THE AMADAVAT 47 



It is the cage bird of India par excellence. Hundreds 

 of thousands of amadavats must at this moment be 

 living in captivity. The bird takes to cage life as a 

 Scotsman to whisky. Within five minutes of capture 

 the little creature is contentedly eating its seed and 

 singing quite gaily. This is no exaggeration. I was 

 recently out with a friend when we came upon a small 

 boy catching munias. We saw captured a fine cock 

 which my friend purchased for two annas. Not hap- 

 pening to have a cage in his pocket, he put the tiny 

 creature into a fold of his handkerchief and placed the 

 remainder of the handkerchief in his pocket. While we 

 were walking home our captive began twittering in 

 answer to his companions who were still free. If this 

 be not philosophical behaviour, I do not know what is. 



Nothing is easier than to catch munias. All that is 

 required is the common, pyramidal-shaped, four-anna 

 wicker cage in which birds are usually carried about in 

 India. To the base of one of the walls of this a flap is 

 attached by a hinge. The flap is the same size and 

 shape as the wall of the cage, and composed of a frame 

 over which a narrow-meshed string net is stretched. A 

 string is fastened to the apex of the flap. The cage, 

 with a captive bird inside, is placed in the open so that 

 the flap rests on the ground. On this some groundsel 

 is thrown. In a few minutes a passing amadavat is 

 attracted to the cage by the song of the bird inside. 

 The new-comer at once begins to feed on the groundsel. 

 Then the bird-catcher, who is seated a few yards away, 

 pulls the string sharply, so that the flap closes over the 

 side of the cage and thus the bird is secured. It is then 



