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N. Taka-Tsukasa—Aviculture in Japan



food in tlie paste is t 3 q parts of the vegetable food, as this bird is liable

to fatten easily. The Japanese Wax-wing is far more common than

the Bohemian Wax-wing in Japan.


The Japanese keep Thrushes chiefly for decoy purposes, but the

Grey Blackbird is kept for its beautiful song. This Blackbird has white

on its abdomen ; the bill and legs are yellow. If it is reared from a

fledgeling it becomes so tame as to sing its song while it perches on the

owner’s hand. It is very fond of bathing. The Solitary Thrush is also

kept in a cage though it is scarce ; this is a very beautiful bird. Its

upper parts are blue, and the under parts are chestnut; it also has a

very good song.


We find also the White’s Thrush in bird fancier’s shops sometimes,

but this bird has no good song, and is also subjected to insect trouble,

so we must allow it to bathe constantly. The Spectacled Thrash, the

Chinese Jay-thrush, the Collared Jay-thrush, and the White-crested

Jay-thrush are amongst the commonest foreign birds imported into

Japan.


Another common foreign bird is the Pekin Nightingale, which is a

very pretty little bird, and has a good song. It is a very hardy bird,

and thrives well in the winter without any heat, and if we get a true

pair they breed well in an aviary. These birds are very tame and active,

and they often take seed as well as the paste. Sometimes the Quail

bird is imported, but in small numbers.


The Grey Starling is often kept in a cage. This bird becomes very

tame if taken as a fledgeling from the nest, and it will learn easily to

mimic the song of other birds and the mewing of the cat, but it is too

common in Japan to be popular as a cage-bird. Foreign Starlings, such

as the Malabar Mynah, the Pagoda Starling, the Rose-coloured Starling,

the Indian Mynah, and the Crested Mynah are also imported into

Japan. All these foreign Starlings live well in an outdoor aviary,

through the year.


The Hill Mynah is another popular bird in Japan. This bird is

kept by many Japanese for its excellent talents of mimicry. In Japan

there is no bird which has more excellent talent for mocking than this

bird, as the Grey Parrot which is imported also in large numbers is

a poorer mocker than the Hill Mynah, but the very small Green Parrots



