THE


Avicultural Magazine


BEING THE JOURNAL OF

THE AVICULTURAL SOCIETY

FOR THE STUDY OF

FOREIGN & BRITISH BIRDS

IN FREEDOM & CAPTIVITY



Third Series. —Vol. XIII. —No. 3.— All rights reserved. MARCH, 1922.



AVICULTURE IN JAPAN


By N. Taka-Tsukasa


(Continued from p. 22.)


The following Japanese Finches are commonly kept in cages,

and the Buntings are generally treated by the Japanese like the Soft-

bills, though some keep them on seed just like other Finches. The

Japanese Greenfinch and the Siskin are the commonest. Both are

very hardy and thrive well either in a cage or an aviary, and they have

a pretty song like a Canary, though they have not so many variations

in their song as the Canary has. They need more hemp in their diet

than the Canary bird and the Ornamental Finches.


The Mealy Red-poll, the Common Rose Finch, and Japanese Rose

Finch are kept for the sake of their coloration, so those birds which

are in captivity are generally males. They are less common and rather

delicate, but are very pretty birds, having bright rose-colour and

crimson red on their head, breast, and belly, and white on the wing.


We keep also the Bullfinch, the Japanese Grosbeak, and the Cross¬

bill for their song and beauty ; the former two birds having a very

sweet song and their coloration being also as pretty as that of the

latter bird.


We have sometimes a pretty coloured variety of Bullfinch, which

has a rose throat and breast like the European Bullfinch, but the

former differs from the latter in that the cokmr of the throat and

breast are rose instead of the salmon colour. This beautiful variety



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