“76 GARDEN AND AVIARY BIRDs, 
of temperate regions, are usually separated as a distinct 
family, as in the Fauna of British India series, but there 
seems to be no sufficient justification for this, and I 
shall here class them all together. 
Owing to their vegetable-feeding habits, the Finches 
are often destructive in a wild state, though many do 
good service by eating the seeds of weeds. In captivity 
they are the favourite cage-birds in most countries, 
though not in India, where insectivorous birds are more 
favoured. For aviaries they are popular everywhere, as 
a large and varied collection of them can be so easily 
obtained and kept. 
They are, however, less easily tamed, less graceful in 
form and interesting in habits than insectivorous and 
fruit-eating birds. In keeping Finches together they 
must be associated according to the calibre of their bills 
rather than the size of their bodies, since the fighting 
power of the bird depends on the weapon he carries. 
Several species will breed in captivity, and such should 
receive insects and soft food at the breeding season. At 
other times, soft food is not good for Finches, as they 
ought to exercise their Jaws and gizzard in feeding, and 
swallowing a lot of soft pasty stuff, which can be readily 
assimilated makes them too fat. 
However, when they are kept with birds which live on 
such food, the risk must be run; but they do not usually 
care much for soft food when not feeding young. 
Some species of Finches—the Canary, Java Sparrow and 
sharp-tailed Munia—have been completely domesticated, _/ 
and produce their young regularly in captivity, so that 
