1542 



THE PERCHING BIRDS 



native of West Africa, while Mimia nana is found in the island of Madagascar. The 

 Java sparrow is also known in Africa, but as an introduced bird, and in Zanzibar, 

 Mauritius, and Reunion, just as it has become wild in parts of India, as at Madras 

 and in Tenasserim. 



One of the commonest of cage birds in Europe is the well-known ricebird, 

 paddy bird, or Java sparrow (M. oryzivora) which has long been domesticated. 

 L,atterly, indeed, pure white specimens have been extensively bred in confinement, 

 and have become an article of trade, being valued for their snowy plumage, which 

 harmonizes with their pink bills. In Java and other parts of Asia this munia is re- 

 garded as a pest on account of the ravages which it inflicts upon growing fields of 



JAVA SPARROW. 



rice. The nest is constructed of dry grass or other available materials, and the eggs 

 are white. The adult male has the crown of the head black; the cheeks are pure 

 white; the upper and lower parts, including the wings, are uniform slaty gray; and 

 the rump and tail are black. Some individuals possess a song of considerable sweet- 

 ness, but the usual note of this species is commonplace and unattractive. 



The last group of the family to which we shall refer is that of the 



w blood weaver finches. These birds have the tail longer than the wing, 



Finches tne i nner secondaries so elongated as to equal the primaries in length, 



the beak curved, and the nostrils entirely hidden by plumelets. As 



typically represented by the waxbill weaver finch (Estrilda astrilda), they take their 



