currentlynoneinAmericanzoos, thelast beinga male at the Pittsburgh Conserva­ toryAviary that arrived in 1987and died in 1990, and a pair at San Antonio that died in 1988, having been there at least since 1982 (International Spedes Infor­ mation System, 1983-1990). Perhaps someremaininprivatehands. Itis largely From a in this hope that I present the following. However, the Wild Bird Conservation Act includes provisions for issuing per­ mits "for importation of specimens of Bird Avicultural otherwise prohibited spedes for... Zoo­ logical breeding or display programs" (U.S. Departmentofthe Interior, 1992), Notes On The though, so far as I know, none have yet Fancier's been granted. With such a permit, an American Zoo might be able to obtain Grosbeak Amblyospiza through an exchange with a South African Zoo. Then perhaps a Notebook. •• ~aver success achieved more than 60 years ago might be repeated. Josef Lindholm, Fort Worth by Arthur Douglas Zoological Park The only hatching of Amb/yospiza Dallas, Texas listed by the International Zo'o Year­ ~Ploceidgenus Amblyospiza,con­ 1u~ains book occurred at the World of Birds The Grosbeak Weaver a single species, A albifrrms, in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1985, (Arnblyospiza albifrons). divided into 10 subspecies (Moreau & when two were reared (Zoological Greenway, 1962) distributed over avast Society ofLondon, 1987). Aside from portion of Sub-Saharan Africa, from this I amaware ofonlyoneotherplace Also known as the Thick-billed Sierra Leone south to Angola on the where captive breedings took place­ Weaver. Large, gregarious. Atlantic coast, across central Africa, the The remarkable collection ofWilliam Low, Swampy country or southern Sudan to Ethiopia, and along Shore-Baily, in England. damp forest. Common. Imma­ the Indian Ocean coast, from Kenya to tures have the beak yellow. Writing on the occasion of Mr. theCape. Because thisrangeincludesthe Flight dipping, woodpecker­ Shore-Baily's death on August 24, like. Nests beautifully woven, West African republic of Ghana, which 1932, David Seth-Smith, Curator of of fine materials. Polygamous. listed all of its seed-eating birds on Mammals and Birds at the London Food: grass and sedge seeds. CITES Appendix III in 1976, this spe­ Zoo (and the much-beloved "Zoo Young fed on regurgitated cies has been prohibited from import to Man" of the B.B.C.) wrote: "In 1910 seed. the United States since October 22, he commenced keeping birds in cap­ 1993, under the provision of the 1992 tivity and he joined the Avicultural The Grosbeak Weaver in Wild Bird Conservation Act There are Society in 1920. His large garden at captivity. Shore-Baily (1923) says harm­ less to small birds, though Grosbeak Weaver they bite "twice as hard as a small parrot." Fond of saffron Amblyospiza albifrons and Sunflower Seed. Nervous. "A harmless bird which I have kept in a Waxbill aViary" (Tan­ Large, gregarious. Low, swampy country ner, Cagebirds 427, 3 Nov. or damp forest. Common. Beak yellow. '60). "A pair at London Zoo kept with small birds (Grassfinches mostly) seems harmless, and totally inconspic­ uous" Robin Restall. References. 0S) Cage Birds 29th August 1963, P. 197 Flightdipping, woodpecker-like. Nests beautifully woven, of fme materials. (B. E. Reed, Illustration by Robin Restall) Polygamous. Foa:!: grass and sedge seecls. Young fed on regurgitated seeds. Butler, A. G. Foreign Birds for Cage and Aviary, Vol. I, P. 198.

afa WATCHBIRD 47 Westbury was well-suited for the he next discussed this species: "I bullrushes about four feet above the construction ofaviaries ofthe kind he secured my first pair late in 1926, water. The nest in shape closely specially liked-very large wired-in and previous to that time have never resembled that of the common Red­ enclosures through which streams met with them at any of the dealers... billed Weaver (Quelea qllelea), but was flowed and vegetation grew luxuri­ Thecock ofthis pair did notlive long, of course much bigger. It was at­ antly and where his birds would be in but the hen wintered out during the tached to two or three of the stOuter practically a state of nature. Several severe winters of 1927 and 1928, so rushes and was about eight inches in such aviaries were built and their that we can assume them to be fairly depth, the entrance hole being on success is proved by the fact that he hardy birds. Early this year I was able the tOp side. The hen laid three eggs, was awarded no less than thirty-six to get a male from a private impor­ white with reddish brown spots, but medals for breeding foreign birds for tation from East Africa, and later on as far as I could see she tOok no part the first time in the United Kingdom. in the same year I got four young in the nest-building. The eggs proved At one time he had nearly a thousand birds from Gamages. The East Afri­ to be infertile, and were removed. birds in outdoor aviaries..." (Seth­ can cock mated up with myoId hen Later in July another was laid in the Smith, 1932). about the end of June, and he soon same nest, but these also proved to What Mr. Seth-Smith did not men­ built her a nest in a clump of be useless. As compared with the tion was that the entire place stank­ or so Jean Delacour" tOld Arthur Douglas. Mr. Shore-Baily made his money as a tanner-and the tannery was next door. Mr. Shore-Baily wrote three con­ secutive accounts of his experiences with Amblyospiza,which are the only firsthand accounts of this species' aviculture I am aware of. "When I first saw this extraordi­ nary bird I took it to be some kind of a Grosbeak, and a Weaver is the very last species to which I should have attributed it... It is a large bird, and its immense Parrot-like beak makes it look still larger... Adult male: general colour above, chocolate brown.. .fore­ head white, underparts dark ashy grey... Hen, above rufous brown, mot­ tled with dark brown centres to the feathers; throat and underparts... white, streaked with dusky brown...A small consignment of these birds came over last Autumn-a first im­ portation-from which I secured a cock and two hens. On turning them into my birdroom for the winter, I became acquainted with the strength of their beaks. They can bite twice as hard as any of the smaller Parrots, and once they have got a hold, hang on like bull-dogs. However, they seem harmless with other birds, as they have made no attempt to hurt th.e Waxbills and Whydahs flying With them. They seem particularly fond of the larger seeds like saffron and sunflower. They are conse­ quently easy to cater for. I have every NEST OF Arnblyospiza a/blfTOns. hope ofbreedingthemin my aviaries next season..." (Shore-Baily, 1923). The nest in which two clutches were laid at William Shore-BaiLy's aviar­ ies in 1929. According to Newman (1983, p. 415) the large entrance Considering the size of his collec­ indicates that at the time this pictu1'e was taken, the nest was used for tion, it is not surprising that he was roosting. A much smaller tunnel-shaped entrance would be present during shakey with some data by the time breeding.

48 May/June 1996 nests of the Hyphanbornine [PloceIIs] One can imagine that the outbreak and Baya Weavers the nests these of the Great Depression interfered birds builtwere notso closely woven, with the demand for leather goods. At and would not stand up so well the same time, perhaps he was aware against the weather, showing a ten­ he would not be alive much longer. At dency to collapse after rain. This is any rate, I am glad to report that he quite understandable when you con­ spoke a little prematurely. In Novem­ sider the birds beaks, wl1ich are ber of 1930 Mr. Shore-Baily received shaped morelike those ofParrots than three pairs of Harris' Sparrows Weavers. How they can weave at all is Zonotrichia quemla from the University Do~/t tick off a mystery to me. These beaks, by the of Alberta. At that time the eggs of ~bi". way, can inflict a very nasty bite..." this large sparrow of the American the ho .... (Shore-Baily, 1929). grasslands, which breeds only in Northern Canada, remained un­ Be The....e ... His concluding notes the following known to science. By June, 1931, this o.t the '96 year ended an article that also detailed was no longer the case. Of course, A FA COf-weVltioVl the breeding of Black-headed Gros­ those first eggs were collected. But in AtA9tAst 6th to 9th beaks Pheueticus melanocephalus and July, two chicks fledged (Shore-Baily, COVlco .... dj CA Japanese Hawfinches Coccothraustesper­ 1931), so that Harris' Sparrowbecame SOllata: "My Thick-billed Weavers went the 36th and final species for which to nest very early in the year [1930], he was awarded afirst breedingmedal The Wright Roo.t their first nest being in a hazel bush. by the Avicultural Society, joining the Jeri Wright 'I (206)838.9802 Mter they had been sitting a week I ranks ofsuch birds as the Chilean and NCJW HAND-FEEDING removed their eggs as they were Hyacinths & othermacaws, Cockatoos Brushland Tinamous, the White­ Conures & Amazons infertile. A week or two later they breasted Waterhen. the nominate and Domestic, Close-Banded nested again in a dying laurel. I Azara's subspecies of the Red-bellied Roudybush Distributor removed the eggs after a day or two, Conure, the Cherry-headed Conure, taking it for granted that these eggs the Greater Coucal, the jackson's A real treat for your birdsl were also clear, but on blowing one of Whydah-and the Grosbeak Weaver. (,~D~:+ them seven or eighthourslater I found Macadamia ~ that it was fertile, so I carried the References ,. NUTS Nuts International Species Information System .. CALIfORNIA GROWN ., California grown. remaining egg back to the nest. The from grower to you. next day I saw the hen leave the nest (1983-1990) ISIS Bird abJtmctJ aJ of 31 Raw -In Shell December 1982-1989. . No salt. no chemicals. so concluded that she had resumed Moreau, R. E. and J. C, Greenway (1962) .... • ... no preservatives 50 lb. minimum her duties. In due course a young one & Family Ploccidae. In Mayr J. C at $1.60 per lb. was hatched. I cannot give the incuba­ Greenway (1962) Check-Lift of BirdJ of ~ plus shipping tion period, as the nest was too deep the World. Vol. xv. Museum of Com­ TASTE C.O.D. ACCEPfABLE to see into and I was disinclined to parative Zoology, Cambridge. rHE DIFFERENCB Call1-800-344-6887 disturb the birds by inserting a finger. Massachusetts. Gold Crown Macadamia Assoc. Newman, K. (1983) Newmatz'J BirdJofS01lth­ P.o. Box 235. Fallbrook. CA 92088-0235 Apparently everything went well as ern Africa. Macmillan South Africa. about three weeks later the cock Seth-Smith. D. (1932) The late Wm. pulled the bottom out of the nest and Shore-Baily. Avimlt1lml Magazille (Series OUR 55th BIRDMART ayoung one emerged and disappeared IV) Vol. X, 333-334. EVERYBODY'S into the thick cover. This was the last Shore-Baily, W. (1923) Weavers. Ibid. (Se­ I saw of it, and it either fell a victim ries IV) Vol. I, 132-150. to our atrocious climate or was killed __. (1929) The nesting of the Thick­ BIRD MART billed Weaver (AmblYOJ-piza albifivllJ). June 23, 1996 by another bird. Undaunted, they Ibid, (Series IV) Vol. VII, 321-322. again went to nest in early September. __. (1930) Nesting of the Black­ L.A. County Fairplex Bldg. #4 Two eggs were laid, which hatched in headed Grosbeak (Zame-Iodia Pomona, California thirteen days. They appeared to be melallocephala), the Japanese Hawfinch 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. doing well when we had the most (Cocco thmtIJteJ pmollata), and the Thick­ Admission: $5.00 - Kids under 12 free violent storm of the year, accompa­ billed Weaver (AmblyoJ-piza albijrollJ) Ibid The Bird Mart has become the (Series IV) Vol. VIII, 315-317. marketplace for buyers andsellers. nied by floods ofrain, which probably __. (1931) The nesting of the Harris BIRDS. CAGES. FEEDERS. NESTBOXES prevented the birds from catering Sparrow (Zollotrichia q1lemla), Ibid. (Set. VITAMINS. SEED. PERCHES • GIFT ITEMS properly for the young ones, as the IV) Vol. IX, 252-260. PARKING $4.00 Use White Ave. parking lot nest itself withstood the downpour U.S. Department of the Interior (1992) (Tram service from parking lot to building G) Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 and remained dry within. This, I am a division of afraid, will be my last attempt at - Fact Jheet: S1Im1l1ary of effectJ. J. Williams Financial Services Inc. Zoological Society of London (1987) Spe­ P.O. Box 794, Aclon, CA 9351 0 breeding, as I am giving up my birds, cies of birds bred in zoos and other much to my regret." (Shore-Baily, institutions 1985. Interllatioual Zoo Year­ (805) 269-0424 1930). book Xxv. ,. The Original, The #1 Bird Mart afa WATCHBIRD 49