THE FINCHES. CE 
anyone who feels compunction at caging wild birds can: 
yet secure considerable variety in an aviary without 
offending his conscience in this matter. 
Finches are not much in evidence as garden-birds in 
India, except the House-Sparrow (Passer domesticus) who: 
ought to be banished as much as possible by every bird- 
lover, as he bullies and drives away nicer birds ; I have: 
seen him do this even with the little Honeysuckers. 
Many species, however, are sold for aviaries in Cal- 
cutta, and elsewhere—so many, that I am not able to deal 
with them all, and merely give a selection of species which 
seemed particularly suitable for notice in this work. 
To commence with the Eastern or Weaver- Finches, 
which always reside in warm climates. One of the most 
familiar in the East is 
THE WEAVER-BIRD, called Baya by the natives. The 
older writers confused two species under this title, and 
not unnaturally, since where they meet, they appear to 
inter-breed, and thus become confused themselves. The 
true Baya (Ploceus baya) inhabits most of India and 
Ceylon ; the female, and the male in winter, much resem- 
ble hen Sparrows, being light brown with dark streaks ; 
they are, however, smaller than a Sparrow, with stronger 
bills and feet and shorter wings and tail. Moreover, 
their plumage is more clearly marked and yellower in 
tone. In the spring the male assumes a very handsome 
breeding-plumage ; his head and breast become a brilli- 
ant yellow, with the exception of the throat, which is 
dull black; the back is also washed with yellow, and he 
looks a very showy little bird altogether. His bill, 
