36



Sydney Porter—Wanderings in the Far East



Among other birds in the shop at Hong Kong I noticed a cage full of

Bullfinches. These were the Eastern or Japanese Bullfinch (Pyrrhula

p. griseiventris ), a bird which differs considerably from the European

kind. It is much larger, and has the throat and cheeks a bright reddish

pink, the breast and underparts a pale grey. It is a much more attractive



broken wings and legs, and most had toes missing. I found out later

that this was due to the birds fighting, as they are extremely pugnacious,

and it is impossible to keep two birds in a cage together, even of the



