Cage-Birds of Calcutta. 435 



Family F r i n g i l l i d ^e. 



The ubiquitous Canary is, of course, a very common cage- 

 bird in Calcutta^ and will probably tend to displace many 

 native species in tlie atieetions of the people. Most of those 

 sold here come fi'om China ; they are small birds, generally 

 of the pale whitish-yellow tint known to fanciers in England 

 as "buff/^ green or pied birds being relatively {q\\, and full 

 bright yellow and cinnamon being rarely if ever seen. 



I once saw a green bird (not a hybrid of any sort) marked 

 with yellow on the quills and tail, like a Greenfinch. The 

 note of these Chinese Canaries is very soft and pleasant, and 

 they generally resemble the German type of bird. Maltese 

 and a few English Canaries are also imported, the latter 

 fetching three or four times the price of Chinese forms. 



The only Indian Finch commonly kept as a songster is 

 the " Tuti " {Carpodaciis erythr'mus) ; this of course loses the 

 red colour after moulting in confinement, like other carmine- 

 tinted Finches. Several other species, however, appear in 

 the Bazaar, generally to form part of mixed collections, 

 viz. : — Emberiza luteola, HyijacantMs spiuotdes, and, less 

 commonly, Emberiza melano.ephala, E. aureola, Melupiius 

 melaiiicterus, Gynmorhis flavicullis, and Carduelis cauiceps. 

 A large consignment of the last-named came down during 

 the past winter, but the birds did not thrive as a rule. A 

 few individuals of the Eastern form of Linnet [Acanthis 

 fringillirostris) have also been brought in, and I noted that 

 the males, when kept over the moult, lost the red, as the 

 home Linnet docs. I have also seen a few specimens of 

 Metoponia pusilla. 



Of exotic Fringillidse, Chloris miica is the most common, 

 except of course the Canary ; a good many examples of 

 Eophona fnelanura used to be imported, but they w ere greatly 

 subject to disease of the feet and have not been very 

 popular. The luxropean Goldfinch [Curdaelis eleyaus) is 

 generally to be found, but comes in very small numbers ; it 

 does not feel the heat at all, nor does it gasp, as many native 

 species do. Bullfinches [Pyrrhula europoia and P. major) 

 may sometimes be had, as may also the Brambling {Fringilla 



