1 94 Bird-keeping. 



They are very good tempered, and agree well with 

 other and smaller birds. They come from Java and 

 the Spice Islands. 



The AFRICAN SILVER-BILL (Muni a or Spermestes 

 cantans), or Quaker Bird, resembles the Spice Bird in 

 shape and size. The beak is of a pale bluish -grey, 

 with a silvery shade over it, and the iris and the ring 

 round it are grey also. The prevailing colour of the 

 plumage is fawn-coloured, shaded and barred on the 

 upper part of the body with brown ; the feathers of 

 the head and throat look mottled, and the bird often 

 ruffles these, but the rest of the plumage is delicately 

 soft and smooth ; the quill-feathers of the wings and 

 tail are brownish-black ; the fawn shades almost to 

 white on the under part of the body. The male and 

 female are almost exactly alike. The former has a 

 very pretty little warbling song, very low and gentle, 

 like running water, and he often dances up and down 

 on his perch, while singing, in time to his song. They 

 are very affectionate birds, and continually caressing 

 each other, and always sitting in pairs. They are said 

 to breed very readily in confinement, and to rear their 

 young even without the egg food. There is an Indian 

 Silver-bill (Munia or Spermestes Malabarica), differ- 

 ing slightly from the African species, with an inferior 

 song. It has a darker leaden-coloured bill and darker 

 plumage, and is distinguished by a large white patch 



