N. TaJca-Tsukasa—Aviculture in Japan



17



of protecting the bird from cold at night in the winter, and damp and

chilly air in damp weather, and against the mosquitoes in the summer.

In the latter case we place a mosquito net on the slide in place of

the paper.


The artificial nest is made of straw, a saucer-shaped one being

used for the Canary birds and a jar-shaped one for the Mannikins

and Waxbill, but I personally found, for the Canary birds, an unglazed

pottery saucer, called “ Kawarake ” by the Japanese, is more useful

than straw ones, and the jar-shaped one is unfit for breeding, though

it is quite enough to sleep in at night, for it is too small for the nest.

I use a small box for the nest of the Mannikins and Waxbills, and I get

good results.


For the material of nest-building we use generally a kind of rootlet

called “ Ivarukava ” by the Japanese aviculturists, and it is sold at

the bird fanciers, but a waste swab can be used successfully, and it is

less expensive than using “ Karukaya ”. The Japanese call the swab

“ Pawashi ”, and this is made of the same rootlets as “ Karukaya ”.


The Japanese bird fanciers’ shops sell branches of Niwatoko (elder)

for perches. The branch of this tree is soft and very handy for making

a perch. The old Japanese bird-lovers think that this tree is beneficial

for the birds’ legs, and often used the extracts of the branches and leaves

of it for a lotion, which is used for broken wings or legs, the injured

part being wrapped in a cloth which has been dipped in this extract.


We strew the floor of the cage with sand, and do not use other

materials for that purpose excepting old newspapers.


The cage, food, and water receptacles and other things which are

used in bird-keeping are obtained from the bird fanciers’ shops, but

food or water receptacles are also sold in china shops, and the parrot

cage can also be purchased from the ironmongers’ shops and the sand

from the builders.


The most popular and commonest Hard-bill which is kept in a cage

in Japan is the Canary bird. The Canary bird is bred in great numbers

by peasants and old men of the towns who have spare time, and, of

course, by bird-lovers. The most noted localities where the people

breed the Canaries are the outskirts of the city of Nagoya and the coasts

of the inland sea.



