JAVA FINCH, OR SPARROW. 127 



dom,) and I never saw a spot on one of them ; 

 they were always neat and clean. They are 

 very loving, one to another, and always sit close 

 together, although sometimes they would have 

 little quarrels, but they never hurt one another 

 much. The males have a very sweet, low, war- 

 bling note. 



FOOD. In their native country they feed upon 

 rice; and when they are brought here they bring 

 sometimes the unhulled rice with them, which is 

 called paddy. But as we cannot procure it at 

 all times, when I get them I always put them on 

 Canary seed, (the Canary alone,) and I think it 

 is much better for them, better even than the un- 

 hulled rice, when it gets hard and dry. I knew 

 of one that was kept alone, for seven years, in a 

 cage, upon Canary seed. They will seldom eat 

 anything else. I have had them sometimes, that 

 would pick a little green stuff, but not often. 



CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SEXES. The bill of 

 this bird is a deep carmine color ; the head and 

 throat are jet black, with the exception of the sides 

 of the head, which are pure white ; the primaries 

 or main feathers of the wings are black, as is 

 also the rump and tail; the rest of the upper 



