114 JAVA SPARROW. 



Its plumage, for the sake of which only 

 it is kept, is silky and beautiful; but the 

 bird is so well known that it need not be 

 described. Its musical powers generally 

 amount only to the repetition of a single 

 "chuck," which is given whenever the 

 bird is in motion; but we once possessed 

 a specimen whose song had all the sweet- 

 ness of tone, but none of the variety of the 

 English Bull-finch. 



Their food should be "paddy" or rough 

 rice, which they shell before swallowing, 

 or entirely canary-seed. They are very 

 fond of bathing, consequently they should 

 have plenty of water; and they likewise 

 eat immoderate quantities of gravel. 



They are susceptible of considerable 

 affection toward their feeders. When 

 sick, they should be treated like the Ca- 

 nary-finch; than whom they are less hardy, 

 requiring to be kept in a warm stove-room 

 during the winter season. 



