THE FINCHES. 85 



wanted for aviary purposes. For cages the sex does not 

 matter, as both are equally pretty. 



The young, when first fledged, are absolutely unlike 

 their parents, having plain drab plumage and black bills. 

 The bills soon become pink, but the full plumage, 

 especially the black-and-white head, takes some time to 

 develop, and birds in a state of transition may often be 

 seen in the bird-dealers' cages ; though I have never seen 

 a quite young one in such collections. 



Although Java Sparrows look particularly uniform in 

 appearance, they have produced a well-marked variety, 

 which is cultivated in a tame state in China and Japan 

 as Canaries are with us. This is the White Java Sparrow, 

 also a common inmate of the bird-dealers' cages ; it is, 

 however, much dearer than the wild grey birds. It is a 

 beautiful creature in its way, looking as if moulded from 

 snow, and retaining the pink beak of the naturally coloured 

 bird. A good many specimens show some of the natural 

 grey colour, chiefly on the back, and such should not, of 

 course, be bought ; but it is generally easy to get quite 

 pure white ones. It is not so very diflScult to tell the 

 sexes apart in the white tame Javas, as- the difference in 

 the bills seems to be more marked than in the wild birds. 

 Of course these white birds will breed readily in 

 captivity ; so will the wild grey ones, if they have enough 

 room; and both may be kept together without much 

 fear of inter-mixture if they have mates of their own 

 colour. For nesting they need cocoanut husks or small 

 boxes with holes in them, and a supply of hay, coir, etc. 

 When they have young, some soft food, such as egg and 



