THE


Avicultural Magazine


BEING THE JOURNAL OF

THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY

FOR THE STUDY OF

FOREIGN 8c BRITISH BIRDS

IN FREEDOM 8c CAPTIVITY


Third Series. — Vol. XIII.—No. 2.— All rights reserved. FEBRUARY, 1922.



AVICULTURE IN JAPAN


By N. Taka-Tsukasa


Thinking that some readers of this Magazine are interested in the

cage-birds of Japan, and also in the manner the Japanese keep these

birds, I am writing an article on the aviculture of Japan. For a

considerable time the Japanese have kept both native and foreign

birds in cages. Japanese history tells us that for the last 1.700 years

the Japanese Bush Warbler was kept for the sake of its beautiful

song, and that the Parrots, Peacocks, and Magpies have been imported

from Corea for over 1,000 years.


During this period many times we have had both progress and

retrogression of this art, and about 100 years ago it was at its highest

point, when we arrived at the present method of keeping birds.

During this epoch we have had many books on the subject of bird¬

keeping, and many foreign birds were bred and reared in cages and

aviaries, such as the Mannikins, Pheasants, Peafowl, Ducks, and some

species of Soft-bills and Parrots, especially the Temmink’s Robin,

the White-headed Black Bulbul, the Hill Mynah, and the Purple-

capped Lory, which were bred in outdoor aviaries, and it is said that

the Crested Sheldrake was profusely imported from either Corea or

China during this time.


The Crested Sheldrake is now so scarce that there are only two

specimens in existence in the world, and even these are only stuffed

specimens.



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