388 Canar/hs AMD Cage-Birds. 



According to bird-dealers' phraseology, the entire hierarchy is represented in the 

 bird-world — we have a Pope, Cardinals, Bishops, Parson Finches, and Nuns. The latter, of 

 which there are four varieties, all natives of India or the East Indian Islands, next engage 

 our attention. They are all very quiet birds, and no doubt called Nuns by reason of their 

 sober but pretty colours. In size they are about equal to our Goldfinch, and in manners 

 extremely gentle and retiring, sitting mostly in some retired corner of the aviary, except 

 when in search of food. The song of the male bird is confined to a soft call or to a scarcely 

 audible twitter. They endure very well, require only millet and canary seed, with a little 

 green-meat, and perhaps, but not necessarily, an occasional mealworm or ants' egg. They 

 very rarely breed, and failure has thus far resulted from almost every attem.pt to induce 

 these birds to propagate in confinement, although crosses between Nuns and other Finches 

 have been obtained latterly, some by accident, others by design. Male and female Nuns 

 are alike. Their sedate habits frequently cause the claws of Nuns to grow very long, 

 and if that is the case and remains unobserved and not remedied, accidents result by the 

 birds becoming entangled and hung up. 



MAJA FINCH (Muiiia maja), MALACCA. (Illustrated.) 

 Sperincstes maja (Russ), Loxia maja, Amadina maja, Frinplla maja, Dermophrys maja. English dealers' name — White- 

 headed Nun. German name — " Weisskopfige Nonnen Amandine." French name — " Nonnette a tete Blanche." 



The Maja Finch is of soft chestnut-brown colour all over, except the head, which is silvery- 

 grey, delicately shaded where the neck joins the shoulders. As the bird grows older, the grey 

 head becomes almost white. An amateur in Hamburg has succeeded in breeding a number 

 of young birds from a male White-headed Nun and a female Japanese Manakin in several 

 successful broods. Some of these young birds were exhibited at the bird show in Vienna, 

 held in May, 1878. 



JAVAN MAJA FINCH {Muma ferrtiginea), Java. 



Spermestes ferrugiuosa (Russ), Loxia ferruginosa, Fringilla viajanoldes, Dermophrys ferruginca, Munia ferri<ginosa. 



No English dealers' name. German name — " Schwarzbriistige Nonnen Amandine." 



Similar to the White-headed Nun in every respect, except that the lower part of the body, 

 including chest and throat, are deep black. The Javan Maja Finch is very rare, and I have 

 never met with the bird at any dealer's. The Zoological Society appear to have purchased four 

 specimens in 1S67, and not to have received any since then. 



BLACK-HEADED FINCH {Munia Sinensis], India. (Illustrated.) 

 Spa-mestes Sinensis (Russ), Coccothranstes Sinensis, Loxia atricapilla, Amadina Sinensis, Lonchura melanocepliala, Spermestes 

 vielanocephaliis, Spermestes rubronigra. English dealers' name— Black -headed Nun. German name— " Schvvarzkopfige 

 Nonnen Amandine." 



The Black-headed Finch, or Two-coloured Nun, does not appear in the list of birds living 

 at the Zoological Society's Gardens, and is (as illustrated) of a rich bright chestnut -brown 

 colour, the head, neck, and upper part of the breast being deep black. The bird is almost 

 always obtainable, and its habits, food, &c., are the same as the other Nuns. 



BLACK-HEADED FINCH (Munia Malacca), India. 

 (Illustration painted from live specimen kindly lent by Mr. E. Hawkins.) 

 Spermestes Malaccensis (Russ), Loxia Malacca, Spermestes Malacca, Amadina Malacca, Dermophrys Malacca, Coccothranstes 

 Javensis. English dealers' name— Three-coloured Nun. German name— " Dreifarbige Nonnen Amandine." French 

 name — " Nonnette k tete Noire," or " Nonnette i ventre Blanc et Noir." 



Mttnia Malacca, or " Black-headed Finch," is the Three-coloured Nun, so called because 



