20



N. Taka-Tsukasa—Aviculture in Japan



fifty years it was distributed in all parts of Japan, but still during this

time it seems that the White and Cinnamon varieties did not appear.


The Bengalee can be easily crossed with any of the other varieties

of its kind, or such Mannikins as the Sharp-tail Finch and' Spice

bird. The mules between this bird and Sharp-tail Finch, which were

hatched in my aviary, are similar to the Sharp-tail Finch, but the skin

of the mule-birds is always white.


The Java Sparrow is also one of the most familiar birds of Japan.

It is a favourite with the Japanese artists, and it is often painted in

pictures. There are three varieties. The first is the common grey

bird, which is the most numerous of the three, and every year great

numbers are imported into Japan, besides those that are bred in this

country. The second one is the White Java Sparrow, which is chiefly

bred in Japan, and the third is a brown one, whose upper parts are

dark brown, with white cheeks, the head is the darkest. The under¬

parts are yellowish brown, except the breast, which is the same colour

as the upper parts, and a dark-brown band runs across the lower

breast, which is separated by this band from the abdomen. Some

persons think this variety is a hybrid between the Java Sparrow

and the Zebra Finch. The third variety is the rarest.


We keep the Java Sparrow in a box-cage as we keep the Canaries

which I have already mentioned in this article, but we use a small

box for its nest instead of the saucer-shaped artificial nest. The box

is similar to those which are used by the Europeans for an artificial

nest for the Mannikin or Waxbill. This artificial box-nest can be

obtained from the bird fanciers’ shops. We have generally two broods

in a season.


In Nagoya, where this bird is chiefly bred, the bird fanciers rear the

young birds in the following manner : They separate the young birds

from their parents (either natural or foster) when they are about a week

old and rear them by the hand.


At first the fanciers divide the fledglings into two or three groups,

according to the strength of the birds, their diet consisting of a paste

made of crushed millet, dried river fish, and greens.


The fancier attaches this paste to a bamboo spatula, with which he

pushes the food into the birds’ mouths. The young birds soon learn.



