. [Articles about birds from National geographic magazine]. Birds. 804 THE XATinXAT, (;Ff)( ;R APHIC MAGAZIXF,. JAZZ TUNES INSPIRE A CANARY CHORUS Edwin L. Wisherd Rhythms hot from Tin Pan Alle\' set the pace for vocal outpourings of the dozens of canaries kept by a resident of Washington, D. C in a one-room apartment. While a canary inherits the general character of its notes, it responds readily with lusty song to the music of man>' kinds of instruments. Fox trots, waltzes, tangos, and even popular "swing" tunes played on the phonograph, encourage the birds to greater (and bette


. [Articles about birds from National geographic magazine]. Birds. 804 THE XATinXAT, (;Ff)( ;R APHIC MAGAZIXF,. JAZZ TUNES INSPIRE A CANARY CHORUS Edwin L. Wisherd Rhythms hot from Tin Pan Alle\' set the pace for vocal outpourings of the dozens of canaries kept by a resident of Washington, D. C in a one-room apartment. While a canary inherits the general character of its notes, it responds readily with lusty song to the music of man>' kinds of instruments. Fox trots, waltzes, tangos, and even popular "swing" tunes played on the phonograph, encourage the birds to greater (and better accented) efforts, according to this experimenter. which is not entirely certain. However, as they show plainly in scanty light they may be of help in directing the parents toward the open mouths of the young in feeding. As Gouldian finches live in nature in a mild climate, they are delicate in captivity and need protection from drafts and cold. In England they become acclimated so that they live out- doors in summer and under these conditions breed freely. It is difficult, however, to accus- tom them to any degree of cold. Nuns (Miinias) The group of weavers known to dealers and aviculturists as "nuns" or "mannikins" com- prises a hardy lot of species of small size with sturdy bodies, short tails, and strong, heavy bills. Ornithologists often call them "munias," Miiiiia being the generic name applied to them in science. Despite their small size, the birds of this group are sometimes shot by natives for food. For a nest they weave a rounded ball of grass with a concealed opening, hard to find, in the upper end. The various kinds are abundant in captivity and are easily handled. Four of the munias regularly kept as pets are shown in Color Plate VIl': The white-headed nun f Miitiia innja) is found native in the Alalay , Sumatra, Java, Nias, and Bali. Marked by the pure- white head that gives it its name, it has two shades of brown on the


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