S>S HARDEN AND AVIARY BIRDS. 



state is not coininon in captivity, but the domesticated 

 variety bred by the Japanese is commonly for sale both 

 in En<,dand and at Calcutta. 



These tame birds, rather absurdly called Ben<4alees in 

 En<,^land, fall into three varieties. The commonest show 

 the dark-brown plumage of the wild bird more or less 

 pied with white, some being nearly all white, and some 

 only havini; a few white feathers, while a ^reat many 

 are half-and-half, the marking beiiu always irre^^ular. 



Then there is a cinnamon variety, which is more or 

 less pied with white, like the last, but has the coloured 

 parts cinnamon instead of dark brown. Sometimes a 

 chinamon bird with no pure white is found, but rarely. 



Last and rarest, and nuicli the prettiest, are the pure 

 white birds, with flesh-coloured bills and feet. The beaks 

 and feet of the cinnamon birds arc also fiesh-coloured, 

 as are those of the dark-pied birds if the white greatly 

 predominates. 



Of course all these varieties, being cage-bred, will 

 reproduce freely in captivity, and it would be worth 

 while taking a little trouble to get a good strain of pure 

 white ones. A pair will breed eveii in a cage, and the 

 love-dance and song of the male will be found amusing, 

 for he can succeed in getting out a few notes. Canary 

 and millet will do for them at ordinary times, but when 

 breeding they will need some egg-food. Any li(>ll()w 

 receptacle will serve as a place in which they may 

 nest. 



Although known to our (jcaleis as t lie .Japan Munia, the 

 Striated Munia is iji its original state an Indian bird, 



