204 P.ditorial. 



I have said 1 never had a l)lack-headed youngster before — 

 true, but many years ago I possessed an aduh exactly similar 

 to my present young bird. 



In the " green " and palmy days of yore a good few 

 black-headed specimens used to be seen among the dealers' 

 stocks of this si)ecies, and many dealers used to sell these as 

 hens, and in my greenness I was " had " on one occasion, and 

 1 came away with two, said to be a pair, one with head and neck 

 shining black, and the other a normal white-cheeked specimen; 

 they never paired, nor did I ever see either of them carrying 

 nesting material — later experience has taught me they were two 

 males. Later I procitred a certain, white-clieeked hen, and both 

 n"iy birds cotn ted her; she chose the while-cheeked cock, and 

 afterwards presented me with my tirst brood of young (irey 

 Java Sparrows, all of whom had white cheeks in the juvenal 

 plumage, though not so pure a white as tliose of their parents. 



The black-headed cock above referred to remained with 

 me five years; when I picked it up dead it never changed at all. 

 so, apparently, these black-headed specimens are merely a 

 colour variation of the species. It has been many years since 

 I saw a black-headed specimen among dealers' stocks. Thus 1 

 am greatly interested in my young grey Java with the black 

 head and neck, and await its first two moults with much interest 

 ?nd curiosity. Will it remain as it is, or moult out a normal 

 specimen ? 



Editorial. 



Aviculture in Jap.an : We have received from our 

 member T. Z. Takano a very interesting communication from 

 which we quote the following items. 



They have an avicultural society in Japan — " Tori-no-Kai," 

 which translated is The Japan Cage Bird Club. The organ of 

 the club is " Kaidori " — " Cage Birds," which is issued at 

 irregular intervals. Two copies have been sent us. and as soon 

 as we can secure a translation, extracts, at any rate, therefrom 

 will be publislied in this journal. 



The Ja])an Cage Bird Club has seventy members, most 

 of them being either enthusiastic aviculturists or famoits orni- 

 thologists. Some of them have many aviaries, breeding 



