262 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 237 part i 



It is not long-lived in captivity, but it is hardy, and I have kept some individuals 

 for several years, and bred them successfully in cages with other species * * * , 



In Europe too its voice is admired, and it is kept commonly in cages, espe- 

 cially in Germany, where it is trained to kiss its master, and to do other tricks 

 at his order. Some birds are taught to whistle such tunes as "God Save the 

 King," "Yankee Doodle," or "The Star Spangled Banner," and command high 

 prices. To teach them such songs, a very young bird is selected, separated from 

 others so it cannot hear their notes, and the master teaches it part of the mel- 

 ody with a silver pipe or his own whistling. When the bird becomes proficient 

 in this, it is taught the next part, and finally the entire song. The lesson is given 

 in the calm and quiet of early morning, and when the bird has done well, it is 

 rewarded with a bit of hemp seed. Then it is fed well for an hour or two, after 

 which it is left without food until the next morning's lesson. 



Enemies. — As with most other fringillids, bullfinches are captured in 

 large numbers in Japan, especially during the autumn migration in 

 October and November. Despite the fact they are found most 

 commonly in the highlands, and seldom in the cultivated lowlands, 

 they are regarded as economically imdesirable to the agriculturist. 

 Yamashina (1933) states: "Though it is valuable for eating noxious 

 insects in summer, its beneficial attributes do not exceed the harm done 

 in the spring to buds and sprouts of trees, especially the cherry tree. 

 In Honshu its harmfulness is especially marked in the northern parts 

 where the species is abundant in spring." 



The Japanese netted it primarily for food, and most of those taken 

 in the "toy abas" (cf. Austin, 1947) were killed for market and sold in 

 strings of 10 birds each, their heads stuck through twists of rice- 

 straw rope. The netters kept young birds to condition for decoys, 

 and reserved a few for sale as cage birds. P. p. rosacea bore the brunt 

 of the market netting in Japan on migration, but some griseiventris 

 were taken, and occasionally in the north a few large, deeply red- 

 breasted males appeared which were probably cassinii, highly prized 

 by connoisseurs for their beauty. 



The following Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry figures on the 

 annual catch of bullfinches by netters in Japan do not differentiate 

 between the races, but are of interest in showing the annual variation 

 in the species' winter movements: 



Range. — Cassin's bullfinch is resident in Kamchatka. 



