CANARIES AND OTHER CAGE-BIRD FRIENDS 



805 



ored alike, but the young are plain, dull brown. 



Curiously enough, this little bird is com- 

 mon as a wild bird in the island of Puerto Rico 

 in the West Indies. It was introduced and 

 naturalized there many years ago, possibly 

 during the time of the slave traders, when 

 ships were bringing their human freight from 

 West Africa. I have seen them in the hilly 

 country of Puerto Rico in flocks of hundreds 

 that fed on ripening grass seeds on the ground. 



When startled they fly up to perch in the 

 limbs of trees, where as soon as they alight 

 they sidle along the limbs until they rest in 

 twos or threes, nestling contentedly close to- 

 gether. Their nests are untidy, domed struc- 

 tures of dried grass stems with ends projecting 

 all around. The eggs are white. 



Cutthroat Finch 



The name of the cutthroat finch I Amadina 

 jasciata) — which, though called a finch, is a 

 member of the weaver family — is taken from 

 the crimson mark across the throat in the male 

 (Color Plate VII). The female lacks this 

 character but is otherwise similar. The bird 

 is found wild in the drier sections of Africa, 

 from Senegal to Somahland and Rhodesia. 



Cutthroat finches are easily handled in cap- 

 tivity, and are popular in aviaries. They 

 often have a tendency to become darker in 

 color when caged, caused sometimes, possibly, 

 by eating hemp seed. 



Cordon Bleu 



The brightly colored, shiny bill gives the 

 common name of "waxbill" to a group of small 

 weavers found in Africa that are kept univer- 

 sally in aviaries. 



Among the more pleasing species is the 

 cordon bleu ( Uraeginthus beiigalus), another 

 bird of Africa that is a great favorite in 

 aviaries (Color Plate VII). It is sometimes 

 called the "red-cheeked," or "crimson-eared" 

 waxbill, from the red cheek patch of the male, 

 a mark that is absent in the female. There is a 

 closely related species (Uraeginthus ango- 

 lensis) of the southern half of Africa in which 

 the male also lacks the red mark. 



Zebra Waxbill 



The zebra waxbill (Sporaeginthus sitbfla- 

 viis), found throughout much of Africa south 

 of the true Sahara, takes its name from the 

 bars on its sides that suggest the stripes of a 

 zebra (Color Plate VII). It is marked also by 

 the bright-red rump, the reddish under-parts 

 being found only in the male. It differs from 

 the other waxbills not only in color but in 

 having a shorter tail. 



Common Waxbill 



The common waxbill (Estrilda astrild), of 

 plainer coloration, longer tail, and slightly larger 

 size, is also a native of Africa (Plate VII). It 

 varies somewhat in depth of color, there being 



several geographic forms, and also sometimes 

 changes through conditions imposed by cap- 

 tivity. 



There are several other kinds of wa.xbills, all 

 of them rather difficult to handle until they are 

 accustomed to aviary conditions. After that 

 they are quite hardy. 



Red-crested Cardinal 



All through Argentina I found the red- 

 crested cardinal (Paroaria cristata ) a common 

 cage bird, prized even in its native land. In 

 the north, where it is often called "Brazilian 

 cardinal," it is equally attractive. Its colors 

 are striking, its form jaunty, and its actions 

 sprightly, so that its rather ordinary song is 

 overlooked (Color Plate VIII). 



The birds are seed eaters that are regularly 

 kept in single cages of sufficient size to allow 

 freedom of movement. In aviaries care should 

 be used not to put them with weaker spe- 

 cies, as they are often aggressive and kill or 

 injure smaller companions. 



These birds are hardy and will stand con- 

 siderable cold. I have known a bird escaped 

 from captivity to live at freedom through the 

 rigors of a severe winter in Washington, D. C. 



Shama Thrush 



The sweet-voiced shama ( Kittacinda inala- 

 barica), of handsome plumage, a member of 

 the family of thrushes, is found from India and 

 Ceylon to Yunnan, Borneo, and Java. The 

 long tail varies considerably in length and often 

 becomes frayed and worn unless the birds are 

 kept in large enclosures (Color Plate VIII). 

 The female is gray instead of black. 



In captivity the shama is primarily an aviary 

 bird, as it is of nervous temperament, but it 

 can be handled in cages with a little attention 

 and often becomes very tame. Ordinarily it is 

 kept only by bird fanciers, as it requires soft 

 food, meal worms, and other similar diet. 



In its native home the shama lives in thick- 

 ets and jungles. This accounts for its shyness 

 when caged, as it is accustomed to cover and 

 is ill at ease in the open when alarmed. Its 

 beautiful song of rich notes is highly varied, 

 and it is said to mimic the calls of other birds 

 to some extent. 



White-eared Bulbul 



The white-eared, or red-whiskered, bulbul 

 (Otocompsa jocosa) is found from India to 

 the Malay Peninsula. It is an example of a 

 common type of which several species and sub- 

 species are found regularly in captivity (Color 

 Plate VIII). 



A closely allied bird from India lacks the 

 white tips on the tail feathers. Another, from 

 the same country, is minus the red spot on the 

 cheeks, and there are still others in which the 

 red of the under tail coverts is replaced by 

 yellow. There are some with yellow breasts, 

 some with streaked throats, and so on. All 



