change in confinement, as my father (Mr. A. D. Bartlett) tells me "they will moult 

 into white cheeks again. I am unable to give any reason for their changing from white 

 cheeks to black, and back again, but this they certainly do, as far as I can n^ake out ; 

 this change does not depend upon age, sex or season." 



It will be seen by reference to the synonymy that I have united four described 

 species viz : — Lo.xia oryzivora, Linn. Emheriza cal/af, Gmel. Loxia javensis, Sparrm. 

 and Padda verecunda, Reichb. 



There are but few general works on ornithology wliicli do not contain 

 an account or figure of this very lovely weaver-bird, and without 

 hesitation, I '^.may say that the Java Sparrow is one of the best known 

 foreign cage-birds throughout the world ; it is kept by vast numbers of 

 persons, not for its song (for it has none), but for its very beautiful 

 plumage, it is also a bird which is easily managed in confinement and 

 requires little attention, the food being simple and dry, viz : — rice, 

 canary-seed, millet, wheat, and similar seeds. 



The true habitat of this species is Java ; from that island it has been 

 conveyed by man, from a very early period, to all parts of the world, and 

 in many places it has been liberated, where it thrives and increases very 

 rapidly ; in its native island it is exceedingly abundant where it does much 

 damage to the seed-crops. According to various authors it is plentiful 

 throughout Cliina and is used by the Chinese artists in their beautiful 

 landscape paintings ; it is found on most of the islands of the Malay 

 Archipelago, Madras, East Indies, Ce;ylon, Mauritius, Reunion, Sumatra, 

 Madagascar, Australia and South and East Africa. 



From the mass of material which I have brought together respecting 

 this bird, I hope the following extracts may fulfil the object of the 

 present work. 



Bechtein says : — " These birds are brought in great numbers by ships 

 from Java, and the Cape of Good Hope; where, on account of the ravages 

 they commit in the rice fields, they have as bad a reputation as the 

 sparrows among ourselves. They are prized only for their beauty. 

 Their cry is " Talc ! TakJ" Their song is very monotonous, and consists 



