food into the glass. He will soon dis- cover that whenever the bell rings he gets this food, and will seize the string and ring it whenever he is hungry. The Bullfinch and Siskin will learn all these accomplishments, but Canaries never understand the art of holding the chain with the foot when they have drawn it up ; at least, I have never succeeded in teaching any of mine to overcome this difficulty. A mule bird, of Canary and Goldfinch parents, was very quickly taught it. Goldfinches will soon learn to come out of their cages for any favourite food offered to them, and to fly on the hand or shoulder to receive hemp-seed, of which they are very fond. A gentleman in Ireland had two pet Goldfinches which he allowed to fly out of the window, which brought home several wild birds of their kind day after day during a very severe winter, to eat of the seed in their cage, and they were fed regularly as long as the cold weather lasted ; as many as twenty flying into the room, into the open cages provided for them, undisturbed by any fear of their hosts. The Goldfinch is a great friend to the farmer, for he lives chiefly upon the seeds of weeds, groundsel, bur- dock, and thistle, of which last he is so fond that he is often called the " Thistle-finch." Lettuce and cabbage- seeds he also approves of, and in confinement he should 10 1 46 Bird- keeping. have these occasionally, his ordinary diet being canary and bird-turnip seeds : he is especially fond of hemp- seed^and will sometimes refuse to sing unless provided with his favourite food; but he must not be fed exclusively upon this seed, it will cause blindness and excessive fat. A few hemp-seeds daily may be given to keep him in good humour, and these he should receive from his mistress's hand. " Goldie " or " Gold- spink " as he is sometimes called, is a great eater, and is rather a greedy bird in an aviary, often driving other birds away from the seed-boxes. A thistle-head should be frequently given to Goldfinches, also lettuce or cabbage-leaves, watercress, chickweed, and groundsel occasionally. They build a very pretty substantial nest of moss and lichen, lined with wool and thistle- down, in apple and pear-trees ; and the female lays five or six eggs. The young males may easily be distinguished by a narrow white ring round the beak. They may be reared from the nest on bread soaked in water, and scalded rape-seed, and will learn the Canary's song if put within hearing of a good songster : their natural song has not much compass, but they are always twittering and chirping. The Goldfinch will pair with the Canary ; and the mule birds produced are often very beautiful, and sing particularly well, but they are seldom prolific. The best mules have a Gold- finch father, and a clear yellow or white Canary mother. It is necessary always to remove the Goldfinch as soon Finches. 147 as the first egg is laid, as he will often beat his wife off the nest and destroy the eggs. He may be put into the next compartment, and if he is a very amiable bird, he may perhaps assist her in feeding the young birds when they are a few days old ; but his proceed- ings must be very carefully watched when he is restored to his family, as he is not at all unlikely to peck his children. Most rearers of mules, I believe, take the Goldfinch away altogether, and give him another wife, leaving the first hen to bring up the nestlings alone. Many of the dark Goldfinch mules have very rich colours, deep red round the beak and on the breast, with the Goldfinch's bars on the wings ; but the most beautiful of all are those which have the clear yellow or white Canary colouring throughout the body, with more or less of the Goldfinch's markings on the head and wings. Some lovely birds have been exhibited with the even markings of the Norwich Canary, and a deep orange band on the forehead. Goldfinches are subject to epilepsy and to sore eyes. Lettuce-seed and thistle-down should be given for the first disorder, which is probably occasioned by im- moderate eating (of hemp-seed in particular), and when the fit comes on, the bird should be plunged head downwards into cold water two or three times in suc- cession, and have a drop of olive oil afterwards. He is fond of bathing, and should have a bath daily, The eyes may be cured by anointing them with fresh butter. 10 2 148 Bird-keeping. Goldfinches are sometimes found variously coloured, with white and black heads, yellow breasts, white and black bodies, etc. As they grow old, they will often lose their bright colours in confinement, but will some- times live sixteen or even twenty years in an aviary. They are, however, subject to blindness in old age. The CHAFFINCH (Fringilla ccelebs) " Pie Finch." The Chaffinch, called also the " Chink," " Pink," " Fink," " Shellapple," and " Beech Finch," and in Scotland the " Shilfa," is not so much prized in England as in France and Germany. In Thuringia there is quite a mania for these birds; and Bechstein enumerates a great many varieties of the Chaffinch's song under such names as these the " double trill of the Hartz," the " Bridegroom's song," the " Sportsman's song," the "Woodman's song," etc., which he says are derived from the last syllable of the German sentence which the bird is supposed to utter. Some birds are said to have three or four distinct songs, but those which have only one or two generally sing with greater perfection, though perhaps they are less prized than those which have a greater variety of song. It is asserted that the Chaffinches frequenting one district sing quite diffe- rently from those in another : that those in Thuringia, in the Hartz Mountains, and in Austria, for instance, have different songs. Bird-catchers in England say the same of Chaffinches caught in Essex and Kent, and declare that those found in Epping Forest sing a Finches. 1 49 different song from those caught on the other side of the river. They have singing matches amongst their birds, and the Chaffinch that sings the greatest number of perfect notes within a given time, gains the prize for his owner. A perfect note is represented by the syllables toll-loll-loll-chick-wee-do, and if a bird slurs them over, or stops at chick or wee, the note is not counted. Chaffinches appear to be obliged to re-learn their song every spring, and begin it afresh, chirping, and mingling passages of it with their chirps, repeating these, and exercising their voices by degrees, till the full song is regained. This process the bird-fanciers call " recording," and if the song is perfect by the end of a week or fortnight, they consider it a great proof of excellence in the bird. Great pains are taken in the instruction of young Chaffinches in Germany,* and very large sums are obtained for those reputed good song- sters, trained by some famous bird. Much cruelty also prevails, I fear, and the poor birds are frequently blinded, from the notion that they sing better in the dark. The Chaffinch is a very pretty bird, and easily tamed, and can be reared from the nest on soaked bread moistened with water, and scalded rape-seed. The young males are to be distinguished by having more * I have heard that the desire for these birds has been lately on the decline. 150 Bird-keeping. white in the wings than the female, and the lower part of the body red instead of a dingy green ; the yellow circles round the eyes are brighter too. They should be fed chiefly on bird-turnip, with a little canary-seed, and should have crushed hemp-seed occasionally, but too much of this seed is injurious to them ; groundsel, chickweed, and other green food, and ants' eggs and mealworms from time to time. In their natural state Chaffinches are partially insectivorous, and although they are fond of the young shoots of vegetables, and do mischief by eating them as soon as they appear above ground, they do great service by destroying numbers of aphides and other insects which would be far more destructive : they are very fond of the seeds of the dead nettle and groundsel. The Chaffinch builds the prettiest nest possible, deeply cupped, of moss, wool, hair, and lichens, in the fork of a branch where it joins the main stem. She lays four or five eggs. Early in the autumn the birds separate, the males con- gregating together, and the females and young birds assembling in other flocks; from this circumstance the Chaffinch is called Fringilla ccelebs. In the north of Europe he is a migratory bird, but with us a resident throughout the year, and the flocks of Chaffinches which haunt our hedgerows and gardens in winter, are increased by migrations from the Continent both during the severe cold and in the spring. In confinement the Chaffinch is generally kept in a Finches. 151 low oblong cage; a bell-shaped cage makes him giddy, and he sings less in a large cage or aviary. If more than one Chaffinch is kept in a room, the cages must not be so placed as that they should see each other, or they are apt to turn sulky and refuse to sing. Their food should be kept outside the cage, as they waste it very much. They must have water for bathing as well as drinking. They are subject to diarrhoea and to obstruction of the oil-gland ; and the old birds often become lame, and require the removal of the scales that will accumulate on their legs : this must be done very carefully with the point of a penknife. For a feverish cold, causing the root of the beak to become yellow, and making the bird gape continually, bird- dealers give a mixture of equal parts of pepper, garlic, and butter. If well cared for, the Chaffinch will live for many years in confinement. The MOUNTAIN FINCH or BRAMBLING (Fringilla montifringilla) is common throughout Europe, living chiefly in the northernmost countries during the sum- mer, and visiting us in the winter. It lives on the same food as the Chaffinch, and will sometimes learn pas- sages of its song ; but it is an indifferent songster, and is chiefly prized for its beauty. The head and back of the male are black, the feathers edged with yellowish- grey, so that the upper part of the body has a freckled appearance ; the lower part of the back is white, which colour extends to the tail-coverts ; the tail itself is 1 5 2 Bird-keeping. black and forked ; the wings are brownish-black, striped with orange bands ; the throat and breast pale orange, shading to white in the lower part of the body. The Brambling appears to be capable of being tamed, but some individuals of the species are quarrelsome and spiteful, and are not pleasant inmates of an aviary on that account. They require the same food and treatment as the Chaffinch. The SISKIN or ABERDEVINE (Fringilla spinns\ some- times called the Black-headed Finch, Gold-wing, and Barley-bird, is a winter visitor to England, and builds in the forests of pine and fir-trees in the north of Europe, and occasionally in the Highlands of Scotland. It has a pretty mixture of black, green, and yellow in its plumage, and is shorter and more thickset than the Goldfinch, and a very active, lively little bird, very amusing in a cage, because it is such a mountebank, always climbing about, moving along the top of the cage, swinging by one leg with its head downwards, and placing itself in all kinds of extraordinary postures. It is very tame and sociable, and can be taught all the accomplishments learnt by Goldfinches; it is quite happy in captivity, and a useful bird in an aviary, because its continual twittering excites the other birds to sing. Its natural song is not powerful, but sweet ; the sweetness, however, is often interrupted by harsh, jarring notes ; and although it will learn the songs of other birds, it can never be taught to whistle a tune Finches. 153 perfectly. It is very good tempered, and agrees with other birds very well, though it is rather a greedy bird, and will sometimes take possession of the seed-box in an aviary, and drive them away from it. It drinks a good deal, and throws the water over its feathers con- tinually, so that it requires to be constantly supplied with water, though it does not often go into the bath. It should be fed on canary and bird-turnip, with hemp- seed occasionally, feeding naturally on fir and pine, alder, hop, thistle, and burdock-seeds, and assembling in flocks near brooks and streams where the alders grow in England. Siskins will build in a bird-room or aviary, if provided with a fir-tree, and pair readily with the Canary. The offspring of the Siskin and Green Canary are said to be the strongest birds, but the mules produced by the Siskin and Yellow Canary are much the most beautiful : they are generally good songsters. They often associate with Linnets. Siskins are generally healthy birds in captivity, but are somewhat subject to epilepsy and to diseases pro- duced by over-eating. They should not be confined in a small cage, but be allowed to take plenty of ex- ercise. They are very fond of nuts and almonds, and will soon learn to take them from their mistress's hand, and to become very familiar and friendly with her. The LINNET (Fringilla cannabina or linota) is also called the Greater Redpole, Brown, Grey, and Rose Linnet, the Whin Linnet, and, in Scotland, the Lintie 154 Bird- keep ing. or Lintwhite. Its various names seem to be due to the changes of plumage in the males in summer and winter, and to the fact that they do not acquire their red heads and breasts till they are three years old. In confine- ment the young birds never acquire this colouring, and the old birds soon lose it. They are very attractive birds, shy by nature, but, when tamed, becoming exceedingly affectionate both to one another and to their owner. Two, which I brought up from the nest (feeding them every two hours with bread soaked in water and squeezed till nearly dry, mixed with scalded rape-seed), were ex- ceedingly tame, and used to come out of their cage and fly about the room, perching upon my head and shoulder to receive their favourite dainty of hemp-seed. They are not active birds, and in an aviary are apt to sit still on the ground and get trodden on, unless they have branches to perch upon. Their natural song is very melodious, and, once learnt from the parents, is never forgotten, so that if it is desired that young Linnets should learn the songs of the Nightingale, Chaffinch, or Lark, or whistle airs played to them, they must be taken out of the nest as soon as their tail-feathers begin to grow. The males may be dis- tinguished by the white about the neck, wings, and tail. The hen has always the same spotted brown plumage. The Linnet feeds on all kinds of seeds, especially Pinches. 155 those of the cruciferous plants. Its fondness for flax or linum-seed has given it its name of Linnet. It is also very fond of hemp-seed, but must not have much of either of these seeds, their oily nature makes the bird too fat. The best food for Linnets is bird-turnip and canary-seed : a little salt mixed with it is some- times useful, and green food occasionally. They are liable to surfeit from eating too much and taking but little exercise ; and bread and milk, lettuce-seed, or two drops of castor-oil put into their drinking-water, are the specifics for this. They require plenty of water, and are fond of bathing both in sand and water. They sometimes suffer from epilepsy, but there is not the same objection to a bell-shaped cage for the Linnet as for the Goldfinch and Chaffinch. They will live from twelve to sixteen years in confinement, and will often form great attachments to one another, even amongst two birds of the same sex. The male Linnet v/ill sometimes pair with the Canary, but the mules are not nearly so beautiful as the offspring of the Goldfinch and Canary, though they are generally good songsters, and prized on that account. The MOUNTAIN LINNET (Fringilla montium), called from its peculiar note the " Twite," and by the Scotch the Heather Lintie, is a larger and more slender-look- ing bird than the common Linnet, but has the same changes of plumage, excepting the red head, and much resembles it in its character and habits, so that it is 156 Bird- keeping. often supposed to be the same bird. It lives principally in the northern counties, and is plentiful in Norway and Sweden, and only visits the southern counties of England occasionally. The MEALY LINNET (Fringilla borealis), sometimes called the Mealy Redpole, is another variety. So is the LESSER REDPOLE (Fringilla linaria), which re- sembles the Linnet in the colour of its plumage, but is more like the Siskin in its size and shape, and in its characteristics. It is a very pretty bird, easily tamed, and exceedingly sociable and affectionate, and a very amusing cage bird, agreeing well with Linnets, Goldfinches, Canaries, and Siskins, and may be taught to perform many clever feats, but its song is merely a low twitter. It may be fed on the same food as the Linnet, with the addition of elderberries, of which it is very fond. The HOUSE SPARROW (Passer domesticus}.1\\\$ bird seems equally at home in crowded cities and in the open country, and is remarkable for its constant attachment to man and his habitations. It follows him throughout Europe, Northern Africa, India, and even to the passes of the Himalaya Mountains. The Sparrows spoken of by travellers in Palestine, and de- scribed as frequenting the Valley of Cashmere in flocks, appear to be of the same species as our Sparrow. It is a pretty bird when free from the smoke with which it is often begrimed, but it is not attractive as a cage Finches. 1 5 7 bird : it has no pretensions to a song, though Mr. Kidd has declared that if taken from the nest and properly taught, it will sing as well as a Canary ; and is so pert and restless, and so given to thieving pro- pensities, that it does not engage our affection. Both the male and female Sparrow are said, however, to be very careful and affectionate parents, and they will become attached to any one who bestows kindness and pains upon them. One who was tamed by a sick man at Paris followed his master everywhere, till he became too ill to leave his bed, and then it refused to leave him. It had a little bell round its throat, and was very unhappy when deprived of it, till an- other was put on. The Sparrow has a most accommodating appetite, and will eat all kinds of food meat, vegetables, seeds, caterpillars, insects, and any kind of garbage. Few people would care to keep a Sparrow in a cage, but it is often an inmate of an aviary or bird-room, where it must be a great torment from its pilfering propensities. It should have a mixture of seed and insect food, or the Nightingale's paste would do for it. But it is a pleasanter bird to have as a familiar visitor, frequenting the basket of fat and bread crumbs pro- vided for our outdoor friends, than to keep in captivity. The Sparrow is subject to variations of plumage. A white Sparrow is not uncommon. The TREE SPARROW (Fringilla montana or Passer 1 5 8 Bird-keep ing. montamis\ sometimes called the Mountain Sparrow, is a handsomer bird than its relative, and has more of a song. It is very different in its habits from the House Sparrow, for it very seldom visits houses, and builds in woods and trees by the side of streams ; though it occasionally associates with the common Sparrow, and will sometimes take possession of the deserted nests of the Magpie, Crow, and Woodpecker. It is a native of North Asia and America, and inhabits most European countries. In the house it may be treated as the House Sparrow, and may be tamed, but it does not live long in confinement. The YELLOW AMMER or BUNTING (Emberiza citri- nelld). This is a very handsome bird, but has no at- tractions as a cage bird, and is rarely kept except in an aviary or bird-room, where it is shy and awkward, although very lively and active in its natural condition. The females and young males have not much of the beautiful golden yellow colouring of the male. It has various provincial names Yellow Yeldrich, Yellow Yowley, Yellow Yite, and Skite, and it is also called sometimes the "Scribble Clerk" from the peculiar tracings on its eggs, which are supposed to resemble handwriting. These marks and veinings on the eggs are a characteristic of the Bunting tribe : the common Bunting is called the " Writing Clerk " in some coun- ties. The Yellow Ammer is a common bird through- out Europe and Northern Asia: it builds on the ground Finches. 159 or low down in a hedge, and among rank grass, and the hen is said to be such an affectionate mother as almost to allow herself to be touched before she will leave her nest. The Yellow Ammer feeds on insects, small seeds, and oats, and in captivity will not thrive without a change of food, such as oats, bread crumbs, crushed hemp-seed, bird-turnip, meat, or insects ; it will eat a paste made of grated carrot, bread, and barley-meal; but, being insectivorous as well as seed-eating, it must have a mixture of animal and vegetable food. It is fond of bathing, and likes to have some black earth in its cage, of which it swallows a good deal. Its congeners, the Common or Corn Bunting, the Ortolan, the Cirl and Reed Buntings, are occasionally kept in aviaries, and would require much the same food : they are all fond of the paste above mentioned, and of oats and millet; indeed, the Ortolans are often fatted as a delicacy for the table, upon these. None of them are desirable cage birds. The GREENFINCH (Fringilla chloris) is often called the Green Grosbeak or Green Linnet, but it is a large bird with a big beak, and bears a much greater re- semblance to the Grosbeaks than to the Linnets. It is a handsome bird, but its natural song is harsh ; if reared within hearing of a good songster of another kind, however, it will frequently acquire its song. It is remarkably docile, and is chiefly attractive as a cage 1 60 Bird-keeping. bird on that account, it becomes so exceedingly tame. It is a great eater, and apt to take exclusive posses- sion of the seed-box in an aviary, and to drive all the other birds away from it with its great beak. I had four young Greenfinches, reared from the nest on moistened bread and scalded rape-seed, and they used to come out of their cage and fly upon my hand for their food, and were very pleasant pets. As soon as they were full grown, I opened their cage door, and they flew into the garden ; but they returned to their cage for food, and came back every night throughout the summer to roost in it. In their wild state they feed on all kinds of seeds, but their nestlings are generally supplied with caterpillars and other insects. In a cage they should be fed on canary and bird- turnip, with a little hemp-seed occasionally, and have lettuce, chickweed, and cabbage, and juniper-berries from time to time. The HAWFINCH (Coccothraustes vulgaris) is a much larger bird than the Greenfinch, and is much less com- monly seen, as it is a peculiarly shy and wild bird, and lives chiefly in the recesses of forests, feeding on haws and various other berries and the kernels of stone- fruit, cracking the shell with ease with its powerful beak. Epping Forest appears to be one of its chief haunts in England. It is not often kept in confine- ment in this country, but on the Continent is esteemed as a cage bird, on account of its great tameness when Finches. 1 6 1 once reconciled to captivity. It should be fed on rape p id hemp-seed, beech-masts, haws, juniper, ash, and maple-berries, cherries, and peas. It is not a safe inmate of an aviary, as it has been known to kill a weaker companion. The BULLFINCH (Pyrrluda vulgaris] is called also the Coal Hood, Alp, Nope. The Bullfinch is a very engaging bird, because it is very happy in captivity, and entirely devoted to the person on whom it bestows its affection. It is somewhat capricious, perhaps, in its likes and dislikes, and is addicted to jealousies if the favour of its master or mistress is claimed by any one but itself. A friend of mine had a pet Bullfinch, who was extremely attached to her, but took so violent a dislike to her husband that he would ruffle up his feathers, scold, and scream whenever he came into the room ; and if he offered him any dainty, would try to peck and bite his fingers. This bird pined so much during a long illness of hers that she gave him to a friend, to whom he eventually transferred his affection. Instances have been known, however, of Bullfinches dying when separated from the person on whom they had bestowed their faithful attachment. They are easily trained to perform amusing feats, to pump up water for their bath, or to draw it up from a well, etc. The natural song of the Bullfinch is harsh and poor ; but, when trained, he is capable of whistling or " pi- ping " airs to perfection. He must be taken from the 11 1 6 2 Bird- keep ing. nest before he has had time to learn his father's song, and can be easily reared on moistened bread and scalded rape-seed; and, as soon as he begins to twitter, he must have constant lessons, on a clarionet or bird- organ, of the airs he is to pipe. These should always be given early in the morning and when the bird is hungry ; the air he is to learn, or a portion of it, should be played or whistled over and over to him in the dark, and when he tries to imitate it he must be re- warded with his breakfast and a few hemp-seeds, or other especially favourite food. He should hear no other sound while his lesson is being repeated to him, and it is necessary that it should be repeated exactly in the same time, and without any variation in the tune. If a false note be played, or an imperfect instru- ment be used, the b.rd is almost sure to copy the im- perfections in his performances. When once thoroughly learnt, he will be very much displeased if any mistake be made in the repetition of the air, and will stop short, and hiss, and begin it afresh. In Germany there are regular schools for Bullfinches, where the birds are taught in classes for some months, and then each is given into the charge of a boy, whose business it is to be continually repeating the airs the bird has learnt, to him. Some Bullfinches are able only to learn one tune thoroughly ; others will acquire two or three quite accurately, but they will generally require to have their memory refreshed by their repetition, when they have Finches. 163 been silent awhile during the time of moulting. They are sometimes, like spoilt children, capricious about exhibiting their accomplishments, and require a good deal of coaxing before they will pipe. A friend once brought her Bullfinch to display his talents to me ; but no persuasions of hers would induce him to pipe till she sent for her servant, who went up to the cage, put his head from side to side, and said, "Come, Bully, whistle," and the bird immediately began bowing and prancing about, and went through his performances without more ado. Good piping Bullfinches are very costly birds ; three or four guineas, or even more, are often paid for one. A Bullfinch seems thrown away in a bird-room or aviary : he looks dull and inactive among the more sprightly birds ; moreover he is apt to be quarrelsome and to fight with birds of another kind, and his big beak is capable of inflicting serious injuries. He is a very affectionate mate, and both parents are very fond of their nestlings, which remain with them much longer than is the case with the generality of young birds. In their wild state they are accused of committing sad havoc amongst the fruit-trees, by picking off the early buds ; and although some people assert that they only do this in search of the maggots in the buds, I am afraid this cannot be maintained, and that it must be allowed that they are guilty of great depredations. They eat also the seeds in the fir-cones, beech-masts, 112 1 64 Bird-keeping. flax-seed, and nettle-seed, and no doubt are partially insectivorous. In confinement theyshould be fed chiefly on canary and bird-turnip ; hemp-seed must be given very sparingly, as a luxury and a reward only : it has a most injurious effect upon them, causing blindness, loss of feathers, blackness of plumage, etc. Two young Bullfinches which I once reared from the nest were given away as soon as they were full grown, and were brought back to me in the course of a few weeks, the most deplorable little objects possible to conceive: they had a few feathers on their heads, and two long tail-feathers, and their little red bodies were perfectly bare of plumage. They had been fed entirely upon hemp-seed. A course of warm baths and plenty of green food restored them to health and beauty c They require lettuce, chickweed, and groundsel, and are fond of watercresses, and must have no sweets or injurious delicacies. When moulting, they may have a clove or a rusty nail in the drinking-water, egg and bread crumbs, or a few ants' eggs ; when over-fat, scalded rape-seed and green food : a little fruit or berries may be given occasionally. They are very fond of bathing. There are some foreign Bullfinches occasionally brought to England : the AMERICAN PURPLE BULL- FINCH (Fringilla purpurea\ the CARMINE BULL- FINCH (Fringilla or Erythrothorax erythinid), inhabit- ing Northern Europe and Asia, and the SIBERIAN BULLFINCH (Uragus Sibericus\ are all beautiful birds, Finches. 165 but are said to lose their splendid plumage in confine- ment, and are therefore not very desirable acquisitions. The AMERICAN ROSE - BREASTED HAWFINCH (Coccoborns ludovicianus) would be a pleasanter cage bird : it sings well, is easily tamed, is hardy, and has great beauty of plumage ; the head and upper part of the body are of a glossy black, the breast is carmine red, the stomach is white, and the wings have white bands; but it is not as yet imported in numbers to this country. The CROSSBILL (Loxia curvirostris). This bird is an inhabitant of Europe, Northern Asia, and America, and occasionally visits the fir plantations of Great Britain. It is chiefly remarkable for the curious shape of its bill, from which it takes its name : it is almost an inch long, and the upper mandible bends down- wards, and the lower one upwards, so as to cross each other, a formation which enables the bird to extract the seeds from the fir-cones, and the kernels from the almonds in the shell, in which it makes a hole with its powerful beak, while it can pick up and shell hemp and canary-seed with perfect ease. It is very fond of apple-pips, and cleverly cuts a hole into the core of the apple to extract them, of course making great havoc in an orchard. In confinement it may be allowed to range the room, but it is apt to get sore eyes and ulcerated feet, and is subject to epilepsy ; and although a very handsome bird and readily tamed, it is not very 1 66 Bird-keeping. attractive, and is chiefly amusing from its cleverness in extracting seeds from the fir-cones given to it, which it holds like a parrot in its claws. It climbs up and down its cage after the manner of a parrot, too, and should have a bell-shaped wire one, as it would soon destroy a wooden cage. It should be fed on canary, rape, hemp, and fir-seeds, and may have juniper-berries and an apple occasionally. The song is harsh and un- melodious. Crossbills differ very much in their colour- ing ; they are greenish-brown at first, but after the first moulting the males become red, and keep this colour for a year, when they acquire the greenish-yellow plu- mage of the old males. As they moult at different times, birds of varied colours are found together. In confinement the young males never acquire the red colour. The females are grey or speckled with green. The PARROT CROSSBILL (Loxia pittyopsittacus) now and then visits England : it must be treated in every respect like the common Crossbill. Bechstein says it is a very sociable bird and easily tamed, but should not be allowed to range the room, as it is apt to destroy books, shoes, etc., by gnawing them. The PINE GROSBEAK (Loxia or Corythus enucleater) resembles the Crossbills in its habits, but the mandibles are not crossed, but only hooked. It is very rarely seen in England, but is more common in North Ger- many, and Bechstein describes it as a favourite cage Finches. 167 bird on account of its tameness and agreeable song, The same treatment is required as for the Crossbills. The VIRGINIAN NIGHTINGALE) Cardinalis Vir* ginalis) is also called the Cardinal Grosbeak, Red Bird, Red Cardinal, etc. This would appear to be the most beautiful specimen of the group of Cardinals, chiefly, if not wholly, con- fined to America. It is about eight inches long, of which the tail measures two. The back is dark red, the whole of the rest of the body is of a bright scarlet, excepting some short feathers round the beak and throat, which are black ; the bill and feet are red too ; the quill-feathers and tail are paler and browner. The crest upon the head is pointed, and can be raised and lowered at pleasure. The female is smaller and less handsome, with a browner back, grey chin and forehead, and pale brown with a shade of red in the lower part of the body. Both birds sing, the female almost as well as the male, whose voice is very fine and loud. He sings all the year round except v/hile moulting, and some of the notes have a little resem- blance to those of the English Nightingale ; but the song is more monotonous, louder, and less sweet. This bird is said to be very tender-hearted, and kind in feeding young birds even of a different species, when placed in the same cage with it. One belonging to an old woman at Washington earned for his mistress a large sum of money, by rearing a number of young 1 68 Bird-keeping. birds of other species placed under his charge. Yet these birds are better kept apart when full grown, per- haps because the singing powers of the female interfere with those of the male. They are very sensitive, rest- less birds too, never still, and fretted by the bustle of an aviary, therefore they should be kept alone in a good sized cage, and be allowed an occasional flight round the room. I have read that the bright scarlet of the plumage becomes in time deteriorated in con- finement ; but probably this is from being kept either in too close an atmosphere or fed on improper food. They are hardy birds, and if kept out of draughts, and properly fed, will preserve their health and beauty many years. I have had one ten, and some have been kept twenty years in a cage. They live in woods and sheltered hollows in North America, where holly, laurel, and other evergreens grow, and feed mainly on Indian corn and buckwheat : they are fond of apples, cherries, and other fruit ; but they appear to require a mixture of insect or animal food, with millet, canary, and hemp- seed, of which latter they must have only a few seeds in the day. A lady who had a pet Virginian Nightin- gale for more than thirteen years, says she fed him upon canary-seed, giving him a few hemp-seeds, four or five mealworms, or spiders, grubs, or caterpillars, every day. He was fond of Spanish nuts, almonds, walnuts, and Indian corn, but could not crack the nuts. A piece of bay salt and a lump of chalk were always Finches. 1 69 kept in his cage, and she gave him opportunity for a daily bath. He was, she says, a most charming com- panion, so quick-witted and clever, and so devoted to his mistress. If she put her hand into his cage to stroke him in the dark, he would make the most en- dearing little noise all the time to express his delight ; if she moved away he gave vent to his annoyance by a clicking note, which he discontinued as soon as she returned to him. Then, when he was catching flies about the room, which he delighted in doing, he would carry his booty to her, and insist upon her taking a share of it, and if he could get a lump of sugar from the sideboard, he would fly across the room to her, and put it gently into her mouth while hovering on the wing ; and when she had been absent for an hour or two, he would meet her with fluttering outstretched wings, sometimes singing with joy. He had about six different songs; one contained a "jug-jug," like the English Nightingale, the others consisted of three or four notes repeated over and over again. Some notes were very sweet and liquid. She says he had the finest intellect of any bird she has ever known : if he was thirsty he would make believe to drink out of a spoon, looking very hard at her all the while, and if he saw a hawk or a cat at a distance, he would utter a note of alarm, descrying the former when it was a mere speck in the sky. This bird died at last of old age. A young mate was provided for him some years before his death, 1 70 Bird-keeping. but he would not pair with her. She, too, has proved a very interesting bird, and her attachment to her mis- tress^ equals that of her old favourite. Whenever she hears her voice, or even the rustle of her dress, she breaks out into a happy song of greeting, and will put herself into a curious attitude with head and tail up- raised, seeming in a perfect ecstacy of delight, not noticing even the most tempting spider or caterpillar till satisfied with her mistress's caresses. She laid three or four eggs every summer, and last year took some twigs out of the fireplace, with which she at- tempted to build a nest behind the drawing-room mirror. She lives in a large cage, but spends most of her time at liberty, generally going into her home when told to do so. Another lady, living in Devonshire, tells me that she has had a cock Virginian Nightingale for two years, whose song is quite delicious, very like that of the English Nightingale, and he is as tame and as much attached to her as the birds whose history I have given above. She put him into a small aviary in her garden last summer, where she had reared several Budgerigars and Cockatiels, with a hen newly purchased, which unfortunately fell into a deep decline. He was quite devoted to her, and fed her with the choicest delicacies he could find, spiders especially ; but she became weaker and weaker, till she died. These anecdotes show that Virginian Nightingales do not deserve the Finches. 1 7 1 character sometimes given them of being wild and vicious. All birds are disposed to be pugnacious at the breeding season, and it may not be safe to turn more than one pair into an aviary, but they are evi- dently capable of great attachment both to each other and to human beings, and they will well repay their owners for any care and attention bestowed on them. They are shy as well as sensitive, and many dislike strangers, and take extraordinary likes and dislikes both to people and other birds. My bird is generally very much pleased to be in the neigh- bourhood of other birds, and will sulk if taken away from them ; but he took an unaccountable dislike to my German Canary, hissed and pouted when he was put near him, and showed unmistakeable signs of anger when any attention was paid to him^perhaps he was jealous of his song), and I should not have liked to put him within reach of his powerful beak. He is also capricious about his food, and one day will not eat what he greedily devours the next. He is very fond of dried currants when soaked (if given to him dry he immediately drops them into his water-glass), and of the Hartz Mountain bread, and his greatest treat seems to be a ripe chili-pod. He also expects to be helped to every fly or spider that appears in the window. These birds will breed without much difficulty in any quiet place, either in an aviary or large cage, if 172 Bird-keeping. properly supplied with animal food. Their nest is made of small twigs, lined with hay or grass. They would probably do well in an outdoor aviary, as they are distressed by great heat, and can stand a fair amount of cold. The RED-CRESTED CARDINAL (Paroaria cristata or ciicullatd) is a handsome bird, a little larger than the Virginian Nightingale, and comes from South America. The back is dark grey, the quill-feathers of the wings are of a darker shade of the same colour, and the tail is nearly black ; the head, crest, cheeks, and throat are bright red of an orange hue, deepest on the chest, where it ends in a point ; the lower part of the body is greyish- white, and the feet and legs are black ; the strong beak is dusky grey ; the crest is pointed like that of the Virginian Nightingale, and is raised and depressed at pleasure. A margin of white separates the red of the cheeks and breast from the grey of the body, forming a partial collar ; the red joins the grey on the nape of the neck, and a few black feathers mingled with the white give a mottled appearance to the collar. I give the colouring of a young male sent to me from the Zoological Society's Gardens, a very sprightly active bird, singing all day long, or calling " whit, whit." The song was loud, but not very melodious. I was directed to feed him upon canary and hemp-seed, a little green food, lettuce, watercress and chickvveed, with occasional mealworms or insects, and a little scraped raw beef Finches. 173 now and then. The latter, however, he rarely touched, so I gave him some cooked beef or mutton, chopped up very finely, and this he enjoyed exceedingly. Every now and then he would eat a piece of hard-boiled egg : he did not care much about this, but considered him- self exceedingly ill used if I did not give him some meat every other day or so. Sometimes he would wash away all the water in his glass, but he would not go into a bath. Like the Virginian Nightingales, these birds must have a very large cage. They are hardy, and do well in aviaries, but are said to be dangerous to smaller and weaker birds, especially during the nesting season. Their nests resemble those of the Virginians. The RED-HEADED CARDINAL (Paroaria larvatd) is called by bird-dealers " the Pope." I believe it is very like the Red-crested Cardinal, but without the crest. These two birds are described by Buffon as the "Paroare" and "Paroare huppe," and he says this name was derived from the native Brazilian name, tije guacu paroara. He also calls the Red-headed Cardinal the "Dominican Cardinal." The bird called by Bechstein the Cardinal Domenicain of Buffon (the Dominican Grosbeak) does not answer to Buffon's description of this bird, as it has no red head : it may be treated in every respect like the Cardinal with a red crest, and so may the Black-crested or Green Cardinal (Gubernatrix cristatella), a very handsome 1 74 Bird-keeping. green and yellow bird with a black crest, which comes also from South America ; except that the latter re- quires more warmth. The NONPAREIL FINCH (Cyanospiza or Emberiza tiris), called by American authors the " Painted Finch " or " Painted Bunting," is also spoken of by Buffon as "the Pope," he says on account of his beautiful violet hood. He is a most splendid bird when in full plu- mage; but as he moults twice a year, and the young males do not acquire their full plumage till they are three years old, he is seldom met with in the perfection of his colouring. I have a beautiful specimen of the bird, which at the present moment has a violet head and neck, a red circle round the eyes, the iris brown ; the beak and feet brown ; the upper part of the back yellowish-green, the lower part of the back and the throat, chest, and whole under part of the body, as well as the upper tail-coverts, of a bright red ; the wing-coverts are green, the quills reddish-brown tinged with green, the tail is reddish-brown. He is about the size of the Robin, and very much resembles that bird in his attitudes and characteristics, and his song is a sweet low warble, much of the same character as that of our winter songster. He is fed upon canary and millet-seed, and is exceedingly fond of flies and spiders, which he ought to have, to keep him in health. If I offer him one, he darts across the cage to seize it, and takes it from my hand fearlessly; and when he is Finches. 1 75 allowed to fly about the room, he will catch flies for himself, either pouncing upon them in the window, or taking them on the wing, in the course of a rapid dash across the room. He is a sociable bird, and very inquisitive, hopping about on the table, and examining everything he sees ; and when he is tired of his sudden flights about the room, he will go to a vase of flowers placed before a mirror, and warble away to his image reflected in the glass. A bird of the same species which I had for some years was equally tame, but although a very pretty bird, never acquired the perfect plumage, but retained the colouring of a young male of two years old. He had a blue head, red breast, and green back. He was subject to epileptic fits, and when seized by one, was always brought round by being plunged head-downwards into cold water. Two or three sudden dips were sufficient to revive him ; he sat up, plumed himself, and was all right again. He died of old age at last. The female is not nearly so pretty as the male : she is a yellowish-green bird, with brown and green wings and tail, and the young cocks resemble her in plumage. The Nonpareil is a native of North America, ranging from Canada to Mexico and Brazil, but only to be found in the colder parts in summer : its nests are found mostly in the orange and citron-trees. Buffon says that the Dutch breed these birds in their aviaries, but it is found that only one pair can be safely kept, 176 Bird- keep ing, or the cocks, will create a disturbance in the bird-room; so it would be best to keep the pairs in separate cages. The same may be said of their relative, The INDIGO BIRD (Cyanospiza or Fringilla cyanea), another lovely bird, a native of North America. He is one of the many birds called by the French bird- catchers Ueveque, from his beautiful violet-blue plu- mage. The top of the head is pure violet, shaded to deep indigo blue on the back, with a greener tinge on the lower part of the body. The quill-feathers are brown edged with blue, the tail brown, and the beak and legs lead-coloured. The female is brown : Mr. Gosse calls her "drab-coloured ;" and the male bears the same colour while moulting, and sometimes moults twice in the year. He is about the size of a Linnet, and his song somewhat resembles the song of that bird. One, which was in my possession for a short time, used to sing by candlelight: he was fed on canary and white millet-seed : crushed hemp-seed is said to be good for these birds occasionally, and they are fond of flies and spiders. They are described by Mr. Gosse as flitting about in an unfrequented part of the forests in Alabama, the male and female both uttering the call "chip" "described by Wilson as resembling the sound made by two pebbles struck together." When the male was alone one day he heard his simple song, which he describes thus : " weasy-iveasy-weasy-che-che- che-che? and watched him darting down to pick up an Finches. 177 insect, and, alighting on the perpendicular stalk of a weed, clinging to it with one foot above another, which he thought a favourite position of the bird's. My Nonpareil has the same habit, and will cling to the cord of the window-blind in the same manner. The AMERICAN GOLDFINCH (Chrysomitris or Frin- gilla tristis). The American Goldfinch is so named from its resemblance to our Goldfinch in habits and natural food, subsisting much on thistle-seed, and flit- ting about in flocks from weed to weed, twittering all the time, and opening and closing its wings in the same manner. It is a yellow bird, shaded and streaked with dark brown ; the head is black, and the wings and tail are of the same colour, but the feathers are almost all edged with white. This is the male's sum- mer plumage ; its colours in winter are of russet and olive-green. The female has much the same hues, but darker, so that they are somewhat like Siskins, and about the same size. They build a beautiful nest, most delicately woven, and fastened with fibres to the forked branches in which it is placed, the materials being thistle-down, spiders' webs, feathers, hair, and soft fibres. The male's song is a twitter much like that of the English Goldfinch. They may be fed on the same food in confinement, and will become very tame. The SAFFRON FINCH (Sycalis Braziliensis) is a beautiful bird, very like the Canary in size and shape : the forehead is of a bright orange or saffron-colour, 12 178 Bird-keeping. and the rest of the body a paler tint of the same colour, shaded with olive green on the back ; the quill-feathers and tail being black, broadly edged with yellow. The hen is of a paler colour in the forehead, and has a greener tinge throughout the body. They come from Brazil, and may be fed and treated like Canaries, but require more warmth. In Germany they are often bred in cages, and will sometimes pair with Canaries. The CAPE or ST. HELENA CANARY (Fringilla canicollis\ an olive-green bird, shaded with brown and grey, is not very often brought to England, though daily offered for sale in Cape Town by the Malays : it is said to have a pleasant song, and to do well in con- finement. There are several other species of African Singing Finches ; the commonest sort, Fringilla Hartlaubi or " Mozambique Siskin," is a green and yellow bird with a greyish-green head, much resembling the Siskin, but with brighter yellow plumage. It is rather a noisy, restless bird, and somewhat pugnacious, often quarrel- ling even with its mate, although caressing her and feeding her from his crop at other times. I had a pair of these birds for some little time ; the hen died, and the cock, which had scarcely uttered a note till then, began to sing all day long, quite overpowering the songs of all the other small birds ; it was so incessant and so loud, that the song was quite wearisome. It is fed on millet and canary -seed, and requires much Finches. 179 the same treatment as the Canary, but is much more delicate. A rarer Singing Finch, the Fringilla musica, is greyish- brown, darkest on the wings and tail, with the throat and under part of the body white, and pale flesh- coloured beak and legs. It is a charming little bird, smaller than a Linnet, but somewhat like that bird in shape, and having a very sweet melodious song, won- derfully powerful for such a small creature. It is much more gentle and amiable than the green and yellow species, but it is so delicate that it is not very easy to procure now, so many of these birds die when first brought to Europe. From time to time they appear in the bird market and delight all amateurs, but their great delicacy makes the dealers shy of importing them. When once acclimatized, however, they are said to live several years in confinement in rooms of moderate temperature, and even to breed in cages and bird-rooms. The ANGOLA FINCH, mentioned by Bechstein as having a flute-like song, very much resembles them in plumage, and there are several other species, both grey and green, some of which sing very sweetly, but they are not often imported into England. The pretty little CUBA FINCH (Fringilla canord) is less rare ; it is an olive-green bird, with black cheeks, and a broad yellow collar round the breast : it is no bigger than the little Waxbills ; it builds a very pretty 12 2 1 80 Bird-keeping. bottle-shaped nest, with a long entrance-tube below, of leaves, grass-stems, cotton, and hair ; both birds assist in building the nest, and sit on the eggs alternately. They have been reared in confinement. Other foreign Finches are occasionally imported, which would probably all thrive on canary and millet- seed, with a little admixture of ants' eggs, flies, etc., as all the Finches are the better for~a little insect food now and then ; chickweed and lettuce would generally be appreciated too, and egg food would be necessary if attempts were made to breed. Of late years a number of the Australian Finches have been brought to England. The "Queensland" or " Rockhampton Finches " belong to the A madina family. Two species which I have seen have very beautiful soft plumage. The CHESTNUT-BREASTED REED FINCH (Donacola or Spennestes castaneothorax) has a chestnut-brown back and wings, the throat and cheeks are brownish- black, and the breast has a broad band of buff, edged with a very narrow stripe of black. The head is beau- tifully mottled with black, brown, and buff; the bill is pale grey ; the legs and feet lead-coloured ; the stomach is of a pure white, spotted on the sides with brown ; the upper tail-coverts are buff, the lower black, the tail itself is dark brown. The male and female are alike in plumage. The BANDED FlNCH (Poephila or Spermestes cincta\ Finches. 1 8 1 called by dealers the " Parson Finch," has a soft grey head, and a velvet-like black gorget, widening on the chest ; a black line runs from the eye to the bill, which is almost black. The whole of the upper part of the body is of a rich chestnut-brown, shading into a darker and greyer brown on the wings ; the lower part of the body from the gorget to the red legs is of the same chestnut hue ; a black band passes from the thighs across the back, which is hidden when the wings are closed ; the upper and under tail-coverts are white, the tail is black. The cock and hen are alike. The former has a very odd pretence at a song : three long-drawn notes and two short ones. A pair of these birds which I had for some time, carried millet-stalks and cotton wool into a little covered nest-box, and the hen laid five white eggs late in November, but never sat on them. I believe it is now ascertained that they breed easily in confinement ; but the pairs are best kept in separate cages : in an aviary they will disturb the nests of the other birds. They build nests much like those of the Zebra Finch, and would require similar treatment. The BRISBANE, ZEBRA, or CHESTNUT -EARED FINCH (Amadina or Spermestes castanotis] is a lovely bird about the size of the largest of the Waxbills, the St. Helena Waxbill. It has a large beak, like that of a small Grosbeak, of bright vermilion ; the top of the head and back are grey, shading into brown on the wings ; the tail is blackish-brown, with the upper 1 8 2 Bird-keeping. feathers barred with black and white, giving the appearance of large white spots. The male has a bright chestnut patch on each ear, and a black streak coming straight down from the eye, a white patch be- tween this and the beak ; the throat and sides of the chest are beautifully barred with dark grey and white, with a broad black band across the chest ; the lower part of the body is white, and the sides under the wings chestnut-brown with white spots; feet and legs orange. The hen is paler in colour on the back, and has neither the chestnut on the ears, the barred throat and black band of the cock, or the brown under the wings; but she has the same black streak down from the eye, and a dusky white patch between that and the beak. They have a low harsh call-note, and the male has a croaking kind of warble by way of a song; best described as like a child's penny trumpet. They eat canary and millet-seed. Captain Sturt speaks of these birds as more numerous than any others in the in- terior of Australia ; collecting in hundreds on bushes never very far from water, to which they resort at sunset. He says that he and his companions con- sidered them as harbingers of good, as, when they saw them, they knew that water was at hand. They build in small trees, many nests in the same tree, and hatch their young in December. A great deal of interest has been excited lately by Finches. 183 the discovery that these birds will breed so readily in captivity, both in aviaries and cages, that they are likely to become as completely naturalized with us as the Canary ; indeed, they are far more prolific, and when once a pair has begun to build, they will go on with one brood after another, rearing sometimes twenty or more young birds in a year. Having heard that between thirty and forty were exhibited at the Crystal Palace Bird Show, in February, 1875, the progeny of two pairs between February and November, I pro- cured a pair of these beautiful birds, and provided them with nesting materials, a rush basket, and a cocoa-nut. I had some difficulty in getting them to eat the egg food, which is said to be absolutely neces- sary for them while breeding and rearing their young, but by mixing it with their seed, they became gradu- ally accustomed to it. They built a very pretty nest of moss, feathers, and wool in the cocoa-nut ; but as soon as this was finished, they migrated to the rush basket. The hen laid three eggs in this, then went back to the cocoa-nut and laid one or two there, and wandered backwards and forwards, not sitting steadily in either nest. I put all the eggs together, but with no better result, and not being aware that it is a common practice of these birds to make a number of false nests before they settle into the real nursery nest, I gave up the attempt to rear any young from this pair, and transferred them to my aviary cage for 184 Bird-keeping. the winter, and in the following spring sent them to a lady in Devonshire, who had an aviary in her garden, in w^iich I thought they were more likely to breed during the summer, as they are hardy birds. All the little foreign birds seem to require a great deal of space for their nursery arrangements. She put them at first, however, in an eighteen-inch waggon-cage in her morning-room, and found that they began their proceedings by building false nests, laying a number of eggs and deserting them. I believe she gave them too much stimulating food; which Mr. Wiener, the owner of the birds reared so successfully, tells me is a mistake, as it excites the birds to continual egg-laying without any attempt to hatch them. He kindly gave me directions, which were implicitly followed ; and they were fed on canary and millet-seed (millet in the ear), sponge-cake, soaked in water and pressed, mixed with a little hard - boiled egg, or dried ants' eggs, soaked in water, and in due time five birds were hatched. The nest was built of grass-sprays, cotton- wool, and feathers, in a cocoa-nut, both birds sat for thirteen days on the little white eggs, all night and the greater part of the day, always carefully covering them up with grass when they left them. The young birds stayed in the nest till fully fledged, then re- moved to an open basket, lined with flannel, and the old birds began to build again immediately, and subse- quently reared a nest of three and one of four young Finches. 185 ones in a large cage in the garden aviary. They all delighted in bathing, the quite young ones went into the water eagerly; they had abundance of good rough sand, and thoroughly appreciated the flowering grass and millet-sprays given them, but did not care much for the ants' eggs. The young birds were of a dull mouse-coloured grey, with only a few white marks~on their tails, and black beaks; but they moulted early, and then their beaks became pink and then orange- red, and the cocks were distinguished by their zebra markings. Dr. Karl Russ says scarcely any sight can be prettier than a pair of these bright - coloured birds, with red beaks, bringing out their brood of young ones with shining pitch-black beaks and light mouse- coloured plumage. Their behaviour too is very diffe- rent from that of young Canaries and other Finches when asking for food. He says they do not flutter their wings, but run like little mice straight up to the old birds with a loud cry, then run back a few steps and lay their heads sideways on the ground, holding up their beaks and making the same loud cry till they are fed. The young will often begin to build when only eight or nine weeks old; but generally several false nests are made before they build one with which they are content, though they are not par- ticular in their choice of materials, using indifferently hay, grass-stems, millet-stalks, feathers, cotton-wool, 1 8 6 Bird-keeping. ends of coloured Berlin wool, and hair. They will build in a cocoa-nut or in an open basket, sometimes weaving a dome-like roof over this, or a perfect hang- ing nest without either foundation. I found mine rather quarrelsome with other birds; and I believe the cocks are very pugnacious during their breeding season (but this is the case with most birds), and are very brave defenders of their nests when attacked by larger birds in an aviary. The DIAMOND SPARROW (Amadina or Spermestes Latliami or guttatd} or Spotted -sided Finch, which also comes from Australia, has much the same shape as the Brisbane Finch, stout and short, but it is con- siderably larger than the latter. The beak is deep crimson in colour, and so is the iris and the ring round it : there is a black streak from the bill to the eye ; the head and back are greyish-brown, deepening on the back and assuming a more olive shade on the wings. The throat is white ; the chest has a broad black band across it ; the under part of the body is white, and the sides under the wings are quite black, with oval white spots, from which it has taken its name of "Diamond Sparrow." The lower part of the back and the upper tail - coverts are of a deep carmine ; the tail is black and very short ; the legs and feet are grey. I had one of these birds in my possession for some little time, which inhabited the same cage as the Indigo Bird, and lived on the same DIAMOND AND CUTTHROAT SPARROWS. pp. 186 Wy JAVA SPARROW. p. IQt ST. HELENA WAXBILL, AND AVADAVAT. pp. 195, Finches. 187 food, eagerly seizing a fly whenever one was offered to him, and taking it readily from the hand. He had no song, but a long-drawn call-note of "ah-yea? All the specimens of this bird which I have seen have appeared somewhat dull and lazy, and given to over-eating. One hen brought to me was obliged to be taken away from her mate, because she was always plucking him, and scarcely left any feathers on his poor little body. When not engaged in this cannibal-like amusement, she never stirred from the seed-tin, and soon died in consequence. They are not pleasant inhabitants of an aviary, as they will rob the nests of the other birds, and behave very tyran- nically to their neighbours. They require baskets to sleep in at night, as they seem to suffer from cold, They do not breed so readily in confinement as the Zebra or Parson Finch, and rear very few young in the year. This bird must not be confounded with the DIAMOND BIRD of Australia (Pardalotiis pimctatus), which is a smaller and more slender bird, allied to the American Manikins, and bears its diamond spots on the crown of the head and wings. The CORAL -NECKED or CUTTHROAT SPARROW (Amadina or Spennestes fasciatd) is an African bird, although it is sometimes called by bird-dealers the " Indian Sparrow." Bechstein describes it under the name of the " Banded Grosbeak," and Swainson calls 1 8 8 Bird-keep ing. it the " Red-collared Bengaly," and in the Zoological Society's list it bears the name of the "Fasciated Finch." It is about the size of an English Sparrow ; the ground colour of the plumage, above and beneath is of a delicate greyish fawn-colour, spangled all over with short angular black marks, one or two of which are at the point of each feather. The throat is white, crossed by a bright red bar, which also covers the ears. The middle of the breast is marked by some large white spots, below which the body has a patch of cinnamon-colour ; the wings and tails are blackish- brown, some of the feathers being tipped with white. The hen has no red collar, but her feathers are beau- tifully smooth and spangled like those of the cock. The beak and feet are grey. They make a harsh kind of twittering, and their song is somewhat croaking. They may be fed on canary and millet -seed, and should have chickweed and plain cracknel biscuits occasionally. They have a very bad name in most bird- rooms, being accused of being tyrants and bullies, persecuting the helpless little Waxbills, and flying like cowards from the brave little Zebras, or any smaller bird that will withstand them or resent their pilfering habits. The CAMBASSO, CUMPASSO, or the LITTLE DOCTOR (Amadina or Vidua mtens) is, I believe, the same bird as that described by Swainson as the " Glossy Black Bengaly," and by Bechstein as the "Glossy Finch." Finches. 189 He calls it " Le Moineau de Brazil? following Buffon ; but Swainson says that the idea that the bird came from America probably originated from the practice of the Portuguese colonists of importing these little birds from Africa, and selling them in South American ports. Their real home is in tropical Africa, up to 23 N. lat. They are very common in Dongola, Soudan, and Abyssinia, and on the banks of the Nile, and take very much the place of our Sparrows in that country, build- ing, like them, roughly-constructed nests in the straw roofs and among the rafters of the houses, and are equally bold, venturing even into the interior of the dwellings to pick up crumbs ; and they are described by travellers as fearlessly approaching them when encamping out of doors, to secure the remains of their meals. They are often seen in flocks, associating with the little Fire Finches, and feeding with them on the fields of durrah, where their ravages excite the anger of the native population. I cannot make out the origin of the name " Cambasso," unless it is derived from Vieillot's name of " Le Moineau Camba-jou" Buffon confounds it with several other blue-black birds, under the title of " Le Pere Noir" which properly be- longs, I believe, to the Jaccarini Finch of South America. It is also called the " Steel Finch," and by the Germans the " Satin Bird." The winter plumage of the male is of a glossy blue-black, with a few white spots on the flanks ; the bill and legs are pale flesh- 1 90 Bird-keeping. colour. When he is moulting, the plumage becomes speckled with brown, and in the spring he can hardly be distinguished from the hen, which is entirely brown, mottled and barred with yellowish-brown. He moults again in the autumn, when he changes his brown dress for blue-black, so that he has a totally different ap- pearance in summer and winter. I suppose the black dress and the constant discoursing of the male, who keeps up a continual chattering, with a few sweet notes drawn out occasionally, has caused the bird-dealers to name these birds familiarly " the little Doctor and his wife." The young cocks have the colour of the hen bird at first, and then become mottled with the glossy blue-black of the adult bird for some time before they acquire the full plumage. They have all an extra- ordinary habit of hovering in the middle of the cage, with their feet drawn up and fluttering their wings, chattering all the time. They are fed on canary-seed and millet. Bechstein says they have an agreeable voice, but I cannot echo his opinion with regard to the two birds I have had. They are very fond of bathing. They do not appear to breed readily in confinement, although they are hardy birds, and will live through the winter in a room without a fire. One which be- longed to a neighbour of mine, escaped from its cage, and lived out of doors one hot summer ; fortunately it was caught, before the winter cold became severe, in the garden of its former home, which it visited in com- Finches. 191 pany with a flock of Sparrows, of which it seemed the leader. I found my birds very good-tempered and amiable to their smaller companions, but they are sometimes accused of being pugnacious and mis- chevious, and the cocks will fight with one another and with the Whydah Birds (with which Dr. Russ says they are nearly allied and ought to be classed), and their habit of hovering in the air and chattering is alarming to the other inhabitants of the aviary. There is a variety of the Cambasso which is green instead of blue, but it is very seldom brought to England. The JAVA SPARROW or PADDY BIRD (Amadina or Spermestes oryzivora). This bird is about the size and shape of a Bullfinch, with a thick rose-coloured beak, and feet of the same colour, but paler ; the head and throat are black, the cheeks white, and the rest of the body is of a soft grey colour, the plumage being so neat and smooth that the feathers all seem to fit into each other, and all appear covered with bloom like that upon plums. They are very affectionate birds, and happy in confinement, and hardy enough to live in an aviary with Canaries. With smaller birds they are tyrannical and pugnacious, but the pairs are much attached to each other and are continually dressing each other's feathers. They are generally fed upon canary and millet-seed, but in a wild state live chiefly on rice, and commit great ravages in the rice-fields, whence they are called " Oiseaux de rix" The male 192 Bird-keeping. has a very short monotonous song, accompanied by a comical little dance up and down on the perch. The female is rather more slender in shape, and the head is a trifle smaller, but that is the only distinction between them. At the Crystal Palace show in 1868, a pair of Java Sparrows were exhibited by Mr. Hawkins, entirely white, with the black head and throat and rose-coloured beak of the grey Java Sparrow, and with the plumage equally soft and downy, and I was told that they were most beautiful birds. The hen had laid four eggs. They came, I believe, from Japan, and were the first brought to England. Since then many pure white specimens have been exhibited. The Japanese are wonderfully clever in producing strange varieties of animals and plants, and they have large establishments for breeding these birds, a great many of which are now imported into England. It is said the white birds breed more readily in confinement than the common Java S-parrows, but amongst the nestlings there are generally some, which either return wholly to the colour of their progenitors or are partially grey and spotted. The nests of these birds are generally built of grass, and are found in the tops of the arengo palms in Java, or amongst the creeping plants surrounding their stems. In confinement they will build in cigar-boxes, large rush baskets, parrakeets' nest-boxes, etc. They require egg food and ants' eggs during breeding, as Finches. 193 well as canary, millet, and a little hemp-seed, and they are fond of green food and carrots, and would of course delight in rice, especially if it could be procured for them in the husk. They are especially fond of bathing, and must be well supplied with water. The SPICE BIRD (Munia or Spermestes punctu- laria). This is also known as the " Nutmeg " and " Cinnamon Bird," and is described by Bechstein under the name of the " Gowry or Cowry Grosbeak." It is about the size of a Linnet : the beak' is black, the legs and feet are lead-coloured ; the head, neck, throat, and the upper part of the body generally are of a rich cinnamon brown, the feathers round the beak and on the cheeks being of a darker hue. The breast and sides of the body are white, but all the feathers are bordered with heart-shaped black markings, so that they appear speckled ; the lower part of the body is white, the upper tail-coverts are speckled like the sides, the rest of the tail is brown, as are the wings. The hen is very like the cock in plumage. The latter has a very droll little twittering song, scarcely audible excepting at the conclusion, which ' is like a feeble kitten's cry. Evidently the hen thinks it very beautiful, for she generally puts her head close to her mate's while he is singing, and looks admiringly into his face, as if unwilling to lose a note. They eat canary-seed and millet, and will live many years in confinement, but do not easily breed, either in an aviary or a cage. 13 1 94 Bird-keeping. They are very good tempered, and agree well with other and smaller birds. They come from Java and the Spice Islands. The AFRICAN SILVER-BILL (Muni a or Spermestes cantans), or Quaker Bird, resembles the Spice Bird in shape and size. The beak is of a pale bluish -grey, with a silvery shade over it, and the iris and the ring round it are grey also. The prevailing colour of the plumage is fawn-coloured, shaded and barred on the upper part of the body with brown ; the feathers of the head and throat look mottled, and the bird often ruffles these, but the rest of the plumage is delicately soft and smooth ; the quill-feathers of the wings and tail are brownish-black ; the fawn shades almost to white on the under part of the body. The male and female are almost exactly alike. The former has a very pretty little warbling song, very low and gentle, like running water, and he often dances up and down on his perch, while singing, in time to his song. They are very affectionate birds, and continually caressing each other, and always sitting in pairs. They are said to breed very readily in confinement, and to rear their young even without the egg food. There is an Indian Silver-bill (Munia or Spermestes Malabarica), differ- ing slightly from the African species, with an inferior song. It has a darker leaden-coloured bill and darker plumage, and is distinguished by a large white patch i. St. Helena Waxbill. 2. Silverbill. 3. Cordon Bleu. 4. Lavender Finch 5. Spice Bird. 6. Avadavat. 7. Zebra Finch. Finches. 195 above the tail. Dr. Russ says he had several mules between the two species reared in his bird-room. WAXBILLS and AVADAVATS, etc. These pretty little birds are delightful pets for the drawing-room. They are thoroughly happy in each other's society, and sit all together in a row on a long perch, packed as closely as possible, caressing and pluming each other. One of the Avadavats will often lift himself up, and sing a pretty little soft warble, very soon coming to an end, and then he sinks down into his place, and another gets up and sings. The Waxbills do not often sing any- thing like a song, but they chirp a good deal ; and, if one of them gets hold of a feather, or a little bit of thread or grass -stalk, the chirp becomes very continuous and triumphant, and the bird dances up and down on the perch with great delight. The largest I have seen of the Waxbills comes from St. Helena (Estrelda ^lndulaia or ^Egintha astrild\ sometimes called the PHEASANT FI-NCH. It is about four inches and a half in length, including the tail, which is long and wedge- shaped. The beak is bright red, like sealing-wax, and a darker red stripe passes through each eye, and there is a dash of red also in the under part of the body ; but the prevailing colour of the plumage is greyish- brown, the head and back being much darker than the neck, throat, and chest ; the wings and tail are dark brown, and the under part of the tail is still darker. The remarkable thing about the plumage is 132 1 9 6 Bird-keeping. that all the feathers have transverse blackish wavy lines all over them, and look very soft and silky ; the legs and feet are brown. The male and female are alike. The common African Waxbill (Estrelda or dEgintha cinered} is a much smaller bird, with a shorter tail; about three and a half inches in length, of rather a greyer shade of plumage, but with the same roseate hue on the under part of the body, the same red stripe through the eyes, and vermilion beak ; but it has not the transverse marking of the feathers. The hen is the same in colour. The Orange - cheeked Waxbill (Estrelda or ^Egintha metyodd} has a body of the same size as the last bird described, with rather a larger and broader tail, which he flirts incessantly from side to side. He is a most beautiful, smooth little bird, always as neat as possible, with every feather in its place, with the same bright vermilion beak, grey head, neck, and throat, brown back, wings, and tail, two bright orange patches on the cheeks instead of the red stripe through the eyes, a light grey breast and sides, and a dash of salmon-colour on the lower part of the body ; the upper tail- coverts are dark crimson. The hen is exactly the same. The Zebra or Orange - breasted Waxbill (Estrelda or SEgintha sanguinolentd) is the smallest of the species, only a little more than three inches long : the head and upper part of the body are brown ; the throat, breast, and sides of the same colour ; the beak is of a deeper red than the other Finches. 197 Waxbills, and the under mandible is black at the top ; a deep orange stripe passes through and above the eye ; the under part of the body from the chin to the tail-coverts is straw-coloured, and there are transverse bars of the same colour across the brown feathers of the sides, breast, and body. This colour deepens into orange in the middle of the breast, and is continued nearly to the tail; the upper tail-coverts are also of a deep orange shade. The hen differs from the cock in being paler throughout the lower part of the body, which is straw - coloured, only orange under the tail, and with upper tail -coverts slightly tipped with the same colour; she has no zebra markings on the sides. These four Waxbills are the commonest species imported into England, but there are many varieties found in Africa and in other tropical regions. I think the prettiest I have ever seen is one which I had for some time in my possession, called the Grey-blue or Cinereous Waxbill (Estrelda or dEgintha ccerulescens), and by dealers the Lavender Finch. So many die on their first arrival into England, that they are not very often imported now, on account of their great delicacy. They are of a delicate slate - coloured hue over the whole body, excepting the lower part of the back, upper and under tail-coverts, and tail, which are rich crimson ; the quills are light brown, and the under part of the tail is black. The stripe through the eyes is black, and the beak is nearly so. The slate-colour 198 Bird-keeping. becomes almost white on the chin, throat, and breast, but deepens again on the lower part of the body; there' are several silvery white spots on the sides. All these Waxbills come from Africa. A later importation is the Aurora Waybill (Estretda or dEgintka phcenicoptera), which is of a light ash-coloured grey, streaked with darker grey on the head, and with transverse white lines on the lower part of the body ; the wings, lower part of the back, and tail are red. The AVADAVATS (Estrelda amadavd), Amandava, or Amaduvade Finch, which belong to the same family, come, I believe, from India and the Indian islands. They are rather bigger than the smaller species, but less than the St. Helena Waxbill. They vary some- what in colour, and are some years before they come to their perfect plumage ; but the males I have had, have had the head and under part of the body of a fiery red tinged with black ; the feathers of the back are brown, but with such a margin of red as to make that the prevailing colour ; the quills are dark brown, and the tail is black. All the feathers, both red and black, of the wings, and most of those of the body, are tipped with white^ giving the bird the appearance of being speckled with white spots. The beak is red, but the upper mandible is almost black on the top. The hen is not quite so large as the cock, and has very little red about her plumage ; the under part of the body is of a pale sulphur-colour mottled with Finches. 199 brown. She has a few small white spots on the wings. The tail is more fan -shaped than those of the Wax- bills. The FIRE FINCH (Estrelda or ^Egintha minima) is a native of Africa, but bears a strong resemblance to the Avadavats in some stages of their plumage. It is somewhat smaller, and the male is of a pure red, with no admixture of black on the forehead, throat, and breast; the rest of the plumage is greenish-brown tinged with red; the tail is nearly black, and the upper tail-coverts are red. The beak is like that of the Ava- davat, but there is a yellow ring round the eyes. This is also a distinguishing mark of the hen Fire Finch, which is very much like the hen Avadavat, but of a somewhat greyer brown, and her tail-coverts are red. These birds do not sing. There is another species, the CARMINE FINCH, or Dark Red Fire Finch (E.or^S. rubricate?), occasionally brought to England. The CORDON BLEU (Estrelda phcenicotis), called also the "Crimson-eared Waxbill," "Blue-bellied Finch," etc., is also an African bird. It is rather larger than the Avadavat : the head and back are of a delicate greyish -brown or drab colour, rather deeper on the quill-feathers of the wings; the under part of the body is of a sky-blue, and this colour is rather deeper on the tail-coverts and tail. There is a patch of dirty white on the centre of the stomach. The cheeks are blue, and the male bird has a bright crimson patch on the ears. The hen is somewhat paler altogether, the soo Bird-keeping. blue on the breast being less bright, and she is with- out the crimson patches on the ears. The bill is of a more ^purple shade than that of the Avadavat. The cock has a pretty soft song, and has a curious habit of singing with something in his beak. If he can pick up a bit of cotton in the cage, or a stalk of any kind, he dances up and down with it in his bill, singing all the time. Two of my birds paired, and carried up a quantity of ends of wool into a small knitting-basket, arranged so as to form a domed nest with a hole in it, which I put into a corner of the cage ; and the hen sat in it for a day or two, and then died, as I believe, from inability to lay her eggs. Had I known then the discovery that has been made of late years by German naturalists, and especially by Dr. Karl Russ, that all these little Waxbills will breed and rear their young in confinement, under certain conditions, I might have saved her life, and succeeded in rearing some of these beautiful little birds. In his large work, "Die Fremlandische Stubenvogel," now coming out in parts, Dr. Russ relates his experience with the several species. In general, he says, he found it useless to attempt to breed tropical birds, unless the room could be kept at an equable temperature of from 66 to 78 (Fahr.) If it sank much below this, the hens would generally die when about to lay their eggs. All sudden changes, as well as damp and draughts, are specially to be guarded against, It is also necessary to give the birds Finches. 201 some preparation of egg food during nesting, which is a matter of difficulty, as few of them will eat it, unless forced to do so by its admixture with their seed. Sponge cake soaked in water and drained, mixed with hard-boiled egg and ants' eggs, must be given them, and if they will not eat it themselves at first, they will generally resort to it, if put into the cage when the young birds are hatched, and feed them upon it. The best food for all, when it can be procured, is fresh ants' eggs, either the little eggs themselves, no larger than a pin's head, or the pupae called by that name. Some amateurs delay their bird -breeding till the season re- turns in which these can be obtained. Dried ants' eggs soaked in water for some time, and then dried with a cloth or drained on blotting-paper, must be given as a substitute for these when they are not to be had. All require some kind of insect food when breeding. As regards the temperature necessary, those birds bred in aviaries or cages in Europe, would probably require less heat than the native Africans. Some Cor- don Bleus have, I know, been reared in England, and probably most of the Waxbills could be bred in a moderately heated conservatory. For nest materials they should have plenty of long grass or hay, asparagus -sprays, blades of silver grass or Pampas grass, or strips of bass or fine moss, and a little cotton wadding, cow-hair, and feathers for the 2O2 Bird-keeping. lining. The nest will vary much in form and beauty of workmanship. If hanging from the branches of a tree in a bird-room or among the bushes, it will be a round or oval structure, with one or two entrance-holes at the side or bottom, sometimes roughly built outside, but beautifully finished within. If begun in an open nest-basket, the top will be domed over, so as to pre- serve the same shape, and only one little entrance-hole left; but many of the birds build in the cocoa-nuts and rush-baskets given them to sleep in, and then the nest is, of course, much less perfect. The nests of the common Grey African Waxbill, the Orange-cheeked Waxbill, and Fire Finch are oftQn real works of art, and most beautifully woven ; those of the St. Helena and Orange - breasted Waxbills, and of the Cordon Bleu, are more carelessly made. The Avadavats, which will very seldom go into the baskets, generally build hanging bottle-shaped nests. Dr. Russ found the St. Helena and Orange-breasted Waxbills, Cordon Bleus, and Fire Finches would breed the most readily; he was seldom successful with the Grey or Orange - cheeked Waxbills, though these were the best architects. All the species laid little white eggs, and the cocks and hens sat on these, alternately or both together, from eleven to thirteen days. All the Waxbills and Avadavats live together in a cage, with Spice Birds and Silver-bills, in the utmost harmony. They are so sociable and affectionate that Finches. 203 they delight in being together. The Avadavats, indeed, are miserable without companions, and if two birds of different species lose their respective mates, they are almost sure to console each other, and to consort together, sitting close together, caressing and pluming each other. They all eat the same seed, chiefly French and Indian millet, and are equally fond of washing. I had several of these birds once in a cage made of silver wires, with glass sides and ends enclosing the lower half, but I do not think this kind of cage good for them ; they are so continually washing and splashing the water all over it, that the glass is always dirty, and moreover the lower part of the cage is never dry, as it does not admit air as in the ordi- nary cages. Either tin or brass wire lacquered would be a better material than glass for the cage. A wag- gon-shaped cage of lacquered brass, eighteen inches long and high, and twelve wide, is a very useful cage, holding eight or ten pairs of small birds comfortably. They like a long perch at the top, on which they can all roost, packed closely together, heads beside tails, etc., and a swing in the centre. They should only have a bath once in the day in the sunshine ; on cold dull days they are better out of it ; but they always sprinkle themselves with water from their drinking-glasses, and squeeze themselves into them, if possible. I have a number of little foreigners now in a domed aviary cage with two moveable divisions, giving room for several 2 O4 Bird-keep ing. little rush baskets and a couple of cocoa-nuts, and all but the Avadavats sleep in these at night. A stalk or two of millet in the ear, a ring of colifichet (French bread), which is very nourishing and strengthening, and a couple of cuttlefish-bones, are suspended in the cage. In winter and when moulting they have a pinch of Cayenne pepper sprinkled on the sand at the bottom of the cage once or twice a week, and when they mope and seem out of sorts, a drop of chloric aether in their drinking-water now and then is beneficial. A friend of mine tells me she finds a few drops of tincture of quinine in water useful in making the feathers grow in difficult moulting. She restored a pair of Cordon Bleus with bare heads and necks to perfect plumage by this. She gave them also egg-shells, which she said they were so fond of that they would take pieces from her hand. I find my birds more attracted by fresh ants' eggs. They will seldom eat green food, but if a leaf or stalk is put into the cage, with some aphides on it, they will soon clear it of them. I have sometimes given them a little boiled milk when they appeared heated, and homoeopathic remedies; but there seems very little to be done for these delicate little creatures if they fall ill, excepting to give them warmth. In the summer they like to bask in the sunshine, and are the better for a little fresh air while the sun shines ; but they must never be exposed to draughts or a sudden change of temperature, and during the night they must Finches. 205 always have a thick warm covering over their cage. In the winter too, and during moulting, they need a great deal of warmth : a conservatory moderately heated and kept pretty much at the same temperature would be the best abode for them. In an ordinary drawing-room the covering should never be taken off the cage, on a cold morning, till the room is thoroughly warmed. Some Australian Waxbills have been lately im- ported into England : the common one, Estrelda or &gintha temporalis, is in size between the St. Helena and common African Waxbill : it is greenish-brown on the head and back, and has bright red tail-coverts, as well as the red streak over the eyes. The RED- TAILED FINCH (E.QrAZ.ntficauda) has a reddish-brown tail, and is marked with white spots on the breast and sides of the body, and on the upper tail-coverts. Both these birds are said to be delicate, and so is the AUSTRALIAN FIRE FINCH or CRIMSON FINCH (E. or ^E. ph&ton), but rarely kept as a cage bird ; but there are two other Australian Estreldce still more recently brought to this country, which are hardier. These are the DOUBLE-BANDED GRASS FINCH (E. or &. Biche- novi), a very pretty bird : the head and upper part of the body are greenish-grey, the wings black, barred with white, resembling latticework ; the tail is black, with a white patch above it, and it has a white face and breast, with a black band round the throat, and another 206 Bird-keeping. between the chest and stomach, which is yellowish- white ; the beak is silver-grey ; and the CHERRY FINCH or MODEST GRASS FINCH (E. or ^E. modesta), which has not such showy plumage, being brown on the upper part of the body, the wings marked with rows of white spots, and the under parts white streaked with brown ; it has a cherry-brown velvet-like fore- head, and a black beak. Both birds are said to be very good tempered as well as beautiful, and are likely to prove valuable acquisitions to amateurs. I have lately heard of a most lovely bird, nearly allied to the Cordon Bleu, called the VIOLET-EARED FINCH (E. or AL.gr anatinci), described by Dr. Russ as having the upper part of the body and chest of a reddish chestnut-brown, violet cheeks, and red beak, the forehead, lower part of the back, and lower stomach being of a beautiful ultramarine blue, the tail nearly black. I believe the only specimen now in England is in the possession of Mr. Wiener, although it was long ago imported into Europe, and is mentioned by Buffon and Vieillot as the " Grenadin," and by Bechstein as the " Brazilian Finch," a misnomer, as it is only found in Africa. The descriptions of the extreme beauty and elegance of this bird make one hope that it may again be brought into the bird market. The AFRICAN MANIKINS, which are of the same size as the smaller Waxbills, are sometimes kept with them, but they are not safely to be placed in the same Finches. 207 cage with them, without watching their proceedings. Some of them are very quarrelsome, pugnacious little things, and persecute birds twice their size. They have strong conical beaks, unlike the American Manikins, with which they should not be confounded. They eat the same seeds and require the same treatment as the Waxbills. The Bronze-headed Manikin is described by Swainson under the name of "Bronze-headed Bengaly " (Amadina or Spermestes cucullatd). It is the smallest and prettiest species I have seen plumage of a deep black-brown, with green and violet reflections on the head, and on two patches on each side, one on the shoulder-coverts, the other on the side of the breast ; the lower part of the back, upper tail-coverts, and sides of the body are crossed by brown lines on a white ground ; the under part of the body is pure white ; the tail black, short, and rounded ; the bill and feet are also black. It seems to be easily acclimatized, and will breed readily in a small breeding-cage or in an aviary, and needs less warmth than most of the other African birds. Four or five broods are sometimes reared in the year; and they will generally eat the egg food without difficulty. They are very lively, active little birds, and very amusing to watch. The Black Manikin (Amadina or Spermestes bicolor) is a trifle larger : the whole of the upper part of the body, the wings, and tail, are of a deep black, with a green metallic lustre. The rest of the under parts of the 208 Bird-keeping. body are pure white, tipped with black under the wings, so as to give the effect of black scallops on the white plurnage. The beak is of a delicate grey colour, tinged with green. It is not quite so easy to breed as the former species. There is a larger species now becoming common, the Pied Grass Finch (Amadina or Spermestes fringillina), which resembles the smallest Manikin in all but size, being nearly as large as the Cutthroat. All these African Manikins are called by the Germans " Magpie Finches." The WHITE-HEADED MANIKIN or NUN (A. or 5. majd) y called also the " Maja Finch," is an Indian bird, chestnut-brown all over the body, with a yellowish- white head, becoming whiter the older the bird grows. The BLACK-HEADED FINCH or MALACCA GROS- BEAK (^.or S. Sinmsis) is a chestnut-brown bird with a black head. Another variety (A . or 5. Malaccensis) has the same colouring, except that it has a white stomach. It is known as the " Jacobin " or " Three- coloured Nun." Both birds are found all over India, Ceylon, and Sumatra, and are nearly allied to the Maja, and so is the Australian Chestnut-breasted Reed Finch (which has been already mentioned), which has been known to breed with it. There are also some Indian BRONZE MANIKINS (A. or . striata, melanopygia, and acuticauda). The first is much the most common ; it comes from East India and Ceylon. It is a blackish-brown bird, with a black Finches. 209 head and white stomach. It takes its name of striata from the light streaks down the middle of every feather on the back. The vS. acuticauda is not often imported into Eng- land, but is chiefly interesting from being the progenitor of the charming little birds called the Bengalees, which have been lately introduced from Japan, where the different varieties have been bred : some are pure white, some " panache " (black and white), and Nankin-brown and white. The former are the most delicate, and frequently become blind in confinement. They do' not thrive in an aviary, but are best kept in cages. They should be fed chiefly on canary-seed. They are very gentle, amiable little birds, and very amusing from their droll little song, which they accompany with very grotesque movements of the head and tail. I had a pair of white Bengalies for some time, kindly sent me by Mr. Hawkins on their first introduction into this country ; subsequently a pair of the Nankin and white birds were brought into the room, and were eagerly greeted by the white birds. I put them into the same compartment of the cage, and they made friends immediately, and a great deal of dancing and bowing ensued, which ended in their all going together into the cocoa-nut suspended in the cage. All these birds seem to be very fond of the little rush baskets, and will crowd five or six together into one, not only at night, but very often during the day. The last survivor 14 2 1 o Bird-keep ing. of the Bengalies, a brown and white bird, made friends with a widowed Parson Finch, and both roosted to- gether in one of these baskets. Dr. Russ succeeded in rearing several of these birds in small cages : their common origin was proved by the appearance of birds of all the different colours in one nest, and one pair of white Bengalies had a nestling only differing from the Bronze Manikin ancestor in its white throat. All these little birds belong tofatAmadina family, which, with the Estreldce, are classed by the German naturalists under the general name of Pracht Finken, " Bright or beau- tiful-plumaged Finches." They are chiefly distinguished from the Finches proper by their habit of constantly caressing and pluming each other. The pairs show their affection thus, but never by feeding each other from the crop, as these do. They all accompany their song by dancing up and down on the perch, and the little Estreldce generally sing and dance with a feather or a blade of grass in their beaks. They all build domed nests, and all have white unspotted eggs ; and the cock is generally the chief architect, and sits on the eggs with the hen. Neither do the pairs separate after the breeding season, as is the case with most of the Finches. The Cambasso appears to be a connecting-link be- tween these Pracht Finken and the Whydah Birds, his only distinction being that he has not the long tail which adorns these birds during the breeding season, Finches. 211 though he changes his plumage twice a year, as they do. He is like them too in their habit of fluttering their wings and hovering in the air over their hens or other birds, uttering their call-note the while. Another peculiarity of these birds is that they scratch on the ground, and scrape it like poultry when seeking their food. They will scarcely ever breed, but when once acclimatized will live long in confinement They seem to change their dispositions with their dress : in the grey plumage they are harmless and peaceable, but they are not pleasant inmates of an aviary, and should never be kept with smaller birds, which they terrify by their rushing movements, waving tails, and loud cries. THE BROAD-SHAFTED or PARADISE WHYDAH BIRD ( Vidua Paradisea) is one of the species commonly kept in cages. When wild, it is a very lively active bird, always in motion, except when its beautiful tail has fallen off, as it does after the breeding season is over ; then it seems quite ashamed of itself, mopes and hides. This habit and the colour of its plumage has made some people suppose its correct name to be the Widow Bird, and that it is mourning over the loss of its long train ; but the name comes from that of a district on the eastern coast of Africa. Without its tail, this bird is the size of a Sparrow. The beak is lead-coloured, almost black. The prevailing colour of the adult male is a very deep brown-black, brownest on the wings and 142 2 1 2 Bird-keeping. tail, and blackest on the back. The head, chin, and throat are black, and a collar of rich ruddy brown adorns the neck, and this colour is continued over the breast till it fades into the pale buff or white of the lower part of the body. The tail of this bird is very curiously formed : the two centre feathers are four inches long and very broad, ending in a long thread ; the two next feathers are twelve or thirteen inches long, broad in the middle, narrower and somewhat pointed towards the ends. The other feathers are only two inches and a quarter long, the two nearest the centre being curved, wavy, and glossy. The female is dark brown, nearly black when she attains to her full plumage in her third year, and the male resembles her when out of colour. He puts on his beautiful plumage not by moulting, but by a change in the feathers themselves. This change is rarely accomplished under a month or six weeks, generally in June or July, lasting till January, when the true moult takes place, and the long tail-feathers are dropped ; but in confinement this varies much : some birds keep their full plumage more than a year, others, if out of condition, never assume it. The male must be kept in a large cage on account of his tail, and the perches must be arranged so as to permit him to move about freely. The food should be canary and millet- seed, and a little barley-meal and green food occasion- ally. The hen builds a beautiful nest, which she weaves Finches. 2 1 3 from vegetable fibres and cotton-down ; one compart- ment of the two into which it is divided only holding the eggs, the other forming a seat for the male. His song is low and melancholy. The DOMINICAN, usually called the PIN-TAILED WHYDAH ( Vidua principalis or serenci) is a smaller and more slender bird, with a red beak and black and white plumage when in full dress in August and September ; his four long tail-feathers are narrow and pointed, and two are convex, and two concave, and fall within the others, so that the bird sometimes appears to have only two long feathers in his tail. When in full plumage he is said to be a great tyrant in the aviary. A lady who has one now tells me he sings very sweetly. There is another Whydah Bird called the SHAFT- TAILED WHYDAH (Vidua regia\ the Queen Whydah, rather larger than the Dominican, with beautiful brown and black plumage, and red beak and feet, and four long tail-feathers standing apart from each other; mentioned by Bechstein as being kept in aviaries, but it is scarcely ever brought to Europe now. The LONG- TAILED WHYDAH ( Vidua Caffra) is more frequently met with. It is a larger bird, nearly as large as a Starling, black, with orange-red and white shoulders, and an immensely long tail, curved like that of a Barn- door Fowl. It is sometimes called the "Caffrarian Finch." The WEAVER BIRDS proper resemble the Whydahs 214 Bird-keeping. in changing their plumage twice in the year, though they have not their long tails. Most of them have strong conical curved beaks, round wings, strong and large feet and legs. They are found in Africa and India, and in the Asiatic islands, and are chiefly interesting from their wonderful ingenuity and dexterity in weaving. The BAYA BIRD or PHILIPPINE WEAVER (Ploceus Baya or Philippinus) is a well-known bird of this family, renowned all over the world for its curious bottle-nests. It is not very often kept in confinement, except in large collections of birds. Dr. Russ had a colony of these birds in his bird-room, nearly all males, which were very interesting to watch, weaving one nest after another, which served as excellent nesting- places for the smaller birds, many of whose eggs he found in them. He says that he put some damp clay within their reach, to see if they would put lumps of it inside their nests, as they often do in their native country, but it was never touched. After it was thrown away, however, he found that one old Baya Bird, which had made a very large nest for his family, and a large " toy nest " for himself, had fastened on each side of the latter lumps of the soaked egg-bread given to him for food. Several of these nests of the Bayas and other Weavers were exhibited at the Crystal Palace Bird Show last year. These birds eat canary and millet-seed, and hemp occasionally, and require insect food, ants' eggs, mealworms, etc,, sometimes. The Finches. 2 1 5 Bayas are fond of fruit, particularly of grapes. The BLACK-HEADED, TEXTOR, or CAPMORE WEAVER (Ploceus textor) though sometimes called the " Common Weaver," is not nearly so often imported as the Red- billed or Red-headed Weavers. The RED-BILLED WEAVER BIRD or DEOCH (Ploceus sanguinirostris), another native of Africa, is very well known. It is a light brown bird, striped with black, with a reddish tinge on the breast and lower part of the body. The chin and cheeks are black, but they vary much in colour, the cheeks of some are orange-coloured instead of black. Before the breeding season the head, breast, and lower parts of the body of the full-grown male take on a roseate hue. The young males and hens are mottled throughout with brown and yellowish fawn-colour. They weave long pendent nests, often multiplying these. Some of these birds kept in the Crystal Palace afforded great amusement by their thefts. They were provided with abundant materials for weaving their nests, but they were continually pilfering grass and hay from their neighbours, delight- ing in stolen goods. I have heard of a pair kept in an aviary with some Pigeons, who amused themselves by weaving their legs together while they were sitting still. These birds have been accused of tormenting the little birds in an aviary, by holding them up by the feathers dangling in the air, till they counterfeited death in order to escape ; but the probability is that they 2 1 6 Bird-keep ing. did not do this out of cruelty to their smaller neigh- bours, but to pull out "their feathers, in order to use them for their nests, for if not properly supplied with materials for these, they will strip other birds of their feathers, and make use of them. I had a pair of these birds in my large Canary cage for some time. The male bird, which I had first, assumed a beautiful roseate hue in the month of June, and as I saw him picking up bits of grass and millet- stalks, and twisting them between the wires of the cage, I put some long blades of grass and bass into it, upon which he went to work immediately, and twisted round the middle bar of a swing of perches, creating great excitement among the Canaries, who all assem- bled to watch his proceedings, and frequently angered him by pulling his work to pieces. Soon after this I procured a hen Weaver, which was no sooner put into the cage than, without taking any apparent notice of her or approaching her, he flew at all the Canary cocks, one after the other, and pecked them so viciously that I was obliged to take him out of the cage. I put him and his wife into a small cage, which affronted them so desperately that neither would attempt to weave till I replaced them in the large cage, when, without attacking the Canaries, they went to work at once diligently, and wove a long pendent nest, with an entrance-hole at the side ; with this, however, they appeared discontented, and having built it up, they Finches. 2 1 7 made another entrance-hole at the top of the opposite side; this weakened the nest, and it gave way and fell to the ground, which disheartened them so much that they did not attempt to weave again. In October the beautiful plumage of the male was replaced by the dull brown colouring of the spring. Both birds lived peaceably with the Canaries, taking but little notice of them generally, but if affronted, punishing the offender by suddenly swooping down and jumping upon him. They had a harsh kind of croak, and the male did not sing. The RED-HEADED WEAVER (Ploceus erythrops) is a common cage bird also, but it is not in any way remarkable. The BISHOP BIRDS form another family of Weavers (Euplectes), sometimes called " Fire Weavers " or " Fire Finches." They are distinguished by their splendid plumage during the breeding season : rich velvety black with bright red or yellow being the prevailing colours. Not only does the colour, but also the tex- ture of the feathers change at that time, the plumage becoming more soft and glossy. In their natural condition this lasts about four or five months ; in captivity it varies both in duration and brilliancy, depending on the light and air they get, as well as on the food provided for them. The common BISHOP BIRD (Eiiplcctes ignicolor), the ORANGE or CRIMSON- CROWNED WEAVER is a splendid bird when in full plumage : the forehead, sides of the head, chin, and 2 1 8 Bird-keeping. lower part of the breast and body are of a rich velvet- like black ; the crown of the head, throat, neck, and upper and lower tail-coverts are of a deep orange, almost red ; the feathers on the neck are larger than the others, and give the appearance of a raff; the shoulders and back are of a darker, duller orange ; the wings brown on the upper part, blackish-grey under- neath ; the tail is dark brown, almost concealed by the long and bright feathers of the tail-coverts ; the beak black, the iris chestnut-brown, and the feet are dark flesh-coloured. This full plumage is generally in per- fection in the autumn ; at other times he resembles the hen, a brown bird with feathers edged with light grey, dark grey head, with a whitish or sulphur-coloured stripe passing over the eyes. He gradually becomes blacker than the female, and when he acquires the orange-colour of the neck, and the body is still mottled, before the full plumage comes, he is a very pretty bird. A lady, who kept a Bishop Bird in a cage with Wax- bills, Avadavats, and Spice Birds, told me that he was a very amiable bird, and lived very amicably with his companions, and proved his title to be called a "weaver" by twisting little pieces of hay in and out of the meshes of a small basket put into the cage. He had a very peculiar song, and would straighten himself up, and, with a great effort, squeeze out a sound like vibrating wire, impossible to describe. These birds are common, and do much mischief in the corn-fields throughout Finches. 2 1 9 Central Africa. Flocks of these brilliant birds may be seen climbing up and down the stalks, rising suddenly in the air and disappearing with the rapidity of flashes of lightning. The nests are almost always hung between the stalks of grass or durrah, never in trees. The GRAND BISHOP BIRD (Euplectes oryx), called by Bechstein the "Grenadier Grosbeak," resembles the Common Bishop Bird in plumage, but is consider- ably larger, and the red is of a deeper shade. The hens and the cocks, when in their grey dress, are much darker. This species live in Southern Africa, and are common at the Cape of Good Hope. The nests are usually found among the reeds, or in the branches of trees overhanging water. The movements of the male bird, when in full plumage, are very singular : he puffs himself out into a round ball, and dances about as if to display his beauty to his wife and to all beholders. The NAPOLEON BISHOP BIRD (Euplectes melano- gaster) is an Abyssinian bird, and was introduced into France under its native name Warabi, but received the name of" Napoleon " in compliment to the Emperor Napoleon III., great numbers being imported into Europe at the time of the first great Paris Exhibition. It is a black and yellow bird, with brownish wings and tail, and black chin and stomach ; the prevailing colour of the body being chrome-yellow. The male has also the habit of puffing himself into a ball, and whirring 2 2 o Bird-keeping. about like a humble-bee, driving all the other birds out of his way. The CAPE GROSBEAK or YELLOW- SHOULDERED BISHOP BIRD (Euplectes or Ploceus Capensis) is a larger bird, velvety black throughout, excepting a band of bright yellow across the middle of the back, and a patch of the same colour on the shoulders. All these birds require insect food, mealworms, ants' eggs, and the like, or egg food, in addition to their canary and millet-seed, and most of them like berries and fruit. Another gorgeously plumaged bird is the MADA- GASCAR GROSBEAK (Euplectes ruber or Ploceus Mada- gascaricnsis). A specimen shown to me in its common dress had a variegated plumage of red, yellow, brown, and green. I saw it again in its full plumage, and it was then of a beautiful glossy crimson (deep carmine- colour) throughout the head, neck, breast, upper tail- coverts, and half-way down the sides of the body : the tail and wings brownish-black, the quills just edged with yellow; the lower part of the body from the breast to the point of the tail of a sepia brown ; the legs and feet were also brown ; the beak was thick and conical, with a deep notch near the base in the upper mandible. This structure of beak would make one suppose that the bird in its native state must feed upon hard seeds or nuts and insects, perhaps beetles with hard cases. In confinement it lives chiefly on canary Finches. 221 and millet-seed, but like the other birds, would probably enjoy a change of diet hemp-seed and a few insects occasionally. It has a short, not unmelodious song. It was known in France in the time of Vieillot under its native name of Foudi. It is found in Madagascar, the island of Reunion, etc., and has become, I believe, naturalized at St. Helena, some birds which escaped from confinement having taken refuge there. There are many other species both of Bishop Birds and of other Weavers. I will only mention two, which appear likely to become favourites in the bird- rooms. THE YELLOW or HALF-MASKED WEAVER BIRD (Ploceus vitellina) is said to be a most charming' bird, easily kept in confinement, and much more gentle than most species of its family, so that it may be safely kept with smaller and more delicate birds. It is found on the Blue and White Nile, living in acacia, and thorn- trees near the water, and builds egg-shaped nests hanging from a slender branch. It is about the size of a Sparrow : the wings and tail are greenish brown, each feather edged with yellow ; the tail is olive-green. It has a patch of deep black round the forehead, eyes, and cheeks ; the top of the head and throat are of a reddish-orange, shading into the deep yellow colouring (like the yelk of an egg, whence it takes its name) of the lower part of the body ; the eyes are red, and the beak is black. The hen has similar colouring, but 222 Bird-keeping. is without the black mask, and the cock resembles her when in his winter dress. The LITTLE MASKED WEAVER BIRD (Ploceus luteotus) is the smallest of the Weavers, no bigger than a Linnet. It resembles the larger Textor Weaver in plumage, but has more greenish-yellow in it, and has a more perfect mask, enclosing only its eyes and chin. It is a very pretty, lively bird, bold and fearless, but not quarrelsome, and very affectionate to its mate. Its call-note is more like that of the little Waxbills than the harsh croak of the Weavers. It is an excellent architect, weaving bottle-shaped nests with a long hanging entrance-tube, so loosely woven as sometimes to show the eggs inside, but very strong and firm. All these birds are hardy, and will live through the winter in an unheated room. The TANAGERS, a very numerous and diversified family of Fringillidce, take the place of our Finches in America, abounding most in the tropical regions, Brazil, etc. They vary in size : one or two species are as large as a Thrush, or larger, but the greater part are small birds, some very small. Many of them have most beautiful colouring, and in some of the species six or seven colours are quite distinctly marked on the plumage ; in others they are softly blended. They have all notches in the upper mandibles of the beak, which is less conical than in the Finches proper : they feed upon seeds, berries, and insects picked from the Finches. 223 branches of trees : they are rarely seen on the ground. Some of the species have great vocal powers : one, the ORGANIST TANAGER (Euphonia musica), derives its name from its rich full notes. The SCARLET TANAGER (Pyranga or Tanager rubra) is best known in England. It is a summer visitor to the United States. During the breeding season the male is of a brilliant scarlet, with wings and tail black : the latter forked and tipped with white. In autumn he moults, and appears for some months in a green dress tinged with yellow, and dusky brown wings and tail ; the ordinary plumage of the female. These birds are about six or seven inches long, and have very short wings. The SUPERB TANAGER is a very gaudy bird, green, blue, red, and yellow. A lady who has. been very successful in her management of the Scarlet and Superb Tanagers, kindly sent me directions some time ago for keeping them in health and beauty. She told me they will thrive well if attended to daily, and fed early in the morning with fruit, egg, and potato, mixed with German paste. She gave them also colifichet, crushed seeds, and mealworms occasionally, and kept them in the winter in a room heated to 65, in open cages of mahogany, covered every night with green baize. They should have a daily bath. A friend who had a Scarlet Tanager for some months, kept him in beautiful plumage by this treatment. He grew very 224 Bird-keeping. tame with her, but she did not find him a very interest- ing bird. "Vyhen I hear of any new birds imported into Eng- land, I always hope that some day it may be found possible to bring some of the beautiful little Humming Birds into our aviaries. In conservatories where the tropical plants which supply them with nectar have been already introduced, it seems reasonable that they might live, and the hindrance to keeping them in England would not be their susceptibility to cold, I think. Mr. Lord speaks of them as "in the very regions of the Ice King," visiting the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains early in spring, as soon as the rivers opened, and asserts that some of the species prefer rocky hill-sides at great altitudes, above the line of perpetual snow. Many of them are constant visitors to New York in the summer, and some have been kept for a little time in captivity, fed on sugar, honey, and water ; but they droop after being a fortnight without insect food, and unless released then, and allowed to go in search of the small spiders and other insects, which seem absolutely necessary to them at certain intervals, they die. Mr. Gosse attempted to keep them, to rear them from the nest, etc., and found that they were the most fearless little birds imaginable, ready to take food from the hand and lips at once ; but al- though such delightful pets in that respect, it was impossible to preserve their lives without setting them Finches. 225 free to find this insect aliment ; therefore he concludes that the only way to bring them safely to England, would be by supplying them during the voyage with the minute insects, only to be found in the nectar of certain flowers, into which they dip their long bills. If this could be done, he thinks they might be intro- duced into our conservatories. The reprehensible caprice of the present day, which causes a number of these beautiful little creatures to be sacrificed on the altar of fashion, as ornaments to ladies' heads and hats, shows that they are not difficult to be procured. It is reported that some have been brought to Paris by a Frenchman who lived many years in Mexico, who feeds them on a syrup containing some animal substance. These may perhaps be exhibited at the forthcoming Paris Exhibition. Upwards of three hundred varieties of Trochilidce have been described, and new species are continually added to the list, exhibiting an inexhaustible variety of form and colour. PARROTS. The characteristics of these birds are a very large hollow beak, curved above and hooked at the point, short and strong feet, adapted for climbing, and a large fleshy round tongue, which enables them to learn to speak. They are our best-known cage birds, and of late years attempts have been made to naturalize some of the species. A lady in Norfolk has kept a number in her garden, most of which live out of doors all through the winter, and one or two pairs have laid eggs and hatched their young. A friend told me some years ago, that an acquaintance of hers at Torquay had a number of Parrots, Parrakeets, and Macaws loose in her garden, sixteen or eighteen of which were killed one night by a ruthless bird-stuffer. Another lady had a Macaw, tame enough to fly above her head while she walked a distance of three miles, sometimes keeping just above a small Skye Terrier, and tantaliz- ing him -by flying only just out of his reach. This bird would sit on the top of a bare tree in the snow, look- ing quite out of place there, but not appearing to mind 226 Parrots. 227 the cold at all, now and then coming in to warm his feet, and then going out again, and remaining out all the winter. I have read a delightful account of a colony of Macaws, Lories, Cockatoos, Parrots, and Parrakeets of all nations, inhabiting the grounds of a gentleman's house in Surrey, and here they became so completely at home, that their several characteristics and individual peculiarities were exhibited to perfection. The Macaws are generally inhabitants of the recesses of the interminable forests of South America; the Lories live in India and the Asiatic islands ; the Cock- atoos are confined to the Eastern Archipelago and Australia ; the Parrots proper come from the tropical regions of Africa and South America ; the beautiful little Ground and Grass Parrakeets are natives of Australia ; and the tiny short-tailed Love Birds are found in both continents. They all feed on fruits and seeds, Indian corn, etc. Bread and milk (not too liquid, the milk being boiled and poured over a slice of stale bread, previously soaked in warm water and squeezed dry), biscuit, corn, nuts, sweet almonds, a lump of sugar, hard and soft fruit and hemp-seed are generally given to the larger species, the smaller birds live upon canary and millet-seed. Many of them are fond of Cayenne pepper, and capsicums and chilies may be given to them as remedies when out of order. Meat and rich cakes and pastry are very injurious to Parrots ; meat is especially bad for them, and heats them to 152 228 Bird- keep ing. such an extent that they pull out their feathers to re- lieve the exceeding irritability of skin from which they suffer. Hemp-seed will sometimes cause this, if given in excess. I have heard syringing the bird with a solution of bitter aloes recommended, for the habit engendered by it. It is often caused by keeping Par- rots too hot, and in too small a cage to allow them any exercise. I am told, too, that it is frequently due to poverty of blood, from want of nourishment and variety in their food, and that a well-picked bone, upon which to exercise their powerful beaks, is a pre- ventative of feather-plucking. Most Parrots like to have a piece of hard wood to bite, so I should think this likely to be advantageous to them, and that a good flight round the room every day would also be beneficial : doubtless the habit arises from an unhealthy condition of the body, and can only be effectually cured by removing this. They should have abundance of nourishing food, no dainties, and plenty of fresh air, but must not be exposed to draughts, which will often produce asthma. Bread soaked in milk, with a few grains of Cayenne pepper, is good for this disease. Parrots are subject, too, to gouty or diseased feet : the legs and feet swell, and the bird is unable to grasp its perch : a warm bath is the best remedy for this, but great care must be taken to dry the feet thoroughly ; if sore, they must be soaked in sugar and water, or anointed with sweet oil. The perches of the cage Parrots. 229 should be moveable, so as to be taken out and well washed and scalded every week ; and if the feet are bad, they may be covered with flannel for a time. Great cleanliness is necessary, and the cage must have plenty of sand or gravel in it. Cages of lacquered brass wire or of tinned wire, bell-shaped, square, and domed, are generally used for Parrots : unlacquered brass wire would be fatal to them, as indeed to all birds, who would rub their beaks along the wires when verdigris has accumulated on them. Cockatoos and Macaws are often kept chained to a perch. All should be sup- plied with water for bathing : though some of the species rarely enter a bath, others are very fond of washing, and must be indulged with a bath on sunny days. Some of them drink a good deal of water, others rarely touch it. The Parrot tribe have, almost universally, shrill harsh voices, and many of them scream in a most dis- agreeable fashion. They are generally very sagacious birds, but sometimes take strange likings and dislik- ings to people, and are apt to be jealous of children ; and as they bite pretty sharply, they are not always safe companions in a nursery. Those that talk appear to have a great sense of fun, and will bring in the sentences they have learnt to utter in the most appro- priate circumstances. Probably they observe the effect of certain phrases when used by human beings, and their powers of memory being very great, remember 230 Bird-keeping. the proper time to make use of them. The well-known story of Henry the Seventh's Parrot, which, on falling into the water, called out, " A boat ! twenty pounds for a boat ! " and on its rescue, when the waterman claimed the reward, gave orders to " give the knave a groat," is only one of numbers of the same kind. They will often repeat words apparently with the full know- ledge that they are doing wrong, and expecting to be scolded or punished for the offence. A bird of which I heard some years ago, would always whistle the " Grenadiers' March " whenever he saw a certain colonel of volunteers ; but when the gallant officer brought a party of ladies to his cage, instead of greet- ing him as usual, he, apparently with malice prepense, broke out into a torrent of bad language, which caused his visitors to retreat in dismay. Another Parrot, now living, appears, I am told, to have especial delight in calling out in answer to the inquiry for his mistress, " She 's gone to church or cha-pel," from some idea of fun or mischief attached to the words (the lady being entirely unlikely to go to any such unorthodox place of worship). Parrots, too, will frequently act the part of V enfant terrible of the house by making disclosures which are not intended to be made, either by the mistress to her guests, or by the servants to their mistress. I have read an amusing anecdote of this nature where, on the occasion of a grand dinner, a Parrot betrayed the ordinary habits of the household WARP.LIXG GRASS PARRAKEETS. p. 235 Parrots. 231 by calling out during the pause before dinner, " Becky, Becky, the pig's liver and a pot of beer! Quick! quick! come away ! " and repeating the call till, to the con- sternation of the lady of the house and the intense amusement of her guests, in walked a slipshod country girl, carrying a large dish of liver and a foaming pot of beer, and crying out, " Lucky indeed it was that I had it ready, ma'am, for Jowler, the big watch-dog, has runned away with the leg of carrion" [i.e., venison]. I have heard of another, who lived in a kitchen, where the mistress was very suspicious of her servants, and he used always to give her notice, " Mary has been here," " John was here again," etc. ; and on one occa- sion, when the mistress came unexpectedly into the kitchen while some contraband cooking was going on, the bird called out, "Cake under the cushion, mistress!" and repeated his speech till the hidden cake was pro- duced. It is difficult to imagine that this Parrot was not acquainted with the meaning of the words he used. Parrots frequently form very decided and lasting attachments to their owners. They are very long-lived birds, living sixty or seventy years in confinement. The common African GREY PARROT, too well known to need description, is renowned for its wonderful powers of imitation. This, and the AMAZON GREEN PARROT, are, perhaps, the most common in this country; the RlNG-NECKED INDIAN PARRAKEETS and the BLOSSOM - HEADED 232 Bird-keeping. or PLUM-HEADED PARRAKEETS are also general favourites ; but there are so many specimens of splendid Parrots, Macaws, Cockatoos, etc., annually brought to England, and well known to all lovers of cage birds, that it is needless, even were it possible, to describe them. I will confine myself, therefore, to a notice of one or two of the species more recently introduced into this country. The PLATYCERCI or BROAD-TAILED PARRAKEETS of Australia are especially lovely, glowing with blue, green, violet, and crimson tints. The KING PARROT (Aprosmictus scapulatus) is a splendid bird : the head, neck, and the whole of the under parts of the body are of a deep vermilion red, the back and wings of a beautiful dark green, the scapulars being of a light grass green : the quill-feathers and the tail are bluish- black. The tail is very long, broad, and square. The hen is green in the upper part of the body, the breast being streaked with red, the under part of the body light red, and the tail green and blue. PENNANT'S PARRAKEET (Platycercus Pennantii}, sometimes called the Australian Lory, has the prevail- ing colour of the plumage of a rich crimson, each feather having a darker tinge in the centre, edged with a brighter shade. It has a beautiful violet-blue throat and shoulders, and a dark blue and green tail, some of the feathers being tinged with red, and others fringed with white. The quill-feathers of the wings are also Parrots. 233 shaded with violet, red, and white. The hen is chiefly green and yellow, with crimson feathers on the head and breast. The ROSE-HILL PARRAKEET, sometimes described under the name of the Rosella Parrot, is another beautiful Platycercus, with a glowing scarlet head and breast. The feathers of the back are very dark black- green, broadly edged with bright green ; the upper tail-coverts are entirely of this beautiful leaf-green, the tail itself being shaded with green and blue. The wings are dark green and yellow, with lilac shoulders, the under part of the body is yellow and shading into green. The BULLA BULLA PARRAKEET has a black head, with a glow of violet-blue on the cheeks and chin, and a lemon-yellow collar. The breast and upper part of the body are deep green, and the lower part pale green and yellow. The quills of the wings are black tipped with blue, and the two outer feathers of the tail are blue, the others green. All these Parrakeets have very long tails. They do very well in confinement, but ought not to be shut up in small cages. Their natural food consists of corn and grass-seeds, varied by grubs and insects. The PARRAKEET COCKATOO, or COCKATEEL (Nymphicus or Calopsitta Novce Hollandice] is a most beautiful and elegantly shaped bird, distinguished by its peculiar pointed crest of light feathery filaments, 234 Bird-keeping. yellow at the base, and grey at the tip. The head and throat of the male are lemon yellow, and there is a patch of red on the ears. The back and under part of the body are brownish-grey, the wings of a greyer tinge edged with white. The tail is long and pointed, the two central feathers being brown, and much longer than the others, which are grey ; some being tinged with black, and yellow underneath. The hen has a green tinge pervading the yellow head and throat, and a number of bars of yellow and very dark brown cross- ing her tail. This bird is very sprightly and active, and runs a good deal upon the ground among the long grass-stems, the seeds of which it eats. It is gentle and sociable, and fond of notice. The GROUND PARRAKEET (Pezoporus formosus) derives its name from being almost always seen on the ground. Mr. Gould says it never perches on a tree, but it has been seen on a tea-tree scrub occasion- ally. It lays its eggs on the bare ground, and is like a pheasant in some of its habits. It runs with great swiftness, wending its way through the grass, and when forced to take flight, flies to a very little height from the ground, and remains a very short time on its wings. The prevailing colour of the plumage is dark green, mottled with black and yellow. In confinement it should have a long cage, in which it may have a good run. The MANY - COLOURED PARRAKEET (Psepkotus Parrots. 235 multicolor) is so named from its variegated plumage, the ground colour of which is blue-green, but many of the feathers are tinted with black, blue, and red. The forehead is bright yellow, and there is a patch of deeper orange on the shoulders : the quills are black, shaded with blue and green. A bar of pale green runs across the lower part of the back, and the upper tail- coverts are red. The thighs and feathers between the legs are red, the throat and stomach are green, the rest of the lower part of the body is of a pale straw- colour, tinged with green, and the tail is blue and green, some of the feathers edged with white. The RED-RUMP PARRAKEET (Psephotus Hcemato- notus) is very like this bird, but the male has a broad patch of bright red on the lower part of the back. Several species of the beautiful little GRASS PAR- RAKEET, of the Euphema genus, have been brought to England, and are mostly easily tamed, and are pleasant little pets. a glossy green bird, with the lower part of the body of a pale orange, is so called because the face of the male is of a brilliant turquoise blue, and the shoulders and outer feathers of the wings have the same colour. He has a patch of bright red on his wing-coverts, but the hen is without this, and has only a narrow band of blue on the forehead. These birds will readily breed in this country ; many have been reared in the Zoo- 236 Bird-keeping. logical Gardens, and they are constantly bred in garden aviaries. They are very fond of lettuce and other green food. One of the prettiest and best known of the Grass Parrakeets is the Melopsittacus undulatus, the WARB- LING GRASS PARRAKEET called also the "Zebra" or " Canary " Parrakeet, and by the aborigines " Btidgeri- gar" or " Budgeree-gar" budgeree meaning "pretty" or " good." This bird has a bright yellow forehead, and the head, neck, and upper part of the body are green, each feather being marked with a crescent- shaped spot of brown -black near the tip, small on those of the head, and increasing in size on the back. From these markings it is sometimes called the "Shell" or " Scallop Parrot." On each cheek are three or four spots of deep blue. The wings are green and yellow, scalloped with black. The central tail-feathers are blue, and the rest yellowish-green ; the lower part of the body is light grass green. The hen is exactly like the cock, except that the latter has the cere of the nostrils bluish, and those of the hen are brown. Mr. Gould first saw these birds in 1839 m flocks of hundreds on the Liverpool Plains, and drinking at the pools in the early morning and evening; their nests were in the hollow spouts of the large eucalypti. They are now becoming common in England, many thousands being brought over at a time. Some were flying about in the Temple Gardens for a long time, which had escaped Parrots. 237 from confinement. They must be kept in pairs, being most affectionate birds, constantly pluming and caress- ing each other, and the male keeps up a continual low warble, to which the hen listens with great attention, They occasionally screech, but their ordinary voice is sweet, low, and melodious. They should be fed on canary-seed, and are very fond of oats and grass-seed in the ear. I always put water into the cage in which I kept mine, but they did not drink much, and I never saw them bathe. They delighted in being let out of their cage, and would run along the green bars of the Venetian blinds, warbling and chirping to each other all the time ; but when once allowed their liberty, they were very loth to return to their confined quarters, and were so crafty, that if constrained by hunger to go into the cage for a minute, they would pop out of it again before any one could shut them in. These birds fre- quently breed in England in December or January. They do not build a nest, but lay their four eggs in a piece of wood with a hole in the centre, -which they will hollow out till deep enough, or in a cocoa-nut pre- pared for the purpose. They like to go through a hole to their resting-place, and to be as retired as possible ; therefore I should doubt the wisdom of taking away the first eggs, and substituting false ones till the four are laid. The reason given for this practice is, that the hen lays every other day only, so that the young would be some days apart in hatching. She sits seven- 238 Bird-keeping. teen days, and feeds her young, I believe, as Pigeons do, disgorging the food into their mouths. Budgeri- gars, should have a cage four feet long, and twenty inches in height and width, though many have been reared in some smaller cages : they like room to run along the floor. I put mine into my Canaries' large winter cage for a time, and they agreed very well with them, or rather, they never attempted to interfere with them. I have heard of a Grass Parrakeet, however, that was put into a cage with a Canary, and fell upon it and killed it instantly. Groundsel is said to be good for these birds, and lettuce injurious. Mine never touched either, but occasionally ate some bread soaked in milk, with maw-seed sprinkled over it ; and this is, I believe, often given to sickly birds with good effect. Some of the small Australian Lories or Lorikeets, the BLUE MOUNTAIN LORY (Tric/ioglossus Swainsonii) and a few other species, have been lately imported into England. They are all honey-eaters, and have brush- like tongues, with which to collect the nectar from the flowers of the eucalypti, on which they chiefly live. They should therefore be supplied daily with soft food freshly made (soaked bread or sponge cake sweetened with honey or moist sugar), in addition to their seed, and they would probably be the better for a few minute insects also. They are very delicate birds and subject to fits, which generally prove fatal. The little Grass Parrakeets are often called the Parrots. 239 AUSTRALIAN LOVE BIRDS, and are consequently confounded with the true Love Birds, which are very different : little round birds, with the shortest of fan- shaped tails. The common BRAZILIAN LOVE BIRD (Psittacula passerind) is grass green, with the under side of the wings blue, and a patch of blue on the back. The AFRICAN LOVE BIRD (Agapornis or Psittacula pullarid) is somewhat larger, has the bill, forehead, cheeks, and throat red ; and a red tail, barred with black, and tipped with green. The MADAGASCAR LOVE BIRD (Psittacula cand) is now becoming com- mon in England. The male is distinguished by its beautiful pearl-grey head, which in the hen is more dingy. They are very pretty, lively birds, and bear cold well, but not damp. They breed readily in con- finement. There are many other species : they all live upon canary-seed, and do not require a large cage. They are never happy apart, and sit as close as pos- sible together, continually fondling and caressing each other. DOVES. These are pretty, gentle, quiet birds, and easily tamed. They are very affectionate, and should never be kept in solitary confinement, for they are unhappy without their mates, unless they become extremely attached to their owners. The only species commonly kept in the house are the Turtle-Dove and the Col- lared Turtle, which require warmth at night, but abundance of air during the day. They will very soon become tame enough to follow their owner about the garden without attempting to fly away. They should have a wicker cage, and be taught to return to it at night. They wash and bathe a good deal, and require plenty of gravel and old mortar on the floor of their cage, and should have bay salt mixed with their food, as they are subject to diseased throats, for which this is a remedy. They feed principally upon corn, pease, and vetches, and will also eat hemp, canary, and millet-seed, bread, fir-seeds, and berries. Both the Turtle and Collared Turtle breed readily in confinement, and feed their young from their crops as 240 Doves. 241 Pigeons do. They would of course flourish in a garden aviary, but ought not to be turned loose among other birds, for, gentle and amiable as they are to one another and to their owners, they are sometimes ex- tremely cruel to their companions in captivity, and torment the smaller ones tyrannically. CALIFORNTAN CRESTED QUAILS. These are now so continually imported into England, that some mention of them seems required, as they are daily advertised as " most desirable cage birds," " delightful pets," etc. They can hardly, however, be suitable inhabitants of bird-rooms, still less of cages, although they are very pretty birds and soon become exceed- ingly tame, and would do admirably in an outdoor aviary. 1C AVIARIES. I feel some hesitation in writing on this subject, because I have no personal experience of any of the plans proposed for Aviaries ; and so many of the ornamental buildings for which designs are given are constructed after a fashion which is extremely pictu- resque, but not in the least adapted to the wants and comforts of the birds within them. Making the latter the chief consideration, I should suggest that an out- door aviary built of wood must necessarily be hot in summer and cold in winter, and that it would be preferable built of brick, stone, or rubble, and with an open roof thatched ; in fact, a little thatched cottage, whitewashed within and painted or plastered without. This might be either circular, with the front wired and glazed, about fourteen feet in diameter ; or a more perfect one might be obtained by making the building eighteen feet by twelve, and twelve feet high, with a bay window occupying the front, looking south, the panes of which should be made to open outwards, to allow of the galvanized iron wire netting, with which 242 Aviaries. 243 the glass must be lined throughout. Either concrete, brick, or tile flooring would be needed to keep out vermin, and this should be covered three or four inches thick with sand and gravel, mixed with a little old mortar. The roof should be thickly thatched, and the open rafters will form most comfortable roosting-places for the birds. On one side of the aviary should be a deep porch with a double door, the outer one of wood and the inner one of wire. If this porch were furnished with seats, the birds could be observed with the utmost ease. A fountain playing in the centre of the aviary, with a shallow basin round it for the birds to drink at and bathe in, would add to the beauty of the scene and to the birds' pleasure. If plants were not admitted into it, there must be upright poles with perches nailed on to them in the four corners of the room ; but a better plan would be to have evergreens in pots all round the room, which should be removed and replaced by others when defaced by the birds. A couple of orange and myrtle- trees in tubs, placed in it during the summer would delight them ; fir-trees are the best evergreens. Any shrubs that would be injurious to them must of course be avoided. Boxes of mignonette, chickweed, and groundsel, placed on the window-sill, would be a great acquisition to the birds ; but a constant succession of these plants would be necessary, as they very soon strip them of every flower and leaf. Seed-hoppers 162 :44 Bird-keeping. and pans for food and glasses for water should be hung up round the room, and hanging baskets and swings might be introduced. The windows should be furnished with blinds and shutters, to be drawn down and put up as the weather demanded. If this aviary could be warmed during the winter, the Warblers and other delicate birds might be its inmates throughout the year; if not, only the hardy seed-eating birds could remain in it ; the others must be removed to a winter cage or aviary in the house, kept at a certain temperature. Stoves placed in the aviary would be injurious to the birds ; the heated pipes give out so much carbon as to affect their delicate lungs ; but it might perhaps be warmed by the apparatus used for conservatories. A conservatory devoted to birds would be a very delightful abode for them ; but of course it must be wired within the glass, and means must be taken to shade the birds from the fierce summer sunshine. A portion of a conservatory opening into the house is sometimes wired off, and this forms a very pretty aviary, and the birds look exceedingly well with flowers all about them. I have seen a small room between two well-warmed sitting-rooms used as an in- door aviary ; this was only about twelve feet by eight, with a French window, or rather door, opening out- wards, and a wire grating within it, a fountain in the centre, and the walls were boarded and furnished with Aviaries. 245 shelves one above the other, on which were placed the seed and water-glasses, and boxes for nests. There were double doors to this room ; I think one was of wire and the other glass, so that the birds could be seen in passing from room to room. The fires in each of these sufficiently warmed this aviary in winter; Canaries, Goldfinches, and Linnets only lived in it. Very few young birds were reared in it, and breeding in aviaries is always very doubtful. The idle birds are apt to pull the nests of the industrious birds to pieces, and to eat their eggs and peck the young ones. Then there arise jealousies between the cocks and hens, and a good deal of quarrelling and fighting go on, so that it is by no means a happy family : the only chance of success is by putting the several couples in separate cages till they are ready to build, and then turning them into the aviary, putting no single birds in at the same time to interrupt their proceedings. However, some of these couples may be faithless, and the hens are apt to quarrel over the nesting-places, so that it is not a plan to be recommended, and it would be best to keep no hens in the aviary. Experience proves that when there are no ladies to excite jealousies amongst the gentlemen, matters are conducted much more harmoniously; they might be safely admitted during the winter, perhaps, but as early as February they must be taken away. Canaries, Siskins, Goldfinches, Linnets, and Red- 246 Bird-keeping. poles, Twites, Chaffinches, perhaps American Gold- finches, and Java Sparrows, would do well together ; Bullfinches and Greenfinches are sometimes spiteful; Yellow Ammers might agree with the other birds ; and in the summer a Nightingale, Blackcaps, White- throats, Redstarts, Babillards, and other Warblers might be admitted, and perhaps a Thrush and a Wood- lark; but of course all these birds would require a supply of their especial food, given fresh daily, and placed in pans of glass or earthenware. Most birds like bread crumbs, egg, mealworms, ants' eggs, oats, barley-meal, fruit, and berries, and green food occa- sionally. Various recipes are given for universal pastes, which are to afford food equally to granivorous and insectivorous birds ; but it is just as easy to give the food that suits the hard-billed and soft-billed birds respectively, as to make them all eat of the same dish ; a plan which, of course, involves a great deal of fighting over the food, and is very likely to cause the starvation of the more timid inmates of the aviary. In selecting the birds that are to be placed together, their several dispositions and natural habits should be well considered, and none likely to tyrannize over the others should be admitted. As a rule, birds of the same size and class should be placed together ; a great deal of suffering would be caused by confining com- bative birds in a small space, and by giving them opportunities of worrying and tormenting their weakly Aviaries. 247 and delicate companions. Robins, Titmice, House Sparrows, etc., are often quarrelsome and murderous, and persecute the other birds exceedingly. For myself, I should not care to keep English birds in an aviary. I infinitely prefer putting baskets and warm nesting-places into a sheltered outhouse, where the birds may find food during the frost and snow of winter, and can enjoy their liberty at the same time, allowing them to come and go at their pleasure. It is a mistake to expect any birds to live happily in a very open aviary, unsheltered from the extreme heat of summer and cold of winter. When at liberty, they can find protection from both in their native coverts, and although they may possibly exist through the winter exposed to a chilling east wind, they suffer extremely from it, and will often mope in corners, rufHe up their feathers, and refuse to sing till a gleam of sunshine comes to revive them. The glare of a noontide sun, too, in the height of summer, is exceedingly painful to birds which are exposed to its fierce rays, without the means of finding shade. Many of the tropical birds sleep during the extreme heat of midday, and con- tinue the custom for some time after they are brought to England : doubtless they resort to the deep recesses of their magnificent forests, and find shelter in their luxuriant foliage, when the sun is at its meridian in their native lands. An aviary constructed of two compartments, one 248 Bird-keeping. within a warmed room and one without, communicat- ing by a sliding panel or swing door, might answer well for Canaries and other semi-hardy birds, and give them fresh air, sunshine, and warmth ; but of course the outdoor compartment must be protected by shut- ters in winter and at night. An unused attic, with wired windows, and a loose net before the door, to enable the floor to be swept out, and the room to be entered without allowing the birds to escape, would be the simplest and most inex- pensive aviary; but under a slated or tiled roof the room would probably be very hot in summer and cold in winter. A thatched roof would not be open to the same objection. An oilcloth flooring kept constantly, washed and sanded would answer well for this bird- room. Care must always be taken to keep the aviary clean and carefully swept out, and sanded afresh either every day or every other day, according to the number of birds confined in it, and as little dust should be raised in this process as possible it will sometimes affect the lungs of the delicate birds injuriously. Fresh air, sunshine in moderation, warmth, and cleanliness are indispensable for all birds kept in captivity. Of late years a great many outdoor and indoor aviaries have been devoted to the breeding of foreign birds, Virginian Nightingales, Parrots, Parrakeets, etc., and these would require provision for their several nesting-places. For the last-named birds, nothing is Aviaries. 249 better than logs of soft rotten wood, which they can hollow out for themselves, piled up on shelves or hung up round the walls, or from the roof. Some birds build in preference in branches of trees or bushes, and if the smaller foreigners are admitted, they must have cocoa-nuts, baskets, and boxes of all shapes and sizes. Dr. Russ recommends as excellent nesting-places the small travelling cages made of bars of wood, with one or two bars pulled out : in these, if necessary, open baskets can be put, and they make good hiding-places for the little birds, into which the larger birds cannot follow them. I cannot conclude this little volume without cau- tioning my inexperienced readers against purchasing their birds, cages, and seed from itinerant bird-dealers and careless and ignorant salesmen. Great deception takes place with regard to birds : those who hawk wild birds newly caught about the streets, will sometimes drug them till they are half insensible, or confine their poor little bodies with wires in order to exhibit their tameness, and will paint common Sparrows, and im- provise a crest upon an English bird, and pass it off upon some credulous purchaser as a rare and costly foreigner. Instances of these frauds have often come to my knowledge : only the other day, a benevolent German lady wrote to ask me to give a home to a poor little bird which she had picked up in a street in Lon- don : she supposed it had escaped from some cage, and she described it as of very beautiful plumage, and said it must be very rare, as no bird-dealer to whom she had taken it could give it a name. She provided it with seed and water, but it died the next day, and on examination it was found to be a painted Sparrow, 250 Cages, etc. 251 and to be poisoned by the paint which it had imbibed in pluming itself after a bath. Cages of common brass, unlacquered, are liable to become covered with poisonous verdigris, and badly constructed cages of all kinds often cause great injury and suffering to their inmates. Some breeding-cages were offered to me a short time since, so badly finished that the points of the wires forming a partition between the nursery compartment and the body of the cage, were standing up above the woodwork in all their sharpness, and sharp wires projected also into the round holes through which the birds were intended to pass their heads for seed and water; so that the unfortu- nate inmates of these cages would be exposed to injuries likely to produce lameness, and wounds in the head, every day of their lives ! Bad seed, too, will often cause the disease and death of birds, if tainted by mice or mildew ; so that it is of great consequence to purchase it where it is sure to be good and sound. In purchasing birds, cages, or seed, always go to a recognized dealer or naturalist. From personal experience of Mr. Edward Hawkins (Natura- list), of 6 Bear Street, Leicester Square, I can tho- roughly recommend him to my readers. He has supplied me with birds, cages, and seed for many years, and I have ever found him most conscientious and fair-dealing in every respect. Moreover, he is thoroughly acquainted with birds of 252 Bird-keep ing. every kind, and always sends them out in excellent condition, and is most kind in giving valuable infor- mation to those who desire to promote the health and comfort of their birds. In the course of this work I have referred many perplexing questions to him on the subject of birds, about which I could not obtain reliable information elsewhere ; and I gladly take this opportunity of expressing my obligations to him for his kind assistance. At my request, he has furnished me with the average prices of the birds ordinarily sold as cage birds ; but he tells me that it is impossible to fix a standard price for birds of any kind, as it varies so much with the supply in the market, and also depends upon the beauty of form and plumage, and excellence of song, of the respective birds. It varies, too, with the time of year, and with the degree of acclimatization of some of the more delicate foreigners. I append a list of the general prices of cages, food, and other bird requirements, in the belief that this will prove a valuable addition to a " Manual of Bird- keeping." Average Prices of Birds. 253 Cockatoo, Leadbeater's, $. Do. Lemon-crested, 3 55. Macaw, $. Parrot, Grey African, from i 53. to 2. Do. Talking, from 5 to 10. Do. Amazon Green, from i to 2. Do. Ceylon, i. Australian King Parrot or Parrakeet, from 3 to $. The Rose-hill and Pennant's Parrakeets (sometimes called Lories), from 253. to 6os. Blossom-headed Parrakeets, from 3 to $ each. Male Ring-necked Parrakeets, 303. to 10, accord- ing to ability. Female do. (talking), 2 to $ ; non- talkers, i os. to 2Os. Cockateels, 2 per pair. Ground Parrakeets, 3 per pair. Grass Parrakeets, many-coloured, 3 per pair. Do. Budgerigars, from 2os. to 503. per pair. Turquoisine Parrakeets, from 403. to 6os. per pair. Red-rumped do., from 255. to 353. per pair. African Love Birds, 253. per pair. Brazilian Green do., i. per pair. Madagascar do., 303. to 503. per pair. Collared Turtle Doves, los. per pair. Troopials, from 2 to 3 each. American Mocking Bird, from 2 to 4. Indian Mina Bird, from 3 to 10. 254 Bird-keeping. Tanager, Superb or Septicolor, 3 to $. Do. Scarlet, from 2 to 4. 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