!1!| LM'TfltHinWfllJ4MW4Jilltt*l!i4'lU'IIMW:i]iIiTiTiI)Til'Ti1»Iilill!4!M(*llli!*Jt!lini;i'nM!llll^U'(Stit,1lu::'HIiM;t!r(M]{V SIGN BIEDS CAGE AND AVIARY. (PART I) - iiJI A ill! ;ifiart of my le.=s ambitious work* was almost out of print, and csked me to pre- pare as soon as possible, a more up-to-date edition, I suggested that we might as well do the thing properly, and write a book which should be practi- cally complete. This suggestion, I rejoice to say, was heartily approved of. Dr. Rufe, who published the great German work, "The Foreign Chamber-birds" (Die FremdUinditchen Stubenvogel), was the Editor of the German "Feathered World " ; therefore it is most fitting that the sister work in England should be published by the Editor of the English pa{>eT with the same title. Aviculture, or the study of birds in captivity, prob- ably had its origin in prehistoric times, for we find that all the more enlightened races of mankind (often wrongly called .savages) capture and keep their native birds as pets. The Chinese are probably the most ancient existing nation of bird-lovers, and it is quite likely that they were aviculturists a gre.at many cen- turies ago. Henry Oldye, in an .able paper upon the " Cage-bird Traffic of the United States," fays:— "The practice of keeping live birds in confinement is world- wide, and extends so far back in history that the time of its origin is unknown. It exists among the natives of tropical as well as temperate countries, was found in vogue on the islands of the Pacific when they were firit discovered, and was habitual with the Peruvians under the Incas and the Aztecs under Montezuma. Caged birds were popular in classic Greece and Borne. The Alexandrian Parrakect— a rlng-neckcd Parrakeet of India — which is much fancied at the present day, is said to have been first brought to Europe by one of the generals of Alexander the Great. Before this living birds had been kept by the nations of Western *TI\caiticles under the title of ■' Foreign Bird-keeping" were pul>lislied iti .March, 1S93, and issued in book form in 1399 and '.900. -Ed. Asia, and the voices of Bulbuls and other attractive singers doubtless added to the charins of the hanging gardens of Babylon, while in China and Japan the art of domesticating wild birds has been practised for many centuries." It is tolerably certain that the ancient Hebrews were aviculturists, for "a cage of unclean birds " is mentioned in their writings, and we are well aware that Peacocks were brought -over regularly to embellish Solomon's gardens. In order to be able to treat birds correctly in cap- tivity, it is necessary that one should be familiarised with the wild life, and therefore I have followed the excellent example .set by Dr. Russ, and have done my best to get together field notes upon the majority of the species. In order to do this, I was obliged to add considerably to my already fairly comprehensive library, and when a work upon birds runs into many volumes at one or two guineas a volume, it will be understood that my work is to a great extent a labour of love. One objection raised to my smaller work, "Foreign Bird-keeping," was that I did not give sufficient information respecting the feeding of birds. I thought I had done so myself, but, at any rate, I do not think the same fault can be found with the present work. Nevertheless, do what one will, one can never expect to escape scatheless from those reviewers who consider it their chief duty to difcover the blemishes and pass over the good points in the book under their notice. There is one gocd thing, and that is that even an un- generous critique brings a work into notice, and the public judges it on its own merits. I have purposely omitted a few birds which are not in the least likelv to come to hand nowadays. Tliey are cither strictly preserved, are becoming extinct, or are hardly ever "to be met with in the hands of native dealers, and their standing as cage-birds rests upon a single chance specimen captured and brought home by some traveller. I do not ctnsider it my duty to follow the example of the late Dr. Russ and include accounts of dozens of birds, on the chance that they may be eventually imiwrted ; nor do I agree with hnn that a bird is unworthy of notice because it is of sombre colours and has no song; it may nevertheless be a most interesting species to breed, one psrhaps of PREFACE. ■which the life-history is quite unknown to science. We .should study birds, not merely keep them as if they were mere luxuries for the gratification of the senses of sight and sound. In conclusion, I can only hope that this work will he usefiJ ; it is the result of many months' steady work, and embodies not only my own experience in the care of more than two hundred species of foreign birds, but that of many other strenuous workers. In order to do justice to it, I have had to refer constantly to nearly every book in my ornithological library, and this alone means tlie collation of interesting facts which cannot be got hastily together. A. G. BUTLER. The following works have been quoted from in the present volume ; — Andre, E. : A Naturalist in the Guianas. A%'icultural Magazine, The (Journal of the Avicul- tural Society) ; First and Second Series. Bartlett, E. : A Slonograph of the Weaver-Birds and Finches. Beebe, C. W. : Two Bird-Lovers in Mexico. Blanford, W. T. : Birds of Eastern Persia. Burmeister, Dr. H. : Systematische Uebersicht der Thiere Brasiiiens ; Vogel (Part 3, Vol. IL). Buller, Sir W. : Birds of New Zealand. Butler, Dr. A. G. : — Foreign Finches in Captivity. Foreign Bird-keeping (Part 1). Birds' Eggs of the British Isles. Hints on Cage-birds. How to Sex Cage-birds. Campbell, A. J. : Nests and Egg-s of Australian Birds. Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum (Vols. VI., VIL, VIIL, XI., XIL, XIIL). Catalogue of Eggs in the British Museum (Vol. IV.). Cooper, J. G. : Geological Survey of California ; Ornithology (Vol. I). Crawshay, R. : The Birds of Tierra del Fuego. David, Pere, and Oustalet, Dr. .7. F. E. : Oiseaux de Chine. Emu, The. (Journal of the Australian Ornithologists' L'nion). Feathered World, The (edited by Mrs. Comyne- Lewer). Gould, J. : Handbook to the Birds of Australia (Vol. I.). Heuglin, M. T. von : Ornithologie Nordost-Africas (Vol. I.). Hume, A. 0., and Gates, E. W. : The Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds (second edition, Vols. I. and II.). Ibia, The (Journ.al of the British Ornithologists'' Union). Irby, Colonel L. H. : Ornithology of the Straits of Gibraltar. Jerdon, Dr. T. E. : Birds of India (Vols. I. and II.). Journal of the South African Ornithologists' Union, The Layard, Consul ¥.. L., and Sharpe, Dr. R. B. : Birds of South Africa. Legge, Colonel W. V. : Birds of Ceylon (Vol II.). Miller, Mrs. Olive Thorne : Little Brothers of the Air. North, A. J. : Catalogue of Nests and Egg3 of Birds found breeding in Australia and Tasmania. Ornithologist and Oologist (Vol. X.). Ridgway, Professor R. : Birds of North and Middle America (Vols. I., II., and IV.). Russ, Dr. Karl: — Die Gefiederte Welt (Vol. IX.. 1880). Handbuch fur Vogelliebhaber. Die Fremdlandischen Stubenvogel (Vols. I. and IL). Sclater, Dr. P. L., and Hudson, W. H. : Argentine Ornithology (Vol. I.). Seebohm, H. : — A History of British Birds (Vol. I.). Birds of the Japanese Empire. Shelley, Captain G. E. : The Birds of Africa (Vols. III. and IV.). Stark, Dr. A. C. and Sclater, W. L. : The Birds of Africa (Vol. I.). Taczanowski, L. : Ornithologie du Perou (Vol. II.). Tristram, Canon H. B. : Birds of Palestine. United States Natural History Museum. Proceedings of the. Whitaker, J. L. S. : Birds of Tunisia (Vol. I.). Wiener, A. : Cassell's Cage-birds. Zoological Society o'. London : List of the Animals in the Gardens of the. (Ninth edition). Proceedings of the Meetings of the. ZoologiM, 7'Ac (edited by W. L. Distant). Foreign Birds for Cage and Aviary. CHAPTER I. Aviaries and Management. As regards the housing of one's birds, I still hold, •IS before, tliat for many reasons aviaries are preferable to cages. In them birds lead a more natural existence, for they have space in which to use their wings, to make love, marry, and rear families in comfort, to feed and bathe unmolested, or, if disturbed by their fellows, to dispute without serious daJiger. 'Ihese changes of occupation are undoubtedly beneficial not only in respect of the active use of all the bird's organism, but in giving a cheerful tone to its mind ; whereas a solitary caged bird leads a monotonous life at best, all its enjoyments being self-centred and unnatural. For breeding purposes the best type of aviary is one formed upon the general plan of some of those in the Zoological Gardens of Regent's Park ; but there should be plenty of trees or shrubs in it, and, if possible, long and short grass. High up in comers, or on plat- forms raised upon stakes which may be covered over with ivy, hop, or virginian creeper, bundles of rough brushwood should be placed, with nesting receptacles thrust here and there among the twigs. The aviary should have both summer and winter quarters of equal dimensions, though in the ca.se of many hardy species this is not indispensable. The winter quai-ters should be formed in an artificially warmed brick building, well lighted and ventilated, and should communicate by a sliding wooden door with the outdoor summer aviai-y ; the latter ought by rights to face south, the part nearest tlie building being roofed in as a shelter in rough weather, and both this and the building con- taining the winter portioh should be entered by doors opening from a glazed passage running along the eastern side. The open aviary will thus he protected against easterly winds, whilst any birds which may by chance escape into the covered passage can be captured and restored to their home. If, however, it is im- portant to economise space, the entrance to the indoor aviary must have two doors, the inner one -wired, with a small lobby between the two, so that the outer door may be closed before the inner one is opened ; by this means not only are the inmates prevented from escaping, but if it is desired to cajiture them for any reason they can be driven into the small enclosure between the two doors and easily secured by hand. The wired part of an aviary should be formed of lialf- incli galvanised iron netting, and punted outside with Brunswick black, or some inr.ocuous dark enamel. The entire aviary should stand at least a foot above the outside level on a foundation of concrete, having glazed tiled sides in order to prevent the ingiess of mice and other noxious vermin. 1'he furnishing of an aviary is to some extent a matter of taste, but for driidiing and bathing purposes there IS nothing better than a plain fountain kept always playing in a shallow glass basin, and running over into a larger bowl cnmmunicating with a properly con- structed drain ; the water is thus always fresh, and the purity of the surrounding air is maintained. As, however, this arrangejiient of running water is, as 1 know to my cos-t, very expensive, a tolerably good substitute may be provided by formi.ig a shallow pan of cement in the floor of the aviary, with a plug and pipe, to carry off foul water, let into the bottom as in lavatory basins ; this type of combined drinking and bathing convenience is, in a more or less modified form, adopted by many aviarists. In aviaries of moderate size, in whidi there is only space for a border and a naiTow path, plants in pots are frequently introduced, but a border of earth bounded by a smooth, and therefore easily cleaned, cemente remedy, but not .so effectual ; many bird-keepers give both combined. For simple colds and sneezing fits a little diluted glyco-thymoline used as a na^^al douche is excellent. Before using these remedies it is always well to give a mild purgative, five grains of Epsom salts for one day in the drinking-water for Finches, an in- creased dose or a little tasteless castor oil for the larger birds; aft<>r the cure al.so it is best to strengthen the patient by giving a little iron in some form or other. For egg-binding apply a little sweet oil with a feather to the vent, and pnt one drop into the beak, then hold the bird over the steam from a jug of hot water for a quarter of an hour, wrap it up in warm flannel, and place it in a covered cage near tho fire. In only one instance out of many have I succeeded in curing a bird of inflammation of the bowels bv THRUSHES. 9 strictly following the method usually recommended, and even tlien the patient was left so weak that, al- though for a day or two it even recovered its song, it almost immediately caught cold and died of pneumonia. Even the heroic method "of treatment, though rarely suc- cessful, is occasionally more satisfactory ; on several occasions I have added a year or more to the life of a bird by rwlucing its temperature with a sj-ringe, and once lengthened the life of an Indigo Finch for two years hy picking it up when in a dying condition in the corner of my bird-room and turning it out into the winter frosts of my outside aviary ; at the same time I do not aiivocate this treatment — it is kill or cure, and usually the former. Scurvy, a nasty and dangerous disease, I once cured in the case of a Persian Bulbul by increasing the amount of fruit and green-meat in its daily food ; probably at- tention to diet might arrest this disease in other birds. Imperfect moulting generally arises from want of nour- ishi.ig food and cuttlefish bone, and to chills contracted through insufKcient exercise or draught. Wounds .should lie anointed with vaseline. Broken leg.s, unless the frac- ture is a cle-an one. are less likely to inflame if com- pletely severed with a pair of sharp-pointed scissors ; ■but a .simple fracture may he bound up in splints made by splitting up a goose-quill. In order to prevent deaths resulting from quarrels, it is necessary to avoid mixing up birds of unequal strength and uncertain tempers. An aviarj- for Wax- liills and Mannikins may also contain Biehenos, or Zebra Finches, also Gouldian Finches, a Cflmbas.sou. and several Grey Singing Finches, with many other little birds of about the same size, but not Cutthroats or any larger birds. The smaller Parrakeets may sometimes ■be kept together, but not with ether birds. Blue Robins and I'ekin Xightingales, though very amiable so far as I have found (but not so in the exiierience of some bird- Ijeepers, who complain that thev seize tiny birds bv wing or leg and swing them about to the danger of both life and limb), should not be associated together or with any birds which are breeding; for, like our English Chaffinch and Brambling, they are inveterate robbers of eggs. As a rule, it is better not to keep British and foreign birds in the s.ame aviary; but Siskins. Gold- finches, Linnets, Bullfinches, and Reed-Buntings may safely be as.sociated with the more sturdy of the small foreign Finches, as also most of the British Chats and Warblers. Of the larger British birds the Song Thrush tind Redwing are the safest, and I have kept them for two years in succession with Blue Robins. Cardinals of any species. Parrots, and the larger Parrakeets are best kept separate, .and for breeding purposes one pair only can be safely put into an aviary. In addition to the penny nest-bags sold to Canary Tireeders, foreign birds should be supplied with plenty of hay, coarse willow-fibre, roots, wood-moss, and soft feathers; the mass can be obtained in any damp wood or can be purchased from a florist, and the willow- fibre is generally sold at fancy repositories for filline fire-grates. CHAPTER II. THRUSHES (Tunlid,>:). This family of birds includes not only the typical Thrushes iTiirdiiin) which are represented bv our Mis- sel Tlirush, Song Thrush, Redwing, Fieldf.are, Black- bird, Ring Oirzel, the Chats. Robins, and Xightingales, but also the Warblers (Si/Iviiiia). and Hedge Accentors {Accentorina). It thus covers most of the best European songsters, and some cf the most charming of imported cagebirds. The true Thrushes should be fed upon a good in- sectivorous food mixed with stale househola bread- crumbs and slightly damped, also small fruits, insects of various kinds in all stages, centipedes, spiders and worms; in feeding Nightingales and the more delicate Warblers the breadcrumbs should be omitted, a little powdered biscuit being preferable, unless already con- tained in the food ; and before going any further I would insist emphatically upon the necessity for both ants' eggs and yolk of egg in all insectivorous mixtures until an ingredient as nutritious as egg has been dis- covered as a substitute for it ; even then, unless the birds themselves showed a preference for this hitherto undiscovered article, I would recommend owners of birds to consider their captives' taste in this matter, for we know that yolk of egg is a favourite food of many birds both British and foreign, and that not a f;w seek the raw material in the nests of other birds, thus proving it to be a natural food. Many of the Warblers and otlier small Thrushes seem uncertain in their liking for fruit, but most (if not all) insectivorous birds ocea- sion.ally swallow seed whole; I have not seen a Night- ingale "or a Warbler do this, ihat I can remember, but true Thrushes, Robins, Chats, and especially Accentors eat seed freelv at times. The tvpicarThrushes appear to have been more freely imported into Germany than into England, [wssibly be- cause song, apart from phnnage, has in the past ap- pealed more to Teutons than Britons ; there is no doubt that all who take pleasure in our British Thrushes should find those of the New World and the Far East equally interesting. As I have pointed out elsewhere, the m'ales of these birds are larger than the females, with narrower skulls and longer and more slender bills. True Thrushes (TunUna). American Wood Thrush {Turdus musleUnus.) Upper surface grey-yellowish brown to cinnamon, middle of head more ruddy ; lores white : sides of head streaked with white; rump olive-greenish; flights and wing-coverts brown with dull rust-yellow outer m.ir- gins"; under wing-coverts white; tail featheis greyish brown with olive-greenish wash and narrow dull yellow outer margins ; body below white marked with triangular or rounded blackish spots; chin pure w^hite ; sides of throat towards chin with a dark spotted moustachial stripe ; breast washed with dull yellow ; abdomen and' under tail-coverts pure white; bill dark brown, the base and inner margin of under mandible yellowish; eyes brown; feet yellow. " Female noticeably smaller than male, according to Dr. Baird, yellower on underpjrts. Inhabits North America. In its wild life this Thrush is said to prefer wooded lowlands in the vicinity of water, and, although some- what shy of human habitations, it has been met with not far from buildings, in g.aixlens and groves. It is a migratory bird, appearing in the States from the end of April" to the middle of May, the males probably arriving first. The return migration is said to take place in September. It is much confined to dense scrub, its pre-sence therein lieing indicated by its re- sounding flute-like cries e-o-lie or hallolih, fwiiu-kiikii, and thesharp lacl: or tucketuchelurktluck, which is pro- bably an alarm-call. It sings high up in the top or on a" projecting branch of a tree, and its perfonnance has received the highest praise. It is said to be characterised by fulness, variety, and purity of its JO FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. tones, variability of phraees, and solemnity of sound. The song is continued almost without intermission from break 01 day until late in the evening, the only brief interval for rest being about midday. Nests may be found from the beginning of June, generally placed low down upon a densely-twigged 6tock or overhang- ing branch of an old tree, also in a dense thorn-bush, , or, rarely, on the stump cf a tree. The nest is like that of the Migratory Thruali, but the cavity is sometimes smoothed over with black earth and lined with twigs and rootlets. The eggs and period of incubation are described as similar to those of its allies. When first caught, this Wood Thrush >s eaid to be very wild, and some examples remain so for a con- siderable time, while others soon become tame and confiding. It sings in captivity from the end of Feb- ruary well into July, but it must be noted that in a cage many cocks will only sing very little, and some not at all ; particularly in a crowded cage will they not sing. They must be always caged alone, and even then many cocks only utter their call e-o-lie, e-o-lie. This being the case, it is hardly surprising that this Thrush has not become a favourite cage-bird even in Germany, but as an inliabitant for a large garden aviary it should be charming. Migratory Thrush (Turdus migratorius). Above olive-grey, top and sides of the head black, chin and throat- white streaked with black ; eyelids, and a spot above the eye anteriorly, white ; under- parts and inside of the wings, yellowish chestnut- brown ; the under tail-coverts and thighs, white ; the feathers, leaden-greyish at base ; wings and tail, dark brown, more or less edged with ashy ; outermost tail-feathers white-tipped ; bill yellow ; the culmen and tip dusky ; base yellow ; eyes brown ; feet blackish. Female altogether paler, top and sides of head browner, throat whiter. The young bird is said to be barred above with blackish, the throat white, bounded by a brown stripe running downward from the angle of the bill, rest of under-surface rust yellow, with blackish bars ; bill and feet blackish-brown. Inhabits North America and southward to Ecuador. According to J. G. Cooper, the nest of this species " is built at various heights on trees, and sometimes, as if relying fully on the nobler traits of hunianity, in a shed, stable, or even in a sawmill close to the constantly working and noisy machinery." He says that he has also found one in the cleft of a split tree which had been broken down by the wind. " Nuttall relates instances of their building near a blacksmith's ianvil ; on the stern timbers of a vessel that was being built at Portsmouth (N.H.); on a harrow hung up in a cart-shed, where three men were at work, and where they took refuge after the destruction of their first nest." " The eggs are four or five, dark bluish green, and unspotted. The nest is composed ouLside of roots, shavings, etc., then a layer of leaves, moss, and grass, cemented by mud, inside of which is a lining of soft, dry grass." " The Robin's song* is loud and sweet, but not much varied. Though usually uttered in spring, it occa- sionally is heard during other seasons, especially in fine weather, when the musician, having fed heartily in the garden or field, mounts to the top of a tree, and return-s thanks for human hospitality in the most pleasing melody." "Their food consi.sts chiefly of insects, especially worms" (a curious statement when one considers that thesse are not insects!), " for which tliey hop over grassy fields in the spring, watching and listening for the * ThU Thrush is known in the United States as the American Bobin. gnawing grub or earthwonn driven to the surface by ram, occasionally seizing one with a quick motion of the head, swallowing it whole, or picking it to pieces. They also feed much on berries, especially during winter, when they eat those of the iladrona (Arhutus) and even the bitter fruit of the dogwood iCornus). "Kept in cages they become very familiar, and learn to imitate various tunes and noises. ITiey live some- times for many years in captivity, and have been made so domestic as "to be allowed the free range of the house and surrounding grounds." (Geological Survey of California: "Ornithology," Vol. I., p. 9, 1870.) The song has been likened to that of the European Blackbird, but Dr. Russ says this is only true so far as the mere tone is concerned ; that lx)tli have the same splendid whistle, only the song of the Blackbird is more sustained and varied ; that of the Migratory Thrush shorter and more monotonous. DwAKF Thrttsh [Turdus nanut). Upper surface light olive-brown, becoming redder on upper tail-coverts and tail, wings also slightly washed with reddish ; under-surface white, the breast and some- times throat slightly bullish ; sides of throat and breast spotted with more or less triangular dusky spots, lateral spots at back of breast more rounded ; sides washed with pearl-grey ; bill brown, the base of lower mandible yellowish flesh-coloured ; eyes brown ; feet pale brown. Inhabits North America. Very rarely imported into the German bird market, but possibly not into that of Great Britain. Mr. Cooper gives the following account of the wild life : — " I saw but few of this species in the Colorado valley, where they seem to remain only for the winter, as I observed none after April 1. Most of them winter in the same parts of the State in which they spend the summer, chiefly south of San P'rancisco. They are shy and timid, preferring the dark, shady thickets, and rarely venturing far from them, except in the twilight, their large eyes being suited for seeing in dark places. They ieeA chiefly on the ground, running rapidly, and searching for insects among the leaves and herbage, but not scratching for them. Probably, also, they feed on berries, like others of the family. " About April 26th they begin to sing near San Diego, the song consisting of a few ringing notes. . . . Their usual note of alarm is a single chirp, sometimes loud and ringing, repeated and answered by others for a long distance. " At Santa Cruz, on the 1st of June, I found several of their nests, all built in thickets under the shade of cotton- wood trees, each about 5ft. above the ground, and con- taining eggs in various stages of hatching, from two to four in number, the smaller number probably laid after the destruction of a first set. The nests were built of dry leaves, root-fibres, grass and bark, without mud, lined with decayed leaves ; measuring outside 4in. each way, inside 2!50 wide and 0.20 deep. Tlie eggs measured 0.90 by 0.70, and were pale bluish green, speckled with cinnamon-brown, chii-fly at the larger end. " In 1866, at Santa Cruz, I found nests with eggs about May 20th, one on a horizontal branch not more than a foot from the ground ; another on an alder tree 15ft. up. After raising their young they all left the vicinity of the town, probably for the moi.ster mountains, where food was more plenty at the end of the dry season"- — T.c, pp. 4, 5. Dr. Russ regards this as a mere varietal form of Pallas' Thrush. He says that to his knowledge E. von Schlechtendal once possessed a specimen belonging to this form, and that in the course of about twenty years he has only seen single examples in the possession of THRUSHES. 11 the dealer Schobel, of Berlin, at the Berlin Aquarium, in the Hamburg and the Berlin Zoological (iardens. It does not appear in the ninth edition of our Zoological Society's list. Swainson's Thbusb {Tiirdus swainsoni). Upper surface olive-green ; orbital region, cheeks, sides of head, throat, and breast rusty yellowish ; sides of neck and upper breast with dusky rouner says of this species, which he calls the "Olive Thrush": — "Formerly supjKJsed to be confined to Eastern Xorth America, but of late years found farther ami farther to the west. This Tlirush breeds in the far north, more abundantly about dlave Lake, the Ijower Mackenzie, and the Upj.er Yukon Rivers. Like its congeners, it is an admirable singer, enlivening the woods with its melody. The nest is placed on a low tree or bush, and the eggs are blue, with numerous reddish spots" — T.c, p. 7. According to Hidgway, the song resembles that of the American Wd Thrash, but is not so loud, yet higher and silvery in sound. IJr. Kuss quotes as follows from Nehrling : — -"A con- fiding pair, which I kept in a spacious aviary, chased one another playfully for an hour at a time whilst they itlered their long-drawn melodious call-note. The hunted one hopped on the ground, stooped and kept her wings in fluttering vibration ; the other stayed on the })erch, behaving in the same way while it eagerly called " ; from w hich Dr. Russ concludes tliat both were females, yet this seems not to have been the case, since the account continues : " Only when one keeps it by itself in a roomy cage and carefully tends it does Swainson's Thrush sing fully and beautifully. In the course of years I have only had two which have sung out thus. One notices one thing about the song — that it is not suited to a small room ; resounding, full of variety, it sounds extremely charming, and one can only properly judge of and appreciate it when one hears it in the forest." Dr. Russ observes : " With us it comes only singly from time to time in the bird market, yet it has appeared several times at the great bird shows in Berlin ; more rarely it has occurred in the Zoological Gardens. The Berlin Aquarium formerly had it several times. Since the years 1878-79 it has only been very sparsely imported by the businesses of Reiche and Ruhe. The price varied considerably — from 8 marks (shillings), 15 marks, up to 50 marks per head." Dr. Russ also quotes the Grey-cheeked or Alicia's Thrush [Turdus aliciee) as having been far more freely imported than the preceding ; but he considers it would save trouble to consider them together. He says that, according to Baird, it is distinguished by its deeper and purer green upper surface, cleaily ash-grey sides of head, ind white instead of yellow orbital rings ; and, according to Xehrling also, by its longer and more slender bill,, longer wings, and greater size. Neither of these Thrushes is mentioned in the ninth edition of the Zoological Society's list, which is fairly good evidence of their rarity in the English bird market. T.AWNY Thrush (Turdus fusccscens). Entire upper surface rusty reddish-brown ; top of liead and tail faintly tinted with orange; loral streak white; ear-coverts ash-grey; flights and tail-feathers brown, edged with rust-reddish on the outer webs ; tights below white, washed with rust-reddish at the base ; under wing-coverts dull rust-red ; throat and upper breast pale brownifch yellow, the latter nuirked with small triangular dark brownish spots ; lower breast feebly spotted with grey ; rest oi underparts white, with the sides spotted with smoky olive-brown; upper mandible of bill brown ; lower mandible clear yellowish grey ; eyes brown ; feet yellowish grey. Female slightly smaller than male, otiierwise very similar. Habitat, North America. This is a widely- distributed species, but a shy bird irluibiting dense woods. When met with it is generally singly or in pairs, and even in the migratory season only m small Hocks. It is common in the woods of Wisconsin and most numerous during the migratory season in Illinois. It appears in the Northern States scarcely before the middle of May, ;uid disappears again in September. Like all the other Thrushes, its food consists of insects and worms, with the various berries which are to be met with in the American woods, especially those of the magnolia and, later, of various hollies. In the middle States many of these Thrushes remain through- out the winter, notably in the woods of Florida, but most of them emigrate to Cuba, Panama, Guatemala, and even to South America. The nest is built at the beginning of June, always near water of some kind, close to the ground among young shoots or in a dense thorn-bush, well concealed, and so placed that it is sheltered on one side. On a layer of di-y foliage it is constructed of small twigs, thin .sprays of hemlock, plant stalks, straws, fragments of vine-bark and bast intermixed with moss, and the cup is lined with bents, bast, and long hairs of beasts, but with no admixture of mud or rotten wood. It is a large structure, but not very neat or artistic. The laying consists of from four to five uniformly clear greenish-blue or emerald green eggs, very rar'ely spotted. The song of "this Thrush is most highly praised; indeed, Russ says; " Amongst song.sters more highly valued than most other foreign Thrushes." Nuttall syllables the song thus : " vihu, vihu, wich, wich, ivichu, vnchu, ivilile, wilih, widill. ■wililill," and says that one must be careful not to conclude that there is aiiy kind of monotony in this stanza. At times it is said to utter a mewing or bleating cry. Its call-note is jihu, and sharply juil, juil. According to Nehrling, the cry of warning is a resounding Ischiup and a penetrating- zup, the call-note wit. This bird was first brought alive to Germany in 1873, when the dealer A. Schobel. of Berlin, imnorted it, and, after that, C. Reiche." of Alfeld, introduced it into the ti-ade on several occasions in the course of years, but always singly ; but it appears not to have found its way into the Zoological Gardens of Ixmdon, Amster- dam, or Berlin, and naturally no oppor;tunity has been given to attempt to breed it in captivity. Falkland-Island Thrush {Turdus falHandicus). Head blackish, remainder of upper surface more- olivaceous brown; rump and upper tail-coverts grey- brown ; primaries brownish black, the outer webs with narrow paler borders ; wing-coverts and secondaries olivaceous brown ; all the flights below ash-grey ; under wing-coverts pale brownish rust-coloured ; throat whitish, with dusky longitudinal streaks; remainder of under surface clear rusf -brownish, -with the centre of abdomen and vent brighter ; under tail-coverts bi-ownish. with whitish shaft-streaks; bill yellowish horrr-grey ; eyes dark brown ; feet yellowish grey. The female is similar, but slightly duller in colouring. The young has the underparts of a rusty-yellowish fawn-rolonr and fawn with darker spots. Inhabits southern South America. This rarely-imported Thrush is said to be tolerably 12 FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AXIJ AVIARV. abundant at ValparaiGo, and also further in the in- terior in small tliickets and copses. C. L. Landbeck says of it:— "In the Cordillera this Thrush does not extend higher than the wooded region ; it lives in woods and shrubberies, by preference where it can get plenty of orchard-fruits, w-hich in summer form its chief article of food, whilst at the same time it also eats insects and, especially in winter, eagerly seeks for womis As a very lively bird it has in its bearing a great resemblance to our Euroi>eaM Blackbird. At the pairing.season it sings zealously quite early in the morn- ing and until it is quite dark in the evening. The eong is variable, entirely differing in individual birds, tolerably pleasing, and it might hold a middle posi- tion between thoie of its European relative the tiong Thrush and Blackbird, yet it is inferior to each of these European songsters, inasmuch as it is neither so full and powerful as the Blackbird's song nor so much modu- Jated as the song of the Song-thrush. The call-note is a protracted groog (probably in English grererg or f/rcrrg). The song may be rendered somewhat in the following words: — liwi, loj/a, griihg. hoi/c/i, titirh, djolii, ti'ii, djiltil, jo, djcill, zi/i, triih, liwich, jagell, jagc'J, Jioyeh, hoyeli, hodich, jnlie, etc. As, however, there is no better singing Thrush here, it is so beloved by the Chilians that they keep it in cages in thousands. It is the pet bird of'the poor, as they can easily obtain it from the ne^t .ind i-ear it without trouble. This Thrush, although it nests in numbers in the vicinity of human dwellings, moves about in gardens, and is rarely afraid of men, nevertheless rarely becomes tame in captivity, but always remains shy and nervous. Its movements are quick and vigorous. The nest bears the closest re- semblance to that of the European BIackbir.1, and even the eggs resemble those of this species. At least twice in summer it lays five to six eggs. The nest is usually situated in the gardens in bushes and on all kinds of fruit-trees, by preference in thick rose-hedges and orange-trees. It does much mischief to the fruit, par- ticularly to the sweet cherries, figs, and the like." Although said to be so common a cage-bird in Chili, Dr. Russ .speaks of it as one of the rarest species brought home alive. Mr. L. Ruhe, of Alfeld. imported a con- signment in 1889, one of which Dr. Russ secured. It has been exhibited at the Berlin exhibition of the •' Ornis " Society, has once appeared at our Zoological ■Gardens, and also at those of Hamburg and Berlin. Red-bellied Thrush (Titrdus ruAvcntris). Upper surface olive-grey, head greyer ; throat reddish white, streaked with dark brown as far as the chest ; upper chest washed with greyish olive, but the rest of under surface deep rust-red, under wing-coverts paler red ; upper mandible dark horn-grey (" brownish-yellow " according to Sclater and Hudson), the tip greyish horn- yellow, under mandible cleiirer ; eyes brown : feet brownish horn-grey. Female much more fawn coloured, greyer on back and under surface. Young plumage : Cro^vn with evei-y feather pale edged : feathers of wing- coverts with rust-red shaft-stripes and tips; chin and :front of throat pale vellow, spotted with pale brown. Habitat, South-east Brazil, Paraguay. Uruguay, and La Plata. According to Hudson, this is a noisy, quarrelsome bird : " It inhabits forests, runs on the ground in search of food, and when approached darts away with loud chuckling notes, flying close to the ground. These birds are also often seen pursuing each other through the trees with loud harsh screams. The song has a fai.it resam- blance to that of the English Song Thrush, being com- posed of a variety of notes uttered in the .same discon- nected manner, with frequent pauses; but it is, both in sweetness and strength, inferior to that of the English bird. As a rule, this Thrush sings concealed in a thick bush or tree. " The nest is deep, well made, plastered inside with mud, and concealed in the centre of a large bush or low tree. The eggs are four, pale blue in colour, and thickly sjxjtted with brown." (Arg. Rep., 1, p. 3). According to Dr. Russ, this is also one of the rarest Thrushes in the bird market ; it has, however, been received by Miss Hagenbeck, Mr. Mieth, and Mr. Ma:igeldortf in Germany, and has appeared in our Zoological Gardens.* UtTSKY Thrush [Tnrdus leucomnlas). Upper surface olive-grey, with a wash of brown on head and neck ; throat white, more or less streaked with brown, a clear white neck-patch ; middle of abdomen and under tail-coverts white ; remainder of under surface pale grey ; under wing-coverts and inner margins of wing-feathers fulvous; bill yellow, upper mandible somewhat brownish ; eyes brown ; feet horn-grey (" hazel," according to Hudson). The female is rather smaller, duller in all her colours ; throat pale yellow, with paler streaks and no white neck-patch ; middle of abdomen and vent yellowish. Young only distinguishable by its jialer colouring, the absence of the white neck-patch, as well as by the darker brown bill and darker feet. Habitat, Eastern South America, fr'om Cayenne to Buenos Ayres. According to Hudson, this "is quite common in the woods along the Plata River. It is a .shy forest bird, a fruit and insect eater, abrupt in its motions, runs rapidly on the ground with beak elevated, and at intervals iwuses and sliakes its tail, pugnacious in temper, strong on the wing, its flight not being over the trees, but masked by their shadows. It can always be easily dis- tinguished, even at a distance, from other si)ecies by its peculiar short, metallic chirp — a melodious sound indi- cating alarm or curiosity, and uttered before flight — in cn.itrast to the harsh .screams and chuckling notes of other Thrushes in this district. " Whether it is a tine singer or not within the Tropics I am unable to say, its vocal [xiwcrs having received no attention from the naturalists who have observed it. With us in the temijerate climate of Buenos Ayres, where it commences to sing in September, it has the finest soiig of any bird I know, excepting only Mimus triuriis.f Like the Englisli Song Thrush, but unlike its near neighbours the Red-bellied Thrush and the Magel- lanic Thrush, it perches on the summit of a tree to sing. Its song is, however, unlike that of the English bird, which is so fragmentary and, as Mr. Barrows describes it, m.ade up of 'vocal attitudes and poses.' The two birds differ also in voice as much as in nianner. Tlie strains of the Dusky Thrush are poured forth in a con- tinous stream, with all the hurry and freedom of the Skylark's song ; but though so raj idly uttered, evei y note is distinct ond clear, and the voice singularly sweet and fa'r-reaching. At intervals in the so.ig there recurs a two-syllabled note twice repeated, unlike in sound any other bird-music I have heard, for it is purely metallic, and its joyous bell-like 'te-ling, te-ling, always comes like a delightful surprise to the listener, being in strange contrast with the prevailing tone. "The song is altogether a very fine one, its peculiar charm being that it seems to combine two opposite • Dr. Kuss eminierated the VVhitu-tlironted Tlinish (T. alblcoUh) as a well.kriown Hrnzilinn cnpe-l)iril. hut he says it only comes by chance ami sinftly in:o the ninrket ; itKleed, he seems never to have met with it. It iR related to T. mjirfntiis. t The White-imnded Mockinp-ljfrd. a verj* henntifnl species iiiliahitln^ Porairuay, llie Argentine Kepublic and Bolivia. THRUSHES. 13 qualities of bird-music, plaintiveness, and joyousnefs, in some indefinable manner. " I have never heard this species sing in a cage or anywhere near a human habitation ; and it is prol>al)ly owing to its recluse luibits that its Excellent sung has iiot been hitherto noticed. Azara perhaps mistook the song of this species for that of Tvrrlus ruficenlris — a very inferior vocalist. "The nest is made in tlie centre of a thick bush or tree 6ft. or 8ft. above the ground, and is a deep, elaborate structure, plastered inside with mud, and lin^'d with soft, dry grass. The eggs are four in number, oblong, the grouiul-colour light blue, abundantly marked with reddish brown spots." Dr. Kuss says that as this, " like unhappily all the Thrushes, is only imported seldom and singly, or at best 111 pairs, I was very eager to be able to thoroughly observe the pair in my possession." It would seem, however, that he is not s|>eaking in his own j>erson, for he continues (Mr. Frank has written the following): " The birds were quite tame with me, and to all appear- ance thoroughly healthy, so that I hoped they would soon proceed to breed. They had a perfect propensity for bathing and also like€r and weaker tone, it is rather sur- prising to continue Dr. Russ's account and note how highly^it is praised by Sclater (presumably Dr. Sclater), and to see an effort later on (in imitation of Beckstein's attempt to record the song of the Nightingale) to reduce the whole |)erformance of Gray's Thrush to words run- ning into twenty-seven separate phrases, with appro- priate comments. One would think so varied a song must be the result of the carefully recorded utterances of several individuals, for if not the statement of Mr. Burghard must be a rank libel, and that of Frantzius a blasphemy only possible to a man with no ear for music. Blackbirds or Ouzels (Memla) Grey-wingki) Blackiiird {Meriila hnulhnul). Male, above black, with a large whitish-bordered dust-grey patch, formed by the greater coverts and outer webs of the middle flights, on the wing; under surface slightly paler, with greyish mottlings on the sides somewhat after the fashion of the Ring Ouzel. The female is brownish ashy, paler below, the wing patch red-bmwn with whitish borders ; bill, orbital ring and feet orange-yellow ; eyes brown. According to Jerdon, " found throughout the whole extent of the Himalayas, keeping generally to an eleva- tion from 5,0C0ft. to 8,000ft. It is tolerably common, but rather shy, and does not show itell in the open- er in gardens so much as the Neilgherry Blackbird, and its song is, I think, hardly equal to that the Neilgherry bird. I obtaiaed the nest at Darjeeling, made of twigs, roots, and moss, and with three or four eggs of a pale blue-green, with numerous light brown spots." (" Birds of India," Vol. I., pp. 525-6.*) Formerly this was an extremely rare bird in the trade, our Zoological Gardens being, I believe, the first to possess it ; even now I think the only specimens in the country are those hand-reared and imjiorted by Mr. E. W. Harper about the year 190i!. of which he gave me one specimen on February 13th. 1904. When the winter was over, Mr. Allen Silver having kindly obtained for me a healthy female English Black- bird, I turned the pair into a large garden aviary in the hope of breeding hybrids from them, but owing to the interfereni-e of an English cock Blackbird, which persistentl.v hung about the aviary and fought the Indian bird through the wirework all through the summer and up to the end of February, 1905, no attempt was made at breeding; however, with a little trouble we caught and ca^od the offender (which makes a very nice song-bird). About June 10th or 11th my birds built high up in the most sheltered corner of the aviary, the structure being formed of liay and twigs compacted with a mixture of mud and dead leaves, and lined with finer hay. I have no doubt that in the first day after the hatch- ing of the three eggs the young were fed almost entirely upon volk of egg selected by the cock bird from the soft food mixture, for they must have hatched out quite a day before I discovered the fact and began to supply the parents with abundante of worms and cockroaches; even after that the egg was always picked out and carried up to the young before the old birds hel|>ed themselves. I first heard tlie voices of the young on July 3rd, and on the 6th I was unfor- tunately away from home until the evening, so that worms were not supplied so frequently, and in con- sequence two of the young died : the third was com- pletely reared, but pioved to be a hen, and almost cf a uniform olive-brown colour. In 1895 a nest was built upon the top of the previous year's structure, and the hen began to sit on May 31st: the first youngster was hatched on June 14th, and I had to work hard to supply the birds with worms. As on the previous year, three eggs were laid, all hatched, and on this occasion all were happil,T reared ; they assumed their adult plumage about October, and proved to be two males and one female, the males black but much browner than either of the Ouzels from which they were bred, especially on the under-parts, and with a red-brown )iatch on the wing answering to the gre.v patch of the (riey- winged Ouzel, the bill, and orbital ring orange-.yellov, but the feet brown nearly as in the English bird. The female was very different from its sister of the previous year's hatehing, being almost like a typical hen Grey- winged Ouzel. When the Grey-winged bird fir,st came into my pos- session it had very little idea of fong ; but after a few months sjient outside it sang a very resi>ectable com- bination song, evidently picked up from the Song Thrush, Blackbird, and Wren. The young hybrids do not sing so well, their voices being much harsher. Per- haps with a deterioration in colour due to reversion towards the type from which the two ])arent stocks have descended", there may be a correlated deterioration in the character of the vocal organs, and a consequent return to a mgie_aavage and uncultivated attempt at music. • 1 have quoted a fuller account of the lastinB-hnliits from Oatei' cditiun of Hume's " Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds " in a paper puljlished in The Avicullural Magazine, N.3., Vol. III., pp. 246-7. BLACKBIRDS. 15 Yellow-footed Blackbird (Merula Havipes). Above glu.ssy black ; back, rump, ui)i)er tail-coverts, abdomen ami tliiglis slightly greyer; nikldle of abdomen and tips of uncler tail-coverts white ; bill brilliant yellow ; eyes reddish amber ; feet of a remarkably bright yellow. The female is dark olivaceous-brown, paler below ; bill lirownibh yellow. Young more dingy in colouring; the back, abdomen, and sides leaden-grey. According to von Berlepsch, thi.s bird is confined to the coastal regions of Miecies was mucli praisi'd by the owners of two spwiniens not for sale which he saw in cages. Ur. Kuss, on the other hand, who frequently saw an example of the Yellow-footed Blackbird in the shop of W. Mieth, at Bei-lin, states that neither Mr. Mieth (during the years in which he possessed it) niir he ever heard a S'ong from it, so that he was almost convinced that the species after all could not be a good songster. He says that it wa.s always in excellent plumage, and moulted without difficulty ; but he admits that it was not kept in a very spacious cage, and did not receive sufficient variety in its food — tjuite enough, in my opinion, to account for the bird not feeling cheer- ful enough to sing. Russ observes finally that while we fail to find the Yellow-footed Blackbird up to the present time in the records of nearly all. even of the large.st Zoological Hardens, the Amsterdam Garden alone has exhibited it. It is certain that, up to the publication of the ninth edition of its " List of Animals," our London society had not secured it. Chinese Bl.wkbird (Merula mandarina). Resembles the European Blackbird, excepting that it is considerably larger and distinctly paler on the under- parts ; the bill much stouter. Messrs. La Touche and Rickett published the follow- ing interesting notes on the habits of this Blackbird in The Ibis (Eighth Series, Vol. V., 1905, pp. 42, 45): " A very common resident on the plains,* frequenting gardens and copses, and, like the Magpie-Robin (Copsychus saiilaris), always to be found in the vicinity of human dwellings. The nest is placed high up in some tall pine or other big tree. It is built on one of the large boughs in a fork near the extremity of a branch, or in the angle formed by one branch with another or with the trunk. " The materials U!!ed are fine twigs, str.iw, dry grass, moss, roots, dead leaves, and a variety of odds and ends, such as human hair, paper, etc. These are all plastered together with fine mud in varying quantities, and lined with fine dry grass, roots, and sometimes pine-needles. The amount of mud used is often very considerable. " According to Rickett's observations, the female is the sole architect, the male sitting nn a branch near the nest singing, and attacking any birds that approach, especially Crows and Magpies, while he does not hesitate to swoop down at a prowling cat. The young in the nest appear to be fed chiefly by the female, but as soon as • In the Province of Fohkien, S.G. China. they leave the nursery tlie male takes his share in caring for them. Nesting liegins in April, and two broods are reared. "The eggs are four or five in number, and, as a rule, ovate, but vary a gocnl deal in shape as well as in (.olour. Forty (jne eggs average 1.18in. by .87in. They are blotclied, spotted, or si>eckled with various shades of red over underlying violet S])ots. The markings often form a cap, usually at the larger end, but sometimes at the apex. " Tlie ground-colour varies from pale greenish to bluish greeijL, whilst occasionally it is of a reddish tint." In his " Field -Notes on the Birds of Chinkiang, Lower Yang:-,e Hasin" (77ic Ihis. 1906, p. 625), Mr. La Touche says : " 'I'he Chinese Blackbird is very common on the plain, but appears to lie absent from the low hills and lower country at the back of Chinkiang. The natives re;ir it in cages, as in South China. It breeds com- monly on the plain from April to .July. Fresh eggs were brought to me on April 20, and sonie nearly fresh on .July 11, so that there are two or three broods during the year. A nest taken on June 18 contained six nearly fresh eggs. The nests, as in Fohkien, are built on the boughs of trees, generally at a great height from the ground." Considering that this is a common Chinese cage-bird, it seems strange that it should be so extremely rare in the European bird market. One would suppose that this large Blackbird would be most welcome both for cage .and aviary, and would be an interesting species to breed in captivity. Yet Dr. Russ .says : " It once arrived at the Gardens of Amsterdam, but otherwise hag nowhere come to hand alive." Another species said to be related to our Blackbird, but .smaller— the Silky-black Blackbird {Mrrtila alrn^cricfa) from Colombia and Ecuador— is reported by Russ to have lieen once received by the dealer H. Fockelmann, of Hamburg, who staged it at the exhibi- tion of the " Ornis" Society, in 1887, He gives no notes on its wild life, and I have not discovered any so far. Grey Bl.ickbird (Merula cordis). The male is greyish-black, wings browner ; axillaries slate-grey; outermost tail-feathers with broad whitish borders to the outer webs ; underparts blackish slate- grey ; middle of breast and abdomen white ; sides with large dark spots; bill orange-yellow; feet yellowish horn-grey. ITemale, olive-brown, every feather edged with greyish-brown ; sides of head, angle of lower- mandible and throat grey-whitish, streaked with brown ; upper brea.st olivaceous slate grey, obscurely Slotted with dusky; breast, sides of abdomen, and axillaries, bright chestnut; the first obscurely spotted with dusky ; middle of bre;ist and abdomen white ; bill brownish grey. Habitat, Japan and China. According to Blaklston and Pryer, this is a common breeout fourteen (lavs it la much more , likely thnt C»l. Marahall's eggs were Inid in the Brst week of April. So-called Ground-Thrushes (Geocichla). As with some otlier reputed ground-frequenting birds, these Thrushes appear to pass a great part of their time on trees or in bushes, rarely alighting on the ground excepting to feed. Like the typical Thrushes and Blackbirds they should have soft food, fruit and insects, spiders and worms. OinNCE-HE.iDKD Gkou.sd-Thrtjsh [GeocicMa dtrina). Head, neck, and under parts pale brownish orange ; chin and throat paler, somewhat whitish ; remainder ol upper surface bluish grey ; a small white spot on the median wing coverts ; primary coverts with bhick tips; abdonien becoming paler towards vent, the latter and under tail-coverts whiite; bill blackish horn colour; eyes dark brown ; feet lirownisli fawn coloured. Female duller, the back, wings, and tail tinged with olivaceous. Habitat " Throughout the whole range of the Himalayas, not e.\ceeson, writing from Kumaon, eays : ' I have never found this bird except jit 1.500ft. to2,0dbft. elevation at most. It arrive^< in our forests at the begin- ning of April, when the males b?gin to utter their sweet yet loud notes, and commence breeding ofwrations. "From Murree, Colonel C. H. T. Marshall tells us that this species builds alx)ut the beginning of June in the fork of a low tree about 6ft. up. Lays tliree eggs, pale greenish white, finely speckled with rufous-brown, forming a patch at t)ie larger end lin. in lenirth, 0.8in. in breaecklings and minute streaks of the same colour extend more or lesis over the whole of the rest of the surface of the egg, in some cases ceasing entirely, in others diminishing in frequency as they approach the smaller end. " .Some of the eggs of this sjjecies have a very fine gloss, and most of them are fairly glossy. In some the markings are brighter and redder, in others duller and browner. Dull purple markings are generally inter- mingled in the cap, and though this is generally at the larger end I have one egg in which it is at the smaller end. "In length the eggs vary from 0.82in. to l.lin., and in breadth from 0.7in. to 0.82in., but the average of a dozen eggs is 0.99in. by 0.77in." Hitherto this beautiful bird has not been freely im- ported. According to Russ, the London Zoological Gardens received a specimen in 1876, since which time he believes at least two examples were imported into London. Mr. Emil Linden, of Rudolfzell, at the Bodensee, obtained one in 1877, and another reached the Frankfort Zoological (Jardens in 1878; this Thrush was also offered by the Jamrachs of London in 1881 and 1882 at £3 ariece. Little is known respecting its habits in captivity. White-theoated Ground-Thrush (Geocichla ci/anonofus). Male — head, nape, sides of neck, breast and abdomen rusty orange, remainder of upper surface bluish or leaden grey ; the flights and tail feathers somewhat dusky, a white patch on the outer median wing covertt; and a white tip to the outermost tail feather ; lores white, cheeks and ear coverts white. cixKsed by two parallel brown bands from below and back of eye to throat, the first becoming somewhat feiTuginous at its lower end, which crosses the f^ide of throat to the breast ; vent and under-tail coverts white ; bill blackish, lower mandible somewhat orange towards the base and along tomium ; eyes brown; feet, according to Jerdon, fleslArown, but rejjresented as orange in the illustra- tion of Mr. Phillips's example. Female differs from male in its colours being less pure. The White-winged Ground-Thrush* is peculiar to the jungles of Southern India, extending as far as Goomsoor on the east coast, and to Bombay on the west side of India. It is most abundant in the forests of Malabar and Wynaad, but is not rare in the jungles * Jerdon'B name for the species ; but not at all a good one. of the Eastern Ghats. It prefers bamboo jungles, foed> on the ground, and generally perches low. Its food is chiefly insects, such as ants, cockroaches, and beetles, but not. infrequently also stony fruit. It has rather a sweet song, not often heard, however. Mr. Ward pro- cured the nest in N. Canara, made of roots and grass, placed at no great h'jight from the ground ; and the eggs, three in nmnber, were pale bluish, speckled with brown." (Jerdnn, "Birds of India." Vol. I., p. 517.) From Oates's edition of Hume's " Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds." Vol. II., pp. 98-9, I quote the following : "Mr. G. W. Vidal writes : 'The species is plentiful about Dapuli in the ycnithern Konkaii. It breeds in the gardens atxjut the station in June, .luly, and August. I have not myself taken the eggs of this siwcies, but Mr. A. Jardine. of Uaimli, who knows the birds w-ell, and who at once recogni-sed specimens in my collection, has taken a great many neats, and has given me several eggs. He writes : " The nest is made of r, in a fork about 11 feet from the ground, precisely in the same kind of situation as our Nilghiri Blackbird would choose. The nest, too, was very like a Blackbird's— a foundation of loaves and sandy clay, the main body of the nest com- posed of roots, intermingled with a fev,' twigs and a little grass, and the cavity lined with roots and slender petioles of the nelly-kai. "This nest contained three partly- incubated eggs. The birds were very shy. I visited the nest four times before I shot the male and six before I shot the female. Directly I approached the nest the bird noiselessly dropped on to the ground and crept away through the brushwood. When disturbing them I noticed that their call was low and sweet like that of the Blackbird when similarlv disturbed. " On the 9th I found a second nest, this time about 500 feet lower, at the foot of the hill. It was built in a loquat tree, in a fork about 22 feet from the ground, and was in every respect similar to the last, except that a little moss had been used in the construction. The birds were verv brave, defending their nest against one of those thieves of Crow Pheasants, and it was the noise they made that attracted me to the nest. Again I was struck with the great similarity of their notes to those of the Blackbird when its nest is being robbed. This nest contained four perfectly fresh eggs, of which I took three, and then watched the old birds return to the nest, when they broke the one egg I had left to pieces. They have, however, begun another nest in a jack tree close by. "Their song is never heard except in the early morn- ings a.nd evenings, and mostly in the latter. They go hopping about under the coffee trees and scratching up and turning over the leaves in .search of food." Russ does not mention this species, though he does refer to one or two others which have never been im- B 18 FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. ported. The White-throated Ground-Thrush has been imiwrted more than once. Mr. Reginald Pliillipp.s (The AiiruHural Matjazine, N.S., Vol. II.) writes a long ac-count of the species (pp. 179 188). He tell us that he obtained two males on tlie 8th Ootolier, 1902. and says that, -although a great deal on the ground and in low bushes, tliey are often on the liigher perches. They prefer to roost on their natural twigs, sometimes aboiit 3ft. to 4ft. from the ground, veiy often on the highest available spot." Contrary to what Mr. Darling says of the s;ong. Mr. Phillipi)s "say.-i " they snig from early dawn until nearly dark for fully nine months out of the twelve" ; and. in opposition to what Jerdon says about the song Wing He says that some experts during the summer give nothing but fresh ants' eggs, others rich Nightingale food and shredded tig.s, iind others, again, equal parts of ants' eggs and white woi-ms moistened with grated carrot. As I find that my own mixture, with fruit and insects, seems to suit all kinds of insectivorous birdJs, I .should think Russ's own suggestion as to the correct food is good enough. Common Rock-Thrush (Monlkola foxaliUs). Male : Head and neck slate-blue ; mantle darker, varied with blackish brown ; lower part of back white; rump bluish slate; upper tail-coverts l)right orange; tail orange, excepting central feathers, which are pale TiiK 1!(ickTiihu.sh. not often heard, he says " their clear, ringing voices have been cheering our hearts all through this dull, cheerless winter, are falling on my ears now as I write, and have this winter compelled the most captious of my neighbours, however unwillingly, to admire the glorious singing of the birds." In the bird -show at the Cry.stal Palace in January, 1905, Mr. Hawkin.s exhibited a .specimen of this si>ecic.<, a drawing of wliich appeared in The Fnit/irr'd Wnrh/, and it is possible that other examples may have been imported. Rock'Thrushes (Monliroki). According to Russ, these birds should be fed upon a general Thrush mixture and eight to fifteen mealworms daily, or. instead of these, on various kinds of insects, worms, slugs, berries, and various other kinds of fruit. brown with orange bases ; flights brown ; wing-coverts darker, more or less fringed with white ; under surface from throat downwards, including under tail-coverts and axillaries, bright orange; bill, eyes, and feet dark brown. Female : Mottled above with various shades of brown : upper tail-coverts and tail orange ; below buff, suffu.sed with pale orange and pale brown, less distinctly mottled than al)Ove ; thro.at and breast darker ; abdomen and crissum paler ; under wing- coverts and axillaries orange. Habitat, mountains of Southern Europe and Central Asia to South Siberia and China. It visits North and East Afiica on migration, as well as the borders of India and North Burma. J. I. S. Whitaker thinks it probable that many examples remain in Tunisia to brred. According to Mr. Meade-Waldo it breeds in suitable localities in Morocco. He met with it at an KUCK-THRUSHES. 19 altitude of 10,500 feet. (The Ibis, 1903, p. 205.) Three exampk's are recorded as liSN'ing occurred in England. According to W!iital\er, this and the following species are " true nioiiMtum birds, and rarely to l)c tound at any distance from rocky grouiul. Tlie rougher and more broken this may be, the bett<'r suited it is to the tastes and reiiuirenients of the birds. Wooded districts are more or les.s shunned, unless there should happen to be rocky ground also near at hand. The favourit* haunts of ' Montiaila, however, are undoubtedly wild mountain ravines and valleys strewn with huge boulders and rocks of every tiize, where a few dwarf buslies and an occasional stunted and wcatherbeateii tree are the only signs of vegetation." (Whitaker, " Birds of Tunisia"," Vol. I., p. 17.) Russ says that "in its behaviour the RockThnish resembles the typical Tbni.shes less than the Chats and Redstarts; though like the former, it is wise and pro- vident, lively and aclivi-. It Hies lightly and rapidly, generally in "a straight direction, hovering and circling before perching. It does not hop on the ground, but runs with tail wagging or vibrating with numerous rapid bows." (Fremdl. Weichfutterfresscr in " Frcmdl. Stubenv.," Vol. II., p. 168. i The nest is constructed in May or June in crevices in rocks and walls, often in almost inaccessible spots ; sometimes, however, in heaps of stone, and even among the roots of trees in scrub, or holes in stumps; in sonve localities among ruins. It is roughly constructed of moss, twigs, roots, bents, and blades of grass, upon a foundation of dead leaves, and is neatly lined with feathers and hair, or with fine rootlets and dry grass. The eggs are four or five in number, of a glossy, bluish green colivur, either spotless, or marked with a few faint brown specks, usually at the larger end. Ac- cording to Seelxihm, the colouring is similar to eggs of the Song Tlirusli, excepting that it is paler and the eggs are rounder ; in tint he considered them inter- mediate between those of the Song Thrush ajid Starling. With regard to its vocal performances, Seebohm says : " The song of the Rock-Thrush is, indeed, a sweet aiid varied one, and in those countries it frequents the bird is in the highest request as a cage songster, some- times the most fabulous prices being paid for b'fds whose -.nusical powers are beyond the ordinary degree of sweetness and variation. Its wild, powerful song is equal to that, of the Blackcap, and, for variety and tone, comes littlj short of the ever-changing notes of the Throstle and tlie rich finte-Iike warblings of the Black- bird. Its call-note is a peculiar piping cry, sometimes similar to that of the Ring Ouzel." ("Hist. Brit. Birds," Vol. I., p. 283.) According to A. von Homeyer, the courting of this species is conducted as follows: — The bird stands in an upright ]X)siti<)n, with spread wings and tail, which bejit upon the groiuid, with widely-spread back feathers, tlie head thrown up and backward, the hill widely open, and the eyes half closed. It lifts itself, flutters and flaps, rising aloft after the manner nf the Larks, at the same time singing loudly and powerfully, and then returning to its roost. Attempts to breed the Rock-Thrush in captivity have been made bv various aviculturists, some of whom have been successful. According to Russ. Professor Liebe, of Gera, first successfully bred it in 1871, and produced several broods. He quotes the following account in the words of that birdkeeper : " After I had bred Rock-Thrushes for three years in succession, I was able to attempt further breeding from the young. With the young females bred by me the attempt fell out badly, since none of them would pair up, to say nothing of going to nest. It is possible that the males placed with them had been taken wild and hand-reared, and there- fore were too weak for these strong females ; anyhow they always flew away from them. Thereupon further breeding was carrietB. It breeds during March and April.'" The statement that the nest is always placed on a rock in a mountain torrent is disproved by Miss Cock- bum, who took eggs from nests built high up in holes in trees both in March and July; while Mr. J. Darling, jun., remarks that "this species commonly builds in holes in trees." He says; "July 22. — Nest found near Kythery, S. Wynaad, in a crevice of a log of a felled tree in a new clearing lift, from the ground. Nest built entirely of roots. The foundation was of roots from some swampy ground, and had a good deal of mud about it. Another ^nest was in a hole of a dead tree 32ft. from the ground." Mr. Frank Bnurdillon writes from Travajicore : " Very conmum from the base to near the summit of the hills, freiiuenting alike jungle and open clearings, though gt-ncriilly found in the neighhourhooecies .... are broad, nearly regular ovals, slightly compressed towards the les.ser end, considerably elongated, and more or less spherical, and p\Tiform varieties occur. The shell is fine, and has a slight gloss; the groundcolour is pale salmon-pink or pinkish white, occasionally greyish white. The whole egg is, as a rule, finely speckled, spotted, and splashed with pinkish brown or brownish pink. The markings ii> BLUETHROATS AND MAGPIE ROBINS. 21 most eggs, everywhere Very fine, arc often considerably more dense at the large end, where they are not unusually more or less underlaid by a pinkish cloud, with which they form an irregular, ill-defined and incon- spicuous cap. " At times, more boldly and richly marked eggs are met with. One now belore me is everywhere thickly streaked with dull pink, in places purplish, and over this is thinly but rather conspicuously spotted and irregu- larly blcitched (the blotches being small, however) with light burnt sienna brown. "In length thev varv from l.lSin. to 1.48in., and in breadth from 0.92in. to lin." (Vol. I., pp. 124-7.) An exani]>le of this species first came to the London Zoological tiardens in 1876. Whether others have arrived since I cannot say, but must echo Ur. Russ's hope that soo.ier or later they will do so. BLUETHROATS {Cyanccula). Dr. Russ, perhaps rightly, omits these birds from his " Fremdlandischeu rftubenviigel." Of course, they are recognised as Euroi>e;in species, and the Arctic Blue- throat is admitted as a British species. The very rarely imported New Zealand Robins, so- called, are referred to the Chats by him. He does not mention the South Island species (Miro albifrons), of which four examples were presented to our Zoological Society in 1893. but he gives a very brief notice of what he calls the "Long-legged Chat" [Miro longipes), a specimen of which, ha tells us, was received by the Berlin Zoological Gardens in 1896. He says it is an inconspicuous bird, which in behaviour, movements, and song greatly re.sembles our Robin. For descriptions of the plumage and wild habits of these birds, should any of my readers ever be fortunate enough to possess them, I must refer them to Buller's " Birds of New Zealand " ; but it is not very probable that they will need to refer to it. MAGPIE ROBINS (Copsychus). Tek D.wal (Copsi/chus saularis). The trivial name of this bird has been variously spelt, but I have adopted Dr. Jerdon's rendering as being most likely to be correct. The entire head, neck, breast, and upper jjarts of the male (excepting the four outer tail-coverts, which are white) are black, glossed with blue excepting on the wings. The remainder of the under surface is white. The female is slate-grey above ; wings brown ; throat and breast ashy; abdomen sandy brown, whitish in the centre. Young birds have the upper parts brown, the breast dusky with rufous spotting ; bill and feet black ; iris brown. This species ranges over the whole of India and Ceylon, and eastwards to Tenasserim, being chiefly met with in well-wooded districts. Jerdon gives the follow- ing account of its wild habits; — -"It is generally seen alone or in pairs, usually seeks its prey on the ground from a low perch, often hopping a few steps to pick up an insect. When it returns to its perch it generally elevates its tail, and oft«n utters a pleasing warble. Though it frequently raises and depresses its tail, both when perched and on the ground, I cannot say that I have observed the Wagtail-like flirtation of its tail noted by Hodgson, or that it throws its tail back till it nearly touches its head, as Layard has seen. Towards the evening it may often be seen near the top of some tolerably large tree, or other elevated perch, pouring forth its song. I have always found its food to consist of insects of various kinds, small grasshoppers, beetles. worms, etc. Hodgson asserts that in winter they like unripe vetches, and such like ; but this is quite opposed to the usual habits of this group. It breeds generally in thick bushes or hedges ; sometimes in a hole in a bank or tree, and occasionally in a hole in a wall, or on the rafter of a house. The nest is made of roots and grass ; and the eggs, four in number, are bluish .rhite or jmle bluish, with pale brown spots and bioiches. Layard says that the eggs are bright blue, and Hutton that they are carneous cream colour, but these ob.servers must, I think, have been mistaken in the identity of the o^^^le^ of the nest. TTie Daj-al is often caged, as well for its song as for its pugnacious qualities, which, according to iIodgson,are made use of to capture others."' Mr. Hume observes ("Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds," Vol. II., pp. 80-81): "The Magpie-Robin breeds throughout India. Many resort during the nesting season to the Dhoons and Terais that skirt the Hima- layas, and to the lower ranges of these latter, in which thev may be found nesting up to an elevation of at least 5,060ft. " " They lay from the end of March to quit« the end of July, but by far the majority of eggs are to be found alike in hills and plains during the latter half of April and May. . So far as my experience goes — and I have taken scores — the nests are invariably placed in holes in trees, banks, or walls, or under the eaves of huts. I have never seen or personally heard of a well attested instance of their breeding in bushes ; but it is still pretty certain, from what Captain Beavan and others Dayal Bird. have recorded, that they do, at any rate occasionally, nest in such situations. " In the plains the nest is generally composed of roots, grass, fibres, and feathers, but in the hills moss and lichens are largely used. In shape the nest is typically a broad, very shallow, loosely-built saucer, some 4in. or Sin. in diameter, and with a central de- pression about an inch in depth; but they vary much, according to the shape and size of the cavity in which they are placed. Some are more regularly cup-shaped, while many are mere pads. A few small twigs, or a few dead leaves, may at times be found doing duty as a foundation ; but whether placed there by the bird or deposited by the wind anterior to the construction of the nest, may be doubtful. Five is unquestionably the full complement of eggs, although once or twice Jl have taken four partiall.v incubated ones." According to Hume, the eggs are greenish, greenish white, pale sea-green, or pale slightly greenish blue, streakilv blotched and mottled with different shades of 22 FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. brownish red, sometimes thinly, at other times densely, sometimes forming a cap at the larger end. Many of them are perfect miniatures of eggs of Merula simil- lima, and recall varieties of those of the English Black- bird. He concludes that they indicate affinity to the typical Thrushes and not to the Wtieatcars, as Ur. Jerdon supposed. This species was bred in our Zoological Gardens a.s long ago as ISTo ; but amateurs have not many oppor- tunities of fullowing up this success, the bird being still very dear in the market. Its treatment in captivity should be much the same as with the Shaina. It makes a charming and confiding pet. I believe the Rev. C. D. Farrar is the only private successful breeder of the Dayal or Dliyalbird in tliis country. The hen nested in a bo.\ in an indoor aviary, laid three eggs, of which two were hatched. These were reared on mealworms and "clocks," but both were subsequently killed by the cock bird. >Ir. Farrar there- fore decided that in future he would remove the cock as soon as the eggs were laid. (The Aviriillural Magazine, 1st series. Vol. V., pp. 146-7.) SF.YCHELLE.tN Dayal (Copsychus sechellaruiii). Male. — Blue-black, with a white longitudinal band on each wing ; bill black ; eyes brown ; feet black. Probable female a trifle larger than the male. Habitat, Seychelles. The habits of this bird are in all probability similar to those of the Indian bird. It is, in its native home, highly prized as a .«ong-bird, and also for fighting pur- poses, according to Dr. Russ. Hitherto, our Ixindon Zoological Gardens appear to have been the only ones to exhibit it to the public. Its treatment in captivity would be the same as in the case of C. saularis. SHAMAS (Ciitocinchi). Indi.\x Shama (Cillnrinrla marrura). The upper parts of this bird are glossy black, with the exception of the rump, which is white; the wings have dull black Hights, the outer tail feathers are tipped with white, the under parts are rich chestnut. Length, inclusive of tail, 1ft.. but the tail i.s almos' Sin. in length. The bill i.s black, the feet pale flesh colour, and the iride.s are dark brown. The female is duller th:in the male, more ashy blaclc ; the flights with narrower pale borders ; white tips to four outer tail feathers smaller ; under surface dis- tinctly paler. Occurs throughout all the uncultivated jungly parts of India. Jerdon says of it: — " The Shama frequents the densest thickets, and is very partial to thick bamboo jungles. It is almost always solitary, perches on low branches, and hops to the ground to secure a small grasshopper or other insect. When alarmed, it flies before you from tree to tree at no great height. Its song is chiefly heard in the evening, just before and after sunset. It is a most gushing melodv, of great power, surpassed by no Indian bird. In confinement it imitates the notes of other birds, and of various animals, with ease and accuracy. It is caught in great numbers, and caged for its song. Many are brought from the Nepal Terai to Monghyr. rhietly young bird's. It is the practice throughout India to cover the cages of singing birds with cloth, and in .'ome places a fresh piece of cloth is added every year. The birds certainly sing away readily when thus caged, but not more so perhaps than others freely exposed. The Shama is usually fed on a paste made of parched clienna, mixed with the yolk of hard-boileked. for feeding them ; they undoubtedly eat it when offered, but I know that they do el^u,^lly well without it, and [ am not at all siu'e that it is goi>d for them. I have found that butchers' meat, given to insectivorous birds as a regular article of diet, is apt to scour them badly. A very little now and again may be beneficial, by acting as a mild purgative ; and if for weeks together I am unable to get either fur or feather for my Jays, and consequently tliink it well to mince up a little raw beef for them, I generally give my other soft-food eaters a taste, but not otherwise. Of cour.-e a loomy cage and daily bath are necessary to the health and condition of Shamas ; without both they soon become ragged, dirty, and unhealthy, are a misery to themselves, and give no satisfaction to their owner. The man who cannot accommodate one of these delightful birds with a 2-ft. long cage has no buisiness to try to keep it. unless lie likes to leave the door open and let the bird please it,«elf as to whether it will roost inside or out. My bird on one occasion liad his door left open accidentally for hours, but never took the trouble to leave the cage. BLUEBIRDS (Sialia). CoMMOX Bi.iiFiiiKD OK Hi UE Robin {Sialia siali-s). The colour of the cock lilue Robin above is bright lazuline blue, including the greater part of the wings and the tail; the checks are duller; the under parts are bright reddish chocolate, with the centre of the abdomen, vent, and under tail-coverbi white; tail b.-low bluish grey ; tips of flights above blackish, tho.se of inner secondaries fringed with brown; tail feathers above slightly blackish at the tips; bill and feet black. The hen is duller, and tinged with brown on the head and )>eak. The young bird has the head and beak of a brownish ash colour, the feathers nartly streaked with white ; under parts mostly white, out the throat and breast greyish, streaked and spotted with a (lee|)er shade. The young bird attains its adult plumage at the first moult, but the bill shows greater baal width, and is shorter than in either j)arent ; probably that of male birds does not attain to the sleiiderness and length of fully adult cocks until the end of its second ycsar.* The Bluebird inhabits the Kastern United States, its ranie extending westward as far as Fort Laramie, Milk River, northward to Lake Winnipeg, and ifouth- ward to Bermuda and Cuba, though it is rare in the • ThH apparent inconstnncv in the prop*»rtion8 -">( the hill in full, coloured bkiiiB hni* led gcicntitfc ornithologists to ilnubt the vnlue ot the form of the bill ns n seiual dii^tiiic'ioii, but all broad-billed mates will be found to be small ; they are binUof the year. latter island. It is generally seen paired in the spring, busily turning over leaves, examining- trunks or branches of trees, or jjosts or fences, in search of insects, esj^cially small beetles, though it also feeds on caterpillars and winged insects of many kinds. In the autumn, when insects are scarce, it lives largely upon berries and small fruits. The song, as already mentioned, oonsiits of a low, soft, but not unpleasant warbling; the call-note is plaintive, and usually consists of a duplicated eoft whistle. The natural site for the nest of the Bluebird is a hole in a tree (in which respect it resembles our Robin), but it readily takes possession of a box hung up for its u.se by its American admirers. There is not the least trouble in getting the Bluebird to breed in cai)tivity. a box of the cigar-box pattern, with one half of the lid cut off and the other fastened down, being preferred to any other receptacle for the eggs. In its wild state this species constructs its nest of fine grass, sedges, leaves, feathers, hair, or other soft materials loosely put together. The number of eggs deposited varies from three to five, or even sometimes six; these are dull blue, some- HE.\I) of BLUEUUtD. Kills of Male and Female Blackbirds. what like that of the Wheat-ear. but rather shorter, and deeper in colour. Three broods are naturally produced in a year, and I have had three nests of eggs in one year in an aviary. Incubation lasts thirteen days, but as the parents feed the youn^ almost wholly on insects (which they swallow and disgorge again, whilst the young are delicate and unfeatheredl the task of pro- viding for the wants of even one youngster in an indoor aviary is no light task, as I found to my cost. On the other hand, the Rev. C. D. Farrar, of York- shire, who used to keep his birds in large natural open- air aviaries throtighout the year, bred ]51ue Robins freely and without difficidty. It is curious, as Mr. Farrar also observes, that the recklessness with which the hen Bluebird leaves her eggs when sitting dees not interfere with their hatching ; for whenever the male bird brings her an insect she goes off her nest to swallow it, yet the eggs almost invariably hatch at the right time. I have had several youngsters partly reared, although only one examjile in my aviaries ever lived to attain its adult jilumage. I bred the Blue Robin in June, 1890, and published the following account in The Xnnlngisi for April, 1891, pp. 154 6: — ■' My Blue Robins made friends early in June, the rock bird giving even.' inect he got hold of to the hen to induce her to receive his attentions ; the hen was very cuv, and refused his advances until the end of the first fortnight. The pairing was a noisy affair. BLUEBIRDS. 25 as the cock bird kept up an incessant shrieking noise, with his body elongated and his bcjik turned up to the ceiliii"; for fully half an hour beforehaiul and for quite ten minutes a-fterwaj'ds. On Sunday, the 15th of the month, the hen spent the whole day in carrying up hay to a lar^e deep box nailed against the wall ne^r the ceiling, and on the surface of this she formed a saucer-shaped depression, in which shortly afterwards she laid three eggs. Whilst sitting she was fed by the cock bird, but whenever he gave her an insect she in- slightly damped. I also gave them small earthworms mixed with garden mould in a large saucer, spiders of all sizes in quantity, flies, butterflies, motlis, chrysalides, caterpillars, a few mealworms, and beetles. One point in the feeding which I have not ^een recorded interested me greatly. It is well known to all breeders of both British and foreign Finches that they always feed one anotlier and their young from the crop ; they never give them food which is not partially digested, so that the young are fed not only on vegetable or insect food, Bluehikds ok Bluk Robins. variably left the nest to eat it. In thirteen days the eggs hatched, and two days later two of the young birds were carried out dead, and dropfwd upon the floor at some distance fi'om the nest ; the third bird was safely reared, and moulted into his adult plumage towards the end of August. The staple food which I prepared for my Blue Robins, and upon which they I)artly fed their young one, was a mixture of ci-umbled stale bread (two parts), Abrahams' insectivorous birds' food (one part), prepared yolk of egg (one part), dried ants' eiiijs (one iiart). and grocers' currants (one i>art),* • Groiers" currants sliould not be given ; tliey may possibly nave caused the death of the two young which died in the nest. but upon half-digested and softened seeds; but it was quite a new fact to me that soft-billed birds prepared . food for their young. Indeed, I know that our Robin, Blackcap, and in fact our warblers generally, Thrushes of all kinds. Starlings, and Tits, merely crush or break up the worms or insects with which they feed their young. In the case of the Tits this does not apjiear to be done, or, if fo, only in the privacy of the nesting hole. My Bluebirds, however, generally crushed the food, and invariably swallowed it, disgorging and swallowing several times before giving it to the young bird. If half a dozen house flies were given they would frequently swallow the whole, and give them to the 36 FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. young bird in one mouthful. The first time that 1 observed the old birds .swallowing the insects put into the aviary for the benefit of the young one, I felt much annoyed, as it wa* not e;isy work to keep up a supply of insect food, even in the summer, in the suburbs of Ixindon ; but presently I saw a convulsive movement in the throat, and the in;ects reappeared in the beaks ot the parent birds, each of which in turn earned the food to the nestling. The young bird left the nest when twenty-three days old. I had been led to suppose that he would resemble the hen, but, in addition to his greatly inferior size and sjx>tted breast, he was alto- gether of a far more cinereous tint. In about eight or ten days he was perfectly able to feed himself, and the parents then absolutely disregarded all his cries for food." I found that my birds were unable to [Kiss the winter in an outdoor aviary without shelter ; two Small shelters were provided, which were taken possession of by the parents, but the young bird, having no snuggery, died on the night of Det^mber 9th, and upon a post-mortem examination being made it was found that his liver and spleen were covered with tubercle. Dr. Euss in his big work on cage-birds includes cer- tain species of what he calls wood-singers, apparently Mniolillidce (a family related to our Warblers), which he says are kept as cage-birds in the United States ; but it seems to me that if all birds kept in cages in their native countries are to be recorded as recognised cage- birds there will be no limit to their number ; therefore, until these birds are freely imported into the Briti.sh Isles, we must ignore them. WARBLERS {Sykiinm). Bush-Warblers {Cetlia). Japanese Bush-W.uibler (Ccttia cantans). Above dull olive-brown, below greyish white. Habitat, Southern Japan, visiting Yezzo in the summer ; also Loo-Choo Islands. Seebohm says of this species : — " In its habits it evidently resembles its European representative, Cetti's Warbler, being found along the banks of streams and in brush heaps. It utters a harsh, scolding note when disturbed, and has a Wren-like habit of cocking its tail over its back. (Jouy, Proc. Un. States Nat Mus , 1883, p. 283.) Blakiston and Pryer state that it is a favourite cage- bird with the Japanese, who value it for its song, which is not extensive, though the few notes are sweet. [The Ihi.", 1878, p. 237.) This species has been exhibited in the London Zoological Gardens. MOCKING-BIRDS (Mimince). Typical Mocking=birds (Mimus). ConrMON Mocking-bird (Miriius poUjglotlux). This graceful bird is of about the size of an English Song Tlirush, but its longer bill, legs, and tail give it more nearly the aspect of a Wagtail. Above it is ashy brown in colour, . the feathers having darker centres; the under parts are white slightly tinted with brownish, excepting on the chin, and "with an ashy thade across the breast ; there is a pale eyebrow stripe, but the lores are dusky ; the wings are dark brown, almost black, with the exception of the less-er wingcoverts, which are coloured like the back : the middle and greater coverts are tipped with white. forming two bands ; the basal portion of the primaries IS white, this colour extending on the inner ones; the tail is blackish brown, with the outer feathers white, sometimes a little mottled ; the second mostly white, excepting on the outer web and towards the base, th© thirirack with darker centres and pale margins; l>i'nd ot wing white ; all the wing-coverts with yellowish ashy borders; flights clear grey below; outermost tail feathers ■white tipped ; whole under surface yellowish ash, the throat whiter; flank fe.ithers with dark sliaft streaks; bill biowiiisli horn grey; eyes brown; feet greyish brown. According to Burmeitter the ma.le may W distinguished by a, noticeable iiisty vfilowish tint, especially on the under surface, and much narrower, more i>ointed tail feathe.TS with longer white tips. The gromid colour of the femile is greyer, and the form of the tail featheis more obtuse. The young bird, according to von Pelzeln, shows broad paJe red- dish borders to the feathers of the middle and lower back, pale rust-coloured borders ecies ha.s appeared twice in the list of our Zcologiial Societ}-, but has not yet reached the Amsterdam Gardens. At a great exhibition of the Xatural Histon- Society at St. Galkn, in 1878, a single specimen was offered at the price of sixty francs.* * Nnss describes the Leaden-grey Mockiiig-bird (Mimufi liriduf) from Urnzil, and saya that it has only been brought home twice : by Pi'ince Ferdinind of Bu'garia on his return from Brazil ; and one example c; roe also to the Amsterdam Gardens. CAT BIRDS (Galeoseoptes). Amkhkan C.\t Bird (Oaleoscojtles carolinemis). Upper surface slate grey ; crown and nape brownish to deep black; wing coverts black brown with leaden grey borders, a large white patch on the w ings ; tail feathers black, the two outermost white- bordered at the tips or wholly white, the .-econd pair usually white- KiKitted on both sides; Ixxly below clear ash grey, the feathers of the sides tipped with leaden grey ; throat clear grey or whitish ; under tail covei-ts bright chest- nut brown ; bill black ; eyes dark brown to yellow ; feet greenish to blackish brown. Feniide rather en;aller, the white patch ts. Their food consists of insects, worms, fru'ts, and berries. The ordinary call note re.'iemblts the mew of a cat, but it has a very agreeable song, in some respects imitating the notes of other birds." Dr. Russ fills page after pnge with descriptions of this bird and its song, but the above gives all neces-sarj- inforniation as to its wild life. In The Avicultural Maqazuie, 1st series. Vol. 8, pp. 226-8 and 285-7, the Rev'. C. D. Farrar has given an acoount of his success in breeding Cat Birds in cap- tivity:—"An old Blackbird's nest was pulled to pieces, and with these materials the hen built in a bush. The net was beautifully conslnicted in three days, and three eggs were laid (which Mr. Farrar describes as exactly ref^emb'.ing those of the Hedge Sparrow in colour) ; the eggs began to hatch in about twelve days, but the young of that nest all died. About a week later the hen repaired the nest, and was soon laying again ; three eggs were deposited, of which two were hatched and were succe.ssfully reared. They left the nes-t when about thirteen days' old full fledged, excepting for the lack of tails." Mr. Farrar say.^ they can onlv be reared upon living insect food ; he does not say -whether he tried the parents with carth- wotms; but judging from my experience of the various Thrushes, both wild and in captivity. I should imagine that the.^e would have been acceptable. MOCK=THRUSHES. Browx Mock-Thrtsh (Ilarpurhynchus rufus). Male above yellowish to clear brownish red ; head and sides of neck "clear reddish yellow; lores and eyebrow- stripe deeper yellowish red ; a moustachial stripe from the lower mandible formed of the characteristic Thrush- like triangular spots; wings rust-rsd, with one darker and two Tighter transverse bands ; flights brown, with darker margins to the inner webs ; miildle and greater coverts with the outer portions brownish black, and a terminal yellowish white spot (forming the two pale bands) ; under wing-coverts reddish brown ; tail-feathers washed with the same colour, but tipped with whiti.=h; 28 FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. a spot on lower mandible; threat, middle of abdomen and under tail-coverts white ; remainder of under surface more reddish ; throat, breast, and sides with dark brown shaft-siKjts ; bill black, under-niaiidible paler ; eyes brilliant yellow ; feet dull flesh-coloured. The female is generally of a duller oo'our. Young birds resembling the old, but frequently with darker streaking on the back. Habitat, Eastern North America to Missouri ; and, according to Nehrling, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rocky Mountains. Though an inhabitant of dense forests, this bird is said to be nervous of mankind ; it delights in woods with thick undergrowth, amongst which it seeks for food upoti the ground. It rarely flies to the top of high trees to sing, like many other Thrushes, but seems to prefer open bush. It is chiefly insectivorous, but at times feeds on berries, wild cherries and the like. Net being a gregarious species, the Brown Mock- Thrush or " Thrasher," as it is sometimes called, is usually met with singly or in p.%irs, though ocoasionally in small flocks (perhaps family partias). At the beginning of October it migrates southwards in this f.ishion to the southern States bounding the Gulf of Mexico. In Texas, especially, it passes the winter in considerable numbers. Its nesting season begins towards the end of May, the site for the nest being generally some thorny bush ; both sexes assist in the con- struction, which occupies about four or five days. It is generally placed upon a foundation of coarse twigs, stalks, and fibres, or a heap of dead leaves, and is con- structed of grasses, stalks, bents a.id leaves mixed with clay, and lined with finer grasses. The clutch consists of four, sometimes five, eggs, which are incubated by the hen alone for from thirteen to fourteen days, the "cock keeping guard. The song of this species is highly praised, and great trouble has been taken to render it into words. Dr. Kuss has about three lines devoted to part of the song ; but it seems to me that in the case of a Mocking Bird, the song of which must necessarUy vary considerably in individuals, it is of little use to write down the utter- ances of a single specimen. It is often heard from fairly high up in a tree, or even from the top of a telegraph post, sitting perfectly still without changing position or indulging in the marvellous leaps and movements characteristic of the ordinary Mocking Bird or Cat Bird. This is a rarely imported species, but the German dealers, ^chobel and Reiche, have occasionally received single examples. It has found its way to our Zoological Gardens, to those of Amsterdam, .and to the Berlin Aquarium. Captain Beelitz, of Leipsic, and Dr. Golz have also kept specimens in cages. Respecting the White-eyed Mock-Thrush (Cichlhcr- minia dcnsiroslrix), a specimen of which was presented to our Lo.ndon Zoological Gardens in 1885, I think I need take no notice ; it is so rare as a cage-bird that even Dr. Kuss (who mentions many species which have not yet come to hand, but which he thinks likely to be imported) takes no notice whatever of it. It inhabits the Antilles. TAolhrix and M<>>ia, which, to my mind, show distinct indications of relationship to theAccentors(^cccji(orimi) are referred in the Zoological Society's list to the Tits (/ aridm) ; in the British Museum " Catalogue of Birds " they do not stand very far from Accentor, being only separated by one small genus. I .Oiall therefore con:"- mence the next group with Liolhrix. CHAPTER III. TIT^LIKE BIRDS {Parida). Accentorine Tits (Ltotricfiina:) * Thk Pkki.v Nighting.vle {Liolhrix luleus). The Red-billed Liothrix is not only one of the most beautiful, most lively, and yet most confiding of cage-birds, but is unquestionably one of the finest of foreign songsters. Those who speak disparagingly of the musical capacity of Liothrix have certainly never heard a good one ; perhaps have never heard anything Head and Bills of Pekin Nightingale. beyond the short phrase which is the male bird's answer to the female call-note. I have had alt-ogetlier some thirty -eight to forty, so that I am in a position to speak authoritatively on this point. The general colour of the upper surface in this bird is olive-green ; the forehead and crown are tinged with yellow, and the longer tail-coverts ar« tipped with white; the middle pair of tail-feathers and the outer webs of the remainder are black, the iunsr webs brown ; primaries edged with yellow, which in all but the two outermost ones is replaced by vermilion towards the base ; secondaries glistening blue-black, with a patch of saflfron-yellow near the base of the outer web of each; lores and space inclosing eye form an elliptical yellow patch, in .young birds this j)atch is only represented by a greyish zone round the eye ; ear-coverts silver-grey; a mouetachial streak, blackish at the base, but shading into smoky olivaceous, and expanding on each side of the throat ; chin and throat bright golden-yellow, deepening into orange on the front of the breast ; remainder of under parts with thS centre yellowish, fading to whitish, and becoming pure white on the under taif-coverts ; the sides ash-grey, washed on the breast with olivaceous. The bill in young birds is oringe-ochreous, but in adults is coral -red. sometimes blackish at bate of upper mandible, and yellowish round the edges of the subterminal notch ;" the feet flesh coloured or rose-reddish ; the iris brown. I have always found the female of this species very difficult to distinguish from the male, owing to the great variation which exists in different individuals of that (-ex ; the differences which I gave in " Foreign Bird-Keeping," p. 12, for the most part do not hold good with the larger and more briirhtly-coloured hens. Of course, a bird with gravel-red inste'ad of vermilion on the outer edge of the primaries, with pale yellow chin and throat and duller bill, is sure to be a female; but there are females nearly, if not quite, as large as • According to some ornithologists thesa birds belonK to the CraUropodida. /^'Mm^^' 'W^>y 30 FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. males, which cannot be distinguished by these charac- teristics. The oiilv difference which appears to be constiiit, apart from the song, is the bright yellow elliptical patch enclosing the eye of the male, which in the female is either ashy or creamy-whitish. This seems to me likely to be the character by which the birds recognise one another's t:ex ; but the made always answers the monotonous call ■not.;' of the female by a short song of from seven to nine syllables. Tlie Liothrix inhabits the Himalayas at an elevation of from 5.00O to 8,000 ft., and from Simla it pas^es eastward to China. With such a range the trivial name Pekin Nightingale convejs a false impression ; but it is in 3uch general use that it is of little use to protest against it. In its native haunts this si)ecies usually frequents dense thickets and the underwood which" springs up in the cleared parts of the forest, and is usually seen in parties of five or .'ix individuals. It is naturally a shy bird, usually avoiding obs-jrvation, and therefore the" facility with which it b?comes tame and learns to tly to its owner for mealworni.s in the aviarv is the more remarkable. Its food consists of fruits", berries, seeds, and insects. According to scientific writers, its call-note is a chattering sound, but tJiis is a mistake. The chattering is a sign of dis- pleasure either at being disturbed or at missing some favourite article of food. A net introduced into the aviary, or a new bird, the failure to give a mealworm or spider when it was exjiecled, will all produce this form of bad language, in which both sexes will join ■with equal vigour. Naturally, this bird builds a cup- shaped nest of mo^s and dry leaves, bound together with grass and roots, in some leafy bush at no great height" from the ground. From descriptions given in Hume's " Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds," it would seem that the nest is generally deep, and is fixed in a fork and attached to three or four of the slender prongs or twigs. In the aviary it will either build in a bush or a cigar nest-box. It generally lays three eggs, rarely four, of a pale green tint, ^polled and otherwise "marked with red, purple, and brown, and incubation lasts about thirteen days. The Liothrix is very fond of bathing, and therefore every facility sho"uld be provided for this healthful amusement, in which I have seen mv birds indulge at short intervals thrrm-'hout the dav "during the hot weather. With regard to food, the more variety the better, whether as a mi.\ture or separately ; banana.-;, oranges, or seed will be eaten greedily, boiled rice sparingly, poUto, dry bread-crumbs, egg-food, and ants' eggs freely, grated carrot with less fatisfaction, insects greedily. Mr. Keulemans, who bred this species in a conservatory, told me that as soon as the young left the nest there was a general battle, in which both old and young pecked out one another's eyes, so that the majority were maimed. This «cems a curious thing, considering that many pairs may be frequently seen living in amity ; neither Dr. Russ nor Herr Wiener appear to have had such an experience. Once or twice my birds have carried a little nesting material into a box, but have made no further attempt at breeding. As a rule, however, I have not found the hens anything like so long-lived as the cocks, althougli two which I still possess as I write have already been in my possession for about seven years, and look like living some time yet. My first male Pekin Nightinga.le died early in 1898, haviiig been in my possession for upwards "of ten years. I lost my second male on the oiK-ning day of the Crystal Palace Bird Show in the same year." He was in perfect plumage, and singing loudly to within half-an-hour of his death, which resulted from disease of the heart, all his other organs being perfectly healthy. Without exception, this was the finest songster which I ever jiossessed, its ringing Hute-like notes being clearly audible all over the house. One of this bird's phrase* sounded exactly like " Here's your ginger-beer here, Teddy; 50 it is (ierty"; but more fi'ef|uently he stopped at " so it is," and sometimes he rattled on into a much longer but untranslatable song. By repeating the words to this bird I could almost always get him to .«ing them, much to the amusement and delight of visitors. He, however, had another more varied, fuller, and longer song, which I could only induce him to sing when I wanted it by repeating the monotonous and almost metallic hen- call in the usual high ntte, and then whistling it a little lower. The song of the Liothrix more nearly resembles that of the Blackcap than of any other British bird, but it is more rapid, and fretiuently quite a*, loud as that ol the Blackbird. When in full form, this bird will sing almost incessantly for hours together; but at other times, if it hears the call of tlie hen, it will repeat one or other of its usual brief answers — " Choo, chon ; achoo}/, tdc/ioo" : or ''f'hon, chno : achoo;/, chooy ; chi'O- ehon" ; both of which, from the measured manner in which they are uttered, can be at once recognised as mere musical calls, utterly apart from the full joyous warbling of the species. Under the name of Linl/iri.r Dr. Russ gives descrip- tions of Sivrt ryanurnptfra, Mf-^ia arqrntauri^, Minln igTiitlnrfii, Siffi])(ini-'< ruManirepi^^ JAnjifiruf^ rhri/ateu.^, and J'ro/ianix vini pcrtw!, of which only the first two have been imported as cage-birds : this is catering for a future generation with a vengeance. Silver-eared Mesia {Mesin arganlauris). Male. — Head black ; forehead, chin, and throat golden cadmium yellow ; ear coverts silky-white ; nape golden cadmium yellow shading into the green of the middle- back ; remainder of back, wing-coverts, and greater part of inner half of wing olive-green or greenish-slate; primaries internally similar, but externally golden- cadmium, fading into clearer yellow and with a con- spicuous crimson patch at the base ; upper and under tail-coverts crimson ; tail olive-greenish, with the lateral feathers yellow externally ; breast brilliant golden yellow, continuous with that of the throat: abdomen olivaceous; bill bright yellow; feet flesh vellow ; iris of eye (according to Jerdon, brown) as figured by Mr. Gronvold from living examples, yellow. The female has the forehead yellower, less^ orange, and the upper and under tail-coverts orange instead of crimson (as pointed out bv Hodu.^on. but contradicted by Jerdonl. Hab. " Eastern Himalayas, throughout the hills of North-Eastern Bengal and Burmah to Ten- asserim." (Brit. Mus. Cat. VII., p. 645.) The following notes on the nesting of this species are from Gates's edition of Hume's " Nests and Eggs," Vol. I., p. 160: — "According to Mr. H<:dgson's notes, the Silver-eared Mesia breeds in the lowlands of Nepal, laying in May and June. The nest is placed in a bushy tree, between two or three thin twigs, to which it is attached. It i-i composed of dry bamboo and other leaves, thin grass-roots and moss, and is lined inside with fine roots. Three or four eggs are laid ; one of theee is figured as a broad oval, much pointed towards one end, measuring 0.8 by 0.6, having a pale green ground with a few brownifh-red specks, and a close circle of sjKits of the same colour round the large end." "From Sikhim, Mr. Gammie writes: — 'I have taken about half a dozen nests of this bird. They closely SILVER EAKED MESIAS. 31 i-eaenible those of Liolhrix lutea in size and structure, and are similarly situated, but instead of having the egg cavity lined with dark-coloured material, as that species has, all I found had light-colourod linings; such was even the case with one nest I found within three or four yards of a nest of the other species." " The eggs are usually four in number.' " " Other eggs found by Mr. Gammie correspond with tho.-o given me by Dr. Jeidon. They are as like the eggs of L. lutea as they cm possibly be, and if there is Phillipps's possession went to nest five times in his giii'den aviary, nearly, but never quite successfully rear- ing young. He has published a most interesting account of his exi)erience, illustrated by a beautiful coloured plate of the two birds and an uncolourod plate of nests and egg, in 77ic Arirultiinil Mai/aziiu-, 2nd serie.«. Vol. I., pp. 379-390, and Vol. II., pp. 36-45. The young of the first nest were fed from the crop on mealworms, small cockroaches, and wasp-grubs, and Mr. Phillipps thinks that "a garden of earwigs, wuodlice, ants, etc.. BLU£-\VINGEU Siv.vs. any difference, it consists in the markings of the present species being as a body smaller and more speckled than those of L. lutea." "The six eggs that I have vary in length from 0.82 to 0.9, and in breadth from 0.6 to 0.65." In its general habits, its confiding nature, its call-note and scolding-note or note of alarm, this bird is remark- ably like L. lutea. On several occasions I watched a pair in Mr. 8eth-Smith's aviaries, and was much struck by the similarity in the behaviour of the two sp'Scies. Its song, however, is very inferior, consisting only of five or six notes ; these are clear and musical, but rather pall upon one when frequently repeated; yet the bird is so beautiful and trustful that one can for- give it its lack of musical ability. In 1903 a pair of Silver-eared Mesias in Mr. Reginald would be of priceless value when such a species as the Mesia has to be reared." A young bird which died after leaving the nest was forwarded by Mr. Phillipps to Mr. Frank Finn, who has described it as follows: — "The general hue above is smoky drab, with a well-marked black cap ; the ear- coyerts are silver-grey as in the adult ilesia, and the quills have light outside borderings, dirty creiim-colour on the early primaries, passing into ochre yellow on the secondaries. The smoky drab colour extends on to the breast and flanks, but the throat and centre of the abdo- men are dull cream-colour, the throat verging slightly on yellow. There is a slight wash of olive-green on the back of the neck. .Such little of the tail-featherinc as has grown is dull black like the inner webs of the quills. The under tail-coverts are dull brick-red. The 32 FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. bill is dull flesh-cclour, horny at the tip and gape, and the legs, feet, and x;ribed as resembling that of the Little Woodi pecker. Like the other Tits it frequents the pines. buB it is much less sociable and is generally seen alone op in pairs." (Jouy, Proc. L'nited States, Nat. Mus., 1883, p. 287.) According to Russ this species has only twice been imported into Europe (but he seems to have overlooked the English Zoological Gardens) ; first in 1869 it reached the Zoologioal Gardens of Amsterdam, and then, in the .spring of 1894, four paii-s were received bj- Miss Hagen- beck of Hamburg. Of the latter. Dr. Russ secured a pair, and a second pair was purchased for the Zoological Gardens of Berlin. Dr. Russ fed his pair upon a soft food consisting of dried ants' eggs, graled carrot, breadcrumbs, hard- boiled egg, and a little crushed hemp ; upon this he says they thrive remarkablv well. Although at fir^t they would not touch any other kind of food and would not even accept mealworms, they gradually began to take many kinds of food. The kernels of the most diverse seeds were extracted, also the mealworm or some other insect — a little beetle, bluebottle fly, etc. Fruit, chopped apple as also cherries, thev took no notice of; yet Dr. Russ says he has seen it pick up a cherry stone, the fruit of which had been eaten by another bird, and hammer awav at it with the object of getting at the kernel ; but he cannot say whether it ever succeeded in doing this ; he however Inter observed this Tit crack- ing open the seed of the large sunflower. As this pair carried a lot of nesting-material into a Hartz cage and sat therein continually, he imagined that he was going to breed the .species ; but one fine day thev bundled the whole lot on to the floor, and so disap]K>inted his hopes. 34 rOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. WAGTAILS AND ALLIES {MotaciUidce). PiKD Gralli.na {Grallina australis). Jet black; head, tliroat, upper breast and ba«;k clossed with blue; the fii-st tiifjhts and Uil with LTfenish; an eyebrow stripe and a spat un each side ot the neck pure white; wiiigis with a longitudiiKil white stripe; second primary white tipped; rump upper tail-coverts and under wing-ccvei-tis white ; Uil white at base and lip; lower breast, sides, abdomen, and under taJl-coverts white ; bill yellowish white ; feet black; iris straw vcUow. The female may be distin- Huished by its white forehead, loras, and chin. Hab., Australia. . „ , , , Speaking of examples of this species Gould observes : — ■■ Those that came under mv "h.servation in New South Wales frequented alluvial flats, sides of creeks aud rivulets. ■• Few of the Australi;m birds are more attractive or mart, elegant aiid graceful in (their) actions, and these, txjmbined with its tame and familiar disposition, must ever obtain for it the friendship and pi-otection of the settlers whose venuid;dis and housetops it LX>nstunUy visits, runnini; aloni^ the latter like the Pied WagUil of our own Island. Gilbert staU>s that in Western Australia he observed it congregated in large families 0;i the banks and muddy tints of the lakes around Perth, while in the interior he only met with it in !Jairs,'or at most in small group.s of not more than four or five together; he fuither observes, that at Port EEsingto5i,°on the north co.ist, it would seem to be onlv an occasional visitant, for on his arrival there in July it wa,s tolerablv abundant round the lakes and Bwamps, but from the setting in of the rainy season ia November to his leaving that part of the country in the following March not an individual was to be seen; it is evident therefore that the bird removes from one locility to another according to the season and the more or less abundance of its peculiar food. I believe it feeds solely upon insects and their larvae, particukrlv grasshopjiers and coleoptera. "The flight of the Pied Giallin.i is very i)eculiar— unlike that of any other Australian biid that came nnder my notice— "and is performed in a straight line with a heavv Happing motion of the wings. " Its natural note is a peculurly shrill whining ■whistle often repeated. It breeds in October and November. ,. " The nest is from Sin. to 6'.n. in breadth, and Jin in depth, and is formed of soft mud, which, sooii becoming hard and eolid upon exposure to the atim - sphere, has precisely the appearance of a massive clay- coloured earthenware vessel ; and as if to attract notice, Uiis singular structure is generally placed on some bare horizontal branch, often on the one most exposed to view, sometimes overhanging water, and at others in the open forest. The c>)lour of the iie.st varies with tihat of the material of whith it is fi>rined ; sometimes the clay or mud is sutflciently tenacious to be used without any other material : in "those situations where no mud orclay is to be obtained, it is constructed of black or broMTi mould : but the bird, appearing to be aware that this substance will not hold together for want of the adhesive qualitv of the cliy, mixes with it a great <^uantitv of driets of grey appearing as if beneath the surface of the sliell. The eggs are gener:illy four, but sometimes only two in number ; their average length is one inch and three lines, and their breadth nine lines." A pair of these graceful birdo reached our Zoological Gardens in 1863 : but for some reason or other they seem to be rarely imported. CHAPTER rV. BULBULS (Pijcncnolidce). These birds hive always been great favourites ot mine ; but when I first took up the study of foreign birds thev were always so expensive that I hesitated to purchase them. Eventually, I had one given to me, and was much delighted with its tameness, and the ease with which it could be kept and fed ; indeed, I received so much satisfaction from the study of this bird, that when a specimen of another species was HE.\D of I!KI)-VENT£D Bulbul offered to me, at what I should now consider a very high price. I did not hesitate to purchase it. Sub- sequently I bought a pair of a third sjiecies for just a third of the ccst of my tecond Bulbul. Bulbuls are n.iturally chiefly frugivorous and in- sectivorous, but, in confinement they readily take to the usual soft food mixtures, and will even live for a considerable time ujxin st;ile breadcrumbs, eg":, and grated carrot, with a little fruit and c'hopi)ed lettuce or rape seedlings for a change ; but to keep them iu full he.ilth and song plenty of fruit dail.v is a necessit.v. E:ich bird ivill consume dail.v a quarter of an orange and an inch of banana or the efjuivalent in other soft fruit, suth as pear, sweet ai)ple, strawberries, ripe tigs, or something of that kind. I have not found them at all eager for grape.s— fruit in which some insecti- vorous birds greatly delight. Black Bulhul {Pt/rnnndtus pygceus). Also called the "Bengal Hed-vented Bulbul"; it is in fact, only one of the local races of the Red-vented sjwcies; the.ie forms. thou,'h kept distinct in scientific works, are admitted to jnss one into the other. In the present form llie head, najie and back of neck, the chin, throat, and breist are glossy black ; the ear-coverts BULBULS. 35 rich glossy brown ; from the back of neck dark smoky bro\™, ed^'eU with ashy, which is the colour of the rump;' upjier tail-coverts whit* ; tail browTiish black, tipped with while exeeptiny; the two central feathers; winns colmirod like the back; the shoulders and wing- coverts eer, are pale rosy white, mirked with reddish brown and purplish grey. Scientists call this the "Common" or "Madras Red- vented Hulbul," but for many years it was by no means freely iniixirted ; 60 that iiiy male, for which I gave 30s. early in lb92, was at that time not dear. Never- theless, I have since had opportunities of purchasing the same species at a considerably lower rate. I have found the song of this bird infinitely inferior to that of the Persian Bulbul ; it rarely amounts to a trill or scalB (though, when it does, the sound is rich and pleasing), but is fragmentary and incessantly re|)eated, somewhat after the manner of a Song Thrush, but with the tone of a Blackbird. Three or lour notes are uttered, then there is a pause, and the same notes are repeated precisely in the same manner, and so the bii>d goes on, perhaps for five or ten minutes; then he gets an inspiration, and changes to a different key with more rapid utterance. In short, he is as inferior to an Knglish Thrush as a songster as the latter is to the Persian Bulbul. For a considerable time I kept my bird in an aviary with Blue Robins; and when the latter had young he would insist on feeding them, much to the annoyance of the parents. Not only eo, but he objected to the cock Blue-bird attending to their wants, and at length so nearly killed the latter that I was obliged to prevent further mischief by removing the Bulbul to the adjoin- ing aviary. He died in November, 1895, after having been about three ye.irs and nine months in my posses- sion. The sexes of this, and in fact all of the Bulbuls, can be readily distinguished by comparuig the bills in profile ; that of the male is always shorter, deeper, and of courje with more .irclicd cul'men (ridge) than' that of the female. In this character they are diametrically opposed to the true Thrushes, in which the short stout bill is always pre.'ent in the female and the longer and more slender one in the male. Bl.\ck-cappkd Bdi.bit. {Pycnonoivs atricapillus). Above pale ashy-brown, with lighter edges to the feathers, excepting on the lower back ; rump and upper tail-coverts .sordid white, the latter tipped more or less with pale brown, the longest wholly of this colour: tail- feathers black-brown, increasinglv tipped with white from centre of tail, the outermost with pale brown bases ; wings brown, the feathers edged with ashy- brown ; crest and nape black ; ear-coverts ashy-white extending on to sides of neck, remainder of head, in- cluding upper throat, black ; under surface pale ashy- brown, deeper on breast and sides ; under tailcoverts crimson ; under wing-coverts and axillaries yellowisti- brown ; Hights below yellowish along edge of outer webs; bill and feet black; iris brown. Hab., Southern China, extending to Fokien and Ningpo ; also the hills of Burma and Tenasserini. This is another representative of the Red-vented Bulbul. Speakinc of it in The Ihix for 1892. Mr. J. D. de la Touche .«avs that it is " fairly common on th» hills near Swatow."" Mr. C. B. Rickett {The Ibu, 1903, p. 215) observes: — "AltKough this species is a common resident round Anioy, it rarely occurs at Foochow"; and Mr. J. C. Ker=haw. in his "List of Birds of the Quangtung Coast, China" (The Ihis. 1904, p. 237) says : — " Certainly the commonest Bulbul, and perhaps the most numerous resident bird." But none of these gentlemen give us any information as to the habits of this "common" bird, and oddly enough, although a specimen reached the London Zoological Garden.s in 1895, Dr. Russ makes no mention of it in his book ; this is the more strange when one notes that he includes many species which have never been im- ported on the off-chance that they may be some day. It is, of cour.=.e, probable that the habits of this species, its nest, and its eggs, are very similar to those of the Red-vented forms of India, and it is certain that its treatment in captivity ought to be the same. Syrian Bllbul (I'ljcnonolus xanlhopygus). The head and upper part of the neck of the Syrian Bulbul are glossy blacK, sharply defined ; the upper surface of the body ashy dust brown, merging into umber brown on the primaries; the upper tail-coverts are also rather darker than the rest of the upper surface; the tail is umber brown, with rather paler tips to the feathers; the under surface is dull while stained with pale ashy brown on the breast and flanks; the vent and under tail-eoverts are bright golden yellow; the bill and legs are black, and the iris of the eye is brown. According to Dresser this Bulbul is "only found in the south-eastern portion of the western Palfeaictic Region." It is very common in Palestine, where Canon Tristram met with it in all parts of tho country, wherever woods or gardens existed, from Jaffa to the Joidan. This bird, though Eomewhat shy, is the finest songster in Palestine, and consequently has rightly earned the title of " the Palestine Nightingale.'" It is very hardy, and easily kept in confinement ; it is not naturally gregarious in its habits, so that only ai single pair should be keot in an aviary. Its nest, which is very small and neat, is usually placed in a. fork, or on a lateral branch of a tree, and the outside is formed of materials to match its surroundings. The eggs, three to four in number, are usually deposited in March or April, and are white, with faint underlying purplish ."hell-markings, and clearly-defined chocolate crimson spots. According to Wiener, this species has been bred in captivity in Germany, but I do not see that Dr. Ru-s mentions this ; and it is his custom, when such an event has taken place, to give a detailed account of it. White-e.abf.d Bulbul [Pycnonolus leucolis). The head of this charming bird is jet black, with the ear-coverts and back of the cheeks white ; the back of the neck rich brown, narrowly banded with blackish; the upper surface of the body and wings earthy brown, the edges of the feathers paler; the wings margined with pale ashy t the tail brown at the base, changing to black beyond the coverts and tinped wi'.h white ; under surface whity-brown ; the vent and under tail- coverts rich saffron- yellow ; the legs and bill black, the iris of the eye brown. Mr. W. T. Blanford, in his " Birds of Eastern Persia," says of this bird : — " The only representative in Persia of the great tropical family of Pycnnnotid/r; it abounds in Balu- chistan and the .southernmost portion of the Persian highlands, but not on the plateau far north of Shiraz. It, however, extends far into Mesopotamia, and I have seen caged specimens at Karachi, said to have been brought from Bajhdad. Birds from Mesopotamia are- highly est«;med in Sindh. because thty <:ing far more readily and finely in confinejnent than those captured in Western India : whether this is due to greater natural powers of song in the birds themselves, or to greater skill in famine; fheni among the bird-catchers of the Tigris and Enphiates valley I cannot say. but I can vouch for the fact. Eastward it appears to be chiefly BULBULS. 37 confined to th« great desert tract of North-West India, the climate of which iiiiich rosenibles tliat of Southern Persia." Mr. Blanford goes on to fay that he can see no constant difference between the specimens of Persia and India, e.xctpting that the former may oerhaps run a little larger. The White-earetl Bulhul breeds from May to August; in the Punjab from July to August, but in Sindh earlier. Its nest is usually built at a height of from four to six feet from the ground in some thorny bush- acacia, catachu, or jhand (Prosopis siiicigria); it piefers the immediate neighbourhood of water, probably from the fact that it is very fond of a bath. The nest is a neatly constructed, but rather slender, cup-shaped structure, formed of very fine dry twigs of some herba- ceous plant, mi.xed with vegetable fibre resembling tow. and scantily lined with very fine grass roots ; the cavity measures from 2iin. to 3in. in diamet-er, and a little over an inch in depth. The eggs, which are usually three (rarely lour) in number, are of an ovate pear-sliape, pinky whit-e much dotted with claret-red. which frequentlv foims a zone or cap at the larger end. At the Crystal P.alace Show for 1887 Mr. J. M. C. Johnston (brother of the African explorer) exhibited a true Persian Bulbul. which he had picked up for a few shillings at a small bird-shco in London. About a month later he gave this bird to me, and for three years the bird was in perfect health, and the delight of everybody who saw him ; then he had an attack of scurvy, which, though it did not affect his temper or stop his song, temporarily much detracted from his beauty. This disease apparently disappeared under change of diet, more fruit, chopped lettuce, etc., bein^ given to him, and for two years he regained his trim and pleasing plumage; then the disease reappeared and gradually increased in spile of all treatment, and though the bird remained cheerful and confiding to the last, he died about the end of the year 1892. This Bulbul was so tame that he would reach over my hand to eat from his pan before I had put it down. The sight of a spider would make him dance and sing with delight, as also would the offer of a mealworn\; moreover, when he got the latter in his beak he would hop about, warbling and coclcing his head knowingly for some time before he swallowed it. Candied fruit, but especially apricot, was much appreciated, as also all kinds of ripe fruit when in season. I fear, however, I did not ^ive enough of this, his natural food, and that had I treated him more liberally I might (instead of having his friendship for only a little over five years) have kept him much longer. As a staple diet he had my regular mixture, to which I added daily a few grocers currants — a fruit which is unsuitable for all birds, but especially for a Bulbul. I regard this as the pick of all the true Bulbuls for intelligence, docility, tameness, and vocal excellence; but to secure a good singer a true Persian bird must be selected, not one of the much smaller race inhabiting North -Western India. About 1891 a body of the Indian race was sent to me by Mr. Abrahams for comparison with my living Persian example, and I was astonished at the difference in size; the Indian bird seemed but little larger than a Great Tit, which (excepting in its crest) it much resembles. P. leucotis is the Bulbul of poetry, the far-f.amed "Persian Nightingale." .and he has a far greater claim to the title than the " Virginian Nightingale," his notes being particularly sweet and soothing. The song of the Persian Bulbul consists of liquid ■water-hubble whistling, and reminds one strongly of some parts of our Nightingale's melody. The same phrase is sometimes repeated over and over for hours, and then abruptly altered, but it is always pretty and cheerful; indeed, even the scolding note is not alto- gether uiipleasing. The bird also is so full of music that any sound, whether of organ, piano, or the not* ol another bird will start him off Yellow-ve.nted Bulbul {Pycnonolus aurigaster). Above brown, the feathers, excepting on the lower bick, H ith ashy edges ; rump and uplier tail-coverts white ; the longer coverts slightly brownish ; greater coverts and flights with paler brown edges; tail feathers dark brown, paler towards base and tipped with dull white; head black, the back of neck ashy grey with dark brown centres to feathers; ear-coverts and lower throat white ; remainder of under surface ashy-brown, becoming white at centre of abdomen and bright yellow on vent and under tail-coverts ; under wing-coverts and axillaries pale a>hy-brown edged with pale brownisli; bill and feet black ; eyes brown or dark red. The female appears to be slightly larger than the male, and doubt- less she has a longer and more slender bill. The young bird is paler in all its colours than the adult. Hab., Java. According to H. A. Bernstein's account of this bird in Java, " Without question this is one of the commonest birds in the built upon and cultivated districts of Java. At any rate, I have found it everywhere widely distri- buted in different parts of the island, in the east as in the west, near the coast as well as in the hill-country of the interior. Even in the coffee plantations I have very frequently met with it, but never in dense primeval forest or high mountains. It lives gregariously, and excepting at the pairing season mostly in small flocks, the members of which ke«p well together and rarely separate widely. If one member of the company notes a suspicious object, he examines it with long, extended neck, and ultimately flies away, at the Same time warn- ing his companions of the approaching danger with loud cries, and they also fly away at the alarm. In this manner they have many times disapjwinted me in ray pursuit of a rare bird which I was trying to stalk. "This Bulbul nests m the hedges and bushes in the vicinity of villages, and as it is so common I have been able to collect a great number of it.s nests. They all stand about one to two melrts high above the earth, rarely higher, and never immediately on the earth. As a, rule they are well and strongly built, and the inner cup especially always forms a perfectly regular half- sphere. Externally the nest consists of coarse vegetable matter, dry leaves, grass stems and the like, and in addition it" is covered not infrequently with lichens and caterpillar silk. For constructing the inside the bird uses fine grass stems, and preferably the elastic fibre of the Areng palm. The number of eggs usually con- sists of three, rarely four. In size and colour they are very variable, so that in ten nests one can scarcely find two in which the eggs entirely agree. The egg generally is of a beautifully oval shape, yet one also finds strikingly elongated specimens, so that the length varies from 21 lo 27 millimetres, whilst the greatest width is always 17 millimetres. The ground-colour is of not quite pure white, usually with a reddish tinge, upon which birge and small spots are distributed, partly of a cherry and partly of a wine-red colour, which differ considerably in number, size, and depth of colour; some- times they" are distributed uniformly over the whole surface, sometimes they are situated in a great crowd at the blunt end, and there fomi a more or less defined cap ; sometimes they stand out distinctly from the ground colour, sometimes indistinctly, sometimes pale and faded, sometimes dark and brilliant. Then one may discover clear grey or grey-brown spots among the red-brown ones ; yet, although they differ so much, t!;o 38 FOREIGN, BIRDS 'FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. eggs possess so great a general resemblance that one can readily identify them." Mr. F. Niclmlsdii {The Ihi<. 1881, p. 148) says: "The nest, though cup shaped, like that of 1'. aiiali.-i, i^ better construcl«l and more neatly wciven. As with tho last-n.imed species, it is conip(>sed of slender twigs, with ale grey markings ; but the six>ts :;re decidedly larger than in the eggs of the latter species." This bird first arrived at our Zco'.ogical Gardens in 1865 and 1874, and in 1878 it «a.s received in the Amsterdam Gardens. The late Mr. Aug. F. Wiener also (according to Dr. Russ) purchased four specimens, which reached the late Mr. J. Abrahams in 1878. It is truly remarkable that so abundant a fpecie.s in the vilbges of Java, should not have been more freely imported : it would be a rea.Uy nice .species to breed in our outduor aviaries. It is odd that, in his account of the imjjortod Bulbuls in "Casscll's Cage-Hirds," the late Mr. Wiener did not even refer to this speciee. Dusky Bulbul (Pijcnonolu.^ harhatus). Above earth-brown ; flights darker with pale edges ; tail dark brorni, the outer feathers faintly tipped with ashy brown ; crown darker tlian back, as also sides of face ; lores, region enclo>ing eye and chin blackish ; Tinder parts light aishy brown, darker on flanks and thighs ; abdomen and under tailcoverts white ; the litter slightly tiiiteide of the orange, and then completely cleirs out the juicy contents, leaving the rind intact, except for the small aperture on one side. The same method is often resorted to by Black Rats, and I have known orange trees in Sicily completely thus denuded of their fruit by these creatures. "In Tunisi.i, as above mentioned, the Dusky Bulbul occurs in the Tell districts north of the .Vtlus. where it is resident and breeds. In the valley of the Madjerdah it is fairly abundant, and to be met with in most of the wild olive groves, and among the higher 'maquis' thickets on the hill-slopes, but it seldom occurs in the more lofty oak forests. At Ain-Draham and Fernana, both tliickly-wnoded districts, it is also to be found, as well a.s in the neighbourhood of Bizerta, in the extreme north-ea.st of the liegencj-. The vegetation in the last-named dLstrict is almost exclusively of the ' ma.quis ' description, but the Bulbul seems to bo as much at home there as in the better wooded country further west. Or;ingL_*-groves, however, which in Morocco appear to be the favourite resort of the species, are few and far between in any part of Tunisia. At certain seas<'>ns, particularly when several of these birds collect together, they aa-e very noisy and quarrelsome, and may be heard chattering at a considerable distance ; but owing to the fact of their frequenting, as a nile, thickly foliaged trees and shrubs, they are not very often seen. The song of the Bulbul is dC'Cidedly pleas- ing, being conipiised of some remarkably lieh and clear notes like ' lit-iiot-irot-fil-til.' which cannot fail to attract attention. The brc>eding season of this species is rather late, being in May and June. The bird selects a fork in a low tree or high bush as a site for its nest, which is generally composed of small roots and dry grass. The eggs, three or four in number, are of a doll white, with grey shell-markings and reddish-brown sur- face spots. Average measurements 24 by 18 mm." All that Dr. Russ tells us about this species is that the late ilr. Abr.ahams received several specimens ; he does not record the fact that a specimen was deposited at our Zoological Gardens in 1895. Thk Chinese Btn.BCL (Pycnonotuf sinensis). Above ash-grey, washed with yellowish olive; bastard-wing, primary and greater coverts, flights and tail-feathers dark brown edged with yellowish olive: crown slightly crested black; a broad white expanding patch on each side above the eye uniting at oack of head ; lores pearly grey-whitish ; cheeks and ear-coverts black with an ohiique pearly grey-whitish patch at the back; chin and throat pure white, brea,st smoky-grey, faintly tinted with yellowish-olive; under parts other- wise dull whit«, slightly STnoky at sides and on thighs; under wing-coverts and axillaries slightly yellowish. Female slightly larger than male, and of course with a more slender bill. Hab., South China and Formosa. In Thf Ihis for 1898, pp. 365 6. Mr. J. D. D. If. Touche says of this bird, as ob.'^erved by him in Northern Formosa — " I procured eggs of this abundant species on 19th May and on 1st July. The former were much incubated ; the latter were quite freih, and were three in number. The ground-colour of the eggs com- posing this clutch is a very pale mauve, almost white, speckled with lalie spots over lilac-grey underlying spots. The markincrs are more numerous on the large end of the eggs and form a cap. The shape is ovate. Size 0 9in. by 0.62in., 0.85in. by 0.62in., 0.83in. by 0.6in. " A nest obtained at Hob^ is made of sword-grass flower-spikes with an inner foundation of leaves and bamboo-leaves, the primary foundation of the nest being the sword-grass flower-spikes with the down still at- tached. It has a lining of fine rootlets. Depth of egg- cavity 2in. ; outer depth of nest 3.5in. ; inner diameter aliout 2.6in. ; outer diameter at rim 3.8in. ; largest outer diameter aliout 5in. " Another nest from the same locality is similar to the above, but is without the primary foundation, and the lining is of stripped sword-grass flower-spikes. The egg-cavity is Tather deeper. " Both the eggs and the nests of this Bulbul vary con- siderably, the former in shape, in depth of colour, and BULBULS. 39 in the size of the spots, nnd the latter m the material employed." I purchased a male of this species on the 8th June, 1899, and plax'ed it in a large flight cage, where it still remains in perfect health and phniia,je. About 1903 my friend Mr. Seth-Smitli ha-d two which at fir.st he thought might be texes and hoped to be able to breed with tlurn ; he foun that it seemed clear that both were cocks; consequently when my friend Mi.'s Gladstone told me in 1906 that she was anxious to obtain some Bulbuls I sent off the second specimen to her. The song of this Bulbul is short but rapid and brilliant; it sounds like :i nillirkine dance over high piano-notes, and I should tliirik would be beard for a considerable distance in the open air. Dr. Rnss had a pair of this species which went to ne^t in 1893. but a Porto Rico Pigeon interfered with it, so that there was no result. He savs that " when chasing its mate, it hops round her either on branches or the gronnd with highly erect e-.l ei-est and nape feathers, drnnping wings, ,ajid fan-like tail ; it indeed appears to be white headed, but then it ouffi out its entire plumage so that it seem.s considerably larger than it actually is. Now it gets out of the way of no other bird, even thousrh it be the large-t and most powerful inhabitant of the bird-room." White-chekkkd BijLBTJi, (Olommfisa Icucogenys). Above ashy-brown with a faint olive tinge; crown darker with long crest, the feathers of which have paler edges ; lores and feathers ronnd eyes black ; a white streak from upper mhandible to above front of eye ; ear- coveits and cheeks at back white; wing-coverts edged with dull olive; flights darker, aho edged with olive; upper tail-coverts washed with olive ; tail-feathers dark bro.vn, paler towards base, edged with olive, tipped with white increasingly from central feathers outwards ; throat blackish-brown, this colour extending round to back of ear-coverts ; breast and abdomen whity-brown, middle of abdomen whiter; thighs ashy-brown; under tail-coverts bright yellow; under wing-coveits and axillaries ashy-brown, whiter towards edge of .wing, tinged with yellow; flights brown, ashy along inner webs; bill black; feet dark plumbeous; eyes pale brown. Female probably duller and with more slender bill. Young with dark iris. Hab., Himalayas frcm C:i.shmere to Bootan, np to 5,000ft. elevation. (Sharpe.) Jerdon observes that this species "is most abundant, in Sikhim, from about 2,500 to 5.000 feet of elevation. It feeds both on seeils, fruit, and insects. Hutton found the nest neatly made with stalks and grass, and containing three or four eggs, rcey or purplish white, with specks and f pets of dark purple or claret." (" Birds of India," Vol. II., p. 91.) In Oatei's edition of Hume's " Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds" we read (pp. 175-176) that it Hreeds from April to July, and at aJl heights from 3^000 to 7,000 feet. The nest is a loose, slender fabric, ex'ter- nally composed of fine stems of some herb.iceous plant and a few blades of graiss, and internally lined with very fine hair-like grass. The neits may measure ex- temaJJy, at most, 4in. in diameter; but the egg-cavity. which is in proportion very large and deep, is fully 2iin. across by IJin. deep. As I before said, the nest is usually very slightly and loo?ely jmt together, so that it is difficult to remove it without injury ; but .sometimes they are more substantial, and occasionally the cup is much shallower and wider than I have above de.scribcd. Four is the full complement of eggs." According to Dr. Ruvb this is one of the most rarely imported species: he also asserts that it has not been received either at the Amsterdam or Loudon Zoological (iardens ; but. as regards the latter, he is mistaken. There is no reason that I know ot why it should not be freely imported. Red-eared Bulbul {Olocompsa jocosa). Head and ereet black ; the ear-coverts white, with a tuft of silky bair-like crinisou feathers over the ears, and extending beyond them ; the ear-coverts are bor- dered beneath by a narrow line of black; the upper surface is pale brown, darker on the quills and tail, especially towards the tip of the latter, which is white, with the exception of the central feathers, but only on the inner web, excepting on the outermost pair ; under surface white from the chin ; the .sides of the breast dark browm, forming an inteiTupted belt. The femiile ie smaller than the made, more golden- brown on thB back, ear-plumee shorter, and her bill is longer and more slender. Hab., Central Him.alayas to Assam, and (slightly modified) throuiihout Burma. and South China down the Malayan peninsula ; also Andaman Islands. This lively Bulhul is always on the move; its flight, according to Jerecies in its native haunts, I asked him, without stating my own belief, what he considered tlie Sjx)tted-wing to be. His reply was: — "Undoubtedly a Bulbul ; it agrees with the Bulbuls in almost all its actions when at liberty." I therefore do not hesitate to place the Spotted-wing here, instead of among the Starlings. Chloropsis. Although this genus seems somewhat related to tho Bulbuls, its members are so utterly dissimilar, both in colouring and form, that I have always objected to calling them Bulbuls. In general aspect they remind one of the Honeysuckers. and for this reason 1 propoi^ed (■' Foreign Bird-keeping," P.irt 1, p. 17) to call them Fiuit-suckers. As I then pointed out, they were formerly placed in the Meliphagidie by Bonaparte and Gray, and were regarded by Blyth as somewhat allied to the Honeysuckers, though stiucturally they are much nearer to the Bulbuls. Mr. Frank Finn {The Avicullui-al Magazine, 1st ser., Vol. VIII., p. 86) proposes, three years later, that they shall be called " Harewa," a name by which they are known to the natives in India (but which to us has no meaning) ; meanwhile my name for these birds has caught on, and is now very generally adopted. Mr. Finn considers these birds to l)e a link between the true Bulbuls and the Babblers. With regard to the food for the species of Chloropsis, Mr. Finn says they " are very easy to keep, devouring soft fruit and insects with equal avidity, and lapping up sweetened milk-sop with great gusto." Some years ago I knew a gentleman who spent much money in importing these birds, which he fed exactly in the manner above suggested, and speedily lost them all. The late Mr. Abrahams, wJio saw them with me, said that the milk-sop treatment never suited them, but that they did well upon potato and egg chopped up together, with fruit and a few mealworms. Tliat whicli suffices to keep a bird in health in India does not answer at all in this country. Or we might keep half our in ectivorous birds upon peameal and maggots, which (according to what Jerdon tells us) seem to be, to all intents and purposes, the staple foods for Indian insectivorous birds. In any case, a com- bination of milk and more or less acid fruit, does not commend ifcelf to me as a likely food to keep a delicate biid in health, consequently I should not try it myself, particularly after seeing how speedily three or four lovely specimens of Chloropsis became ill, and died TV hen thus fed. Although I have on several occasions had the chance of purchasing at least two species of Chloropsis, the deaths which I had heard of made me nervous of giving the necessarily high price for these lovely birds, or 1 should certainly have fed them precisely as I do my other fruit-eating insectivors. 42 FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. Gold-fronted Fruit-sucker {Chloropsis aurifrons). " A bird whose general hue is the brightest grass- green, relieved by a patch of sliining turquoise blue 0:1 the 'shoulder' of each wing, displayed when the bird is excited. The sides of the face and the throat and fore- neck are black, and l/ie crntrr of the Ihruat, right up to the beak, -ich bright blue. The fore'.iead is fiery orange, and a yellow zone borders the black throat beU.w, ex- tending more or less faintly up the sides thereof. The hen i.s said to be less brilliant in colour, but all the birds I have seen looked much alike. Her mouth is said to be bLown, while that of the cock is bluish grey, and this may afford a means of distinction. Young bird.'; have no black or gold on the head and only a moustache of seldom laying betore the end of May or beginning of June, and its eggs may be found Well on into the middle of August, as on the 16th of this month I once took two fresh eggs. The earliest date on which I have seen eggs- was the 12th of May, 1891. The nest appears to be very like that of C. jerdoni (Hume, 'Nests and Eggs,' 2nd edit.. Vol. I., p. 155), hut I have seen very few of this bird's nests, and judge principally from the accounts in the book just referred to. "Amongst other birds'-nests to which it nearly ap- proximates are those of the genus Uemixus. the nests of that genus differing principally in being mere bulky and ^ less tidy. It is generally placed in a semi-pendant posi- tion in a small horizontal fork, the supporting twig? Gold-fronted Fruit-sucker blue." — Frank Finn, l.r. Jerd(m, says that "the femab has the black oi the neck of smaller extent, and want.* the golden forehead."* Hab., " Sub-Himalayan region from Dehra Doon to Sikhim, extending into Lower Bengal. It also occurs through Aracan, Assajn, and Burmah, to Tenasserim and Cambodia." — Sharpe. All that Jerdon says about the bird's habits is : "I procured it in Sikhim up to 4,000 feet or so. It has a sweet song, and, like the others, when caged, is quite a mocking bird." — " Bird.s of India." Vol. II., p. 100. Mr. E. C. Stuart Baker {The Ibis, 1895, pp. 222 4) gives the following full account of the nidification of the species: — "This bird is one of the late breeders, * I think this is incorrect, though ilie forehead may perhaps he paler in the female. coming outside tlie .sides of the nest, which does not hanij from them as does an Oriole's. The fork chosen is usually one on the outer branches of some small tree or sapling, less often in a stout fork of some larger tree, and I have never seen a nest placed on the upper surface of a large bough in the manner that V. jerdoni is said sometimes to build. " In shape the nest is a rather shallow cup, measuring in outward diameter from o.bin. to about 4in., and m depth from 1.3in. to 1.8in.. the latter depth being un>- usual. it generally being under l^in. The inner portion is nnide of very fine twigs and coarse grass-stems, more or less mixed with moss-roots and the tendrils of con- volvuli and other creepers, and sometimes with stalks of the common maiden-hair fern. The whole of this is FRUIT-SUCKERS. 43 bounJ together, and also more or less interwoven, with soft grasses, dead scraps of moss, and a material which appears to be the inner bark of some tree. Further strength is arup.''is which contained, amongst the materials of which it was composed, any green moss. Both birds breed during much the same period. The few eggs I have seen of this handsome (-'hloro/Jfis could not possibly be distinguished from those of C. aurifrons, and differ from those of C. jerdoni only in their much greater size, averaging, as they do, 0.91in. by 0.61in. I have one egg among these seven which is exceptionally large, mea- suring l.OSin. by 0.7in.. and it is worthy of note that I shou'd h.ive found abnormally large' eggs both of C. aurifrons and C. ftan/wickii, the more especially as I have seen but very small series of both." Between the years 1879, when a single example of this species reached the London Zoulogioal Gardens, Russ states that no specimens were imjxjrted until 1894, when G. Bosz. of Cologne, received a large con- signment ; whether any of these specimens were for- warded to the London market I don't know, but shortly afterwaids we began to se^e examples at our bird shows. One specimen seems to have come into the hands of Herr F. Weber, who fed it upon soft, sweet, cooked pears, highly sweetened rice and mealworms. It refused ants' cocoons, and looked with disdain at raw meat, but delighted in egg-plums and soft, sweet fruits generally. In The Avicultural Magazine for 1897 Mr. Russell- Humphrys has given an interesting account of his lovely and well-known example of this species. Accord- ing to him it is of no use to offer mealworms to C. hard- wifkii, as it will not touch them ; though it is very clever in catching flies. Mr. Humphrys also advocates the use of banana in preference to orange as an article of diet ; his example is a very clever mimic, but this is a well-known characteristic of the species of Chloropsis, and therefore not surprising. The article is well illustrated by a coloured plate by Frohawk. CHAPTER V. Blue-winged Fhuh -Sucker. BABBLERS fCrateropodido'). The Bulbuls, which Dr. Sharpe places in his expanded Timi'liidie, aie called by him Babbling Thrushes ; he places the Mocking-birds and Bower-birds in the same family ; but in all their habits the Mocking-birds seem to me to be true Thrushes, while the Bower-birds are aberrant Crows ; with a few modifications, therefore, I prefer to follow the Zoological Society's list. The Jay-Thrushes (Dryonasles. Garrular, etc.) are mo"e or less predaceous birds, feeding partly upon young birds and eggs, and probably, I think, upon small rodents, and certainly leptilcs. To keep them in health in captivity it is necessary occasionally to feed them mucii in the same manner as the Crow family, giving them small birds, mice, sparrows' eggs, etc. ; when these cannot be obtained, a little minced raw beef, once a week, should be given, but fur and feather are piefer- able ; in other rgspects they can be fed like true Thrushes, on a good insectivorous food and a little fruit ; when obtainable, grapes are preferred to any other. Chinese J.w-Thri-sh (Dnjonastes chinensis). Grey; head bluer; front of head, lores and eyebrow- Ftripc, chin and froiit of throat black ; forehead and cheekpntch white ; uppei part of b-jJy, back, and wings with a faint wash of olive brownish ; outer webs of Hights with paler margins inner webs blackish, with 1 n.irrow paler margin ; flights be'ow dark ash-grey ; wing-coverts the same; tail-feathers like the rest of the upper surface, but a trifle darker, below bl.ick with narrow pale tips to the feathers; under tail-coverts brownish-grey; bill black; feet brown; iris deep rod- brown. Feniile smaller than male, and with snorter bill. Hab., China and Cpper Burma. Ur. Russ states that all that is known of the free life of this bird is that according to Swinhoe its call-note JAYTHRUSHES. 45 is like the cawing of a Grow, or like a human being shouting " Hurrah ! " and he congratulates hiji readers on the fact that the bird has been studie. sannio is like. Speaking of the Babblers, Mr. Frank Finn (7'Ac Ibis, 1901, p. 428) observes : — " Most esteemed, perhaps, is the Chinese Jay -Thrush (Dryonaslcs chincnsis), which is only known here" (Calcutta) "as an imported bird, and under its Chinese name of Pekp. It is a very fine songster, and an excellent mimic. A few arrive from time to time, and find a ready sale. I know of a very good specimen which is at least fourteen years old, and certainly shows no signs of age." Mr. R. \V. O. Frith noticed that his specimen of this bird had a habit, like the Crows, of sticking any bits of chopped meat which were given to it between the bars of its cage. If a bee or wasp was offered to it, this was inst:intaneously seized, the tail was thrown forward and the insect rubbed backwards and forwards between the feathers, as if to clean it, before it was killed. It would place a large beetle on the ground and kill and break it up with a quick, powerful blow of the bill. With a small snake it always manieuvred so as to hit it on the centre of the head, then it devoured the same about half at a time piecemeal, holding its prey under its foot, and hacking off pieces with its bill, according' to its usual method of feeding (quoted by Russ from Blyth). Dr. Russ fills several pages with accounts of this bird's song, its timeness in captivity, and its jpy in recognising another example of its species after a long term of solitary life. He says that the first example to reach Gennany went to the Berlin Aquarium. The following is perhaps worth recording: — "Mr. Peter Frank of Liverpool remark.s that a friend of his in the South of England had made an attempt to breed with a pair of Jav-Thru.'-hes. Moreover, these birds killed and devoured little fish, but he could never make sure whether they brushed an insect or other prey with their tail-feathers. The pair actually started to breed; yet the birds always broke up their Ortn eggs. Although in the most approved manner they were pro- vided in the matter of food, for the most part alive, snails, little fish, blight, mealworms, etc., they did not discontinue this unnatural behaviour, and consequently were unable to breed successfully." This is a well-known species in our Zoological Gardens, and ha-s been in the possession of not a few private aviculturists. M.iSKED Jat-Thrfsh (Dryonaslis perspirillalvs). Front of head to above eye, sides of head including cheeks and ear-ooverts black ; remainder of upper sur- face dull greyish-brown; wings somewhat darker; the flights with greyish margins to the outer webs; tail- feathers bla.ck-brown ; the two centra! ones and the basal half of the others clear brown ; body below brown- ish-white; the abdomen and under tuil-coverts bright yellowish nist-ied ; bill bliick-brown ; feet brownish flesh-coloured ; iris dark brown. The female is rather smaller and has a shorter bill. Hab., South China. According to I'ere Uavid, it is a resident spe<'ie.s and i,s abundant in the vicinity of human dwellings and on fields in the plains which are dotted over with groups of treeis, .scrub, and bamboo-jungle, but never in dense •woods. It .«eeks its food on the ground, along the hedges which enclose fields and under the bamboos: this consists principally of insects, as well as all kinds of fruitis and seeds; moreover it pursues small bii-ds in order to kill and eat them. Its screaming, unpleasing song is continually to be heard. Mr. F. W. Ryan, in a paper on the birds of the lower Yangtse Basin (The Ibis, 1891, p. 334) says:— "A common resident, frequenting thick cover and bamboo copses on the plains." Messrs. La Touche and Rickett "on the nesting of Birds in Fohkien " (The Ibis, 1906, p. 28) say. ^" We have taken but four nests of this common "resident. There are two, or perhaps three, broods in the season, as we have taken eggs as late as July 11th. " A jiest found on May 9th was placed in a large thorny busk eight or ten "feet froni the ground. It was composed of hard wiry tendrils, within which was a layer of dead leaves, and then a layer of straw, that showed conspicuously all round the edge, giving the nest the curious appearance of having a straw binding. The lining was of pme-necdles. Another nest, built in a small tree, was compo'ed of coarse grass, roots, and a few small twigs, lined with fine dry grass. "The nests are 6in. or 7in. in external diameter, 4in. in internal diameter. In depth they are 4in. externally and 2in. to 3in. int-ernally. ' / "Eight eggs average" l.lOin. by .85in. ; they arej delicate greenish white in colour and, as a rule, very^ glossy, but the texture is uneven ; in shape they ai'e more or less oval. There are three or four eggs in a clutch." In his " Field-Notes on the Birds of Chekiang " (The Ibis, 1906. pp. 438-9), Mr. J. D. D. La Touche says : — " Abundant and resident. It breeds in the bainboo- copses round about the villages and also in the reed- beds. Tlie nests which I have seen in the former were all placed on bamboos at a considerable height from the ground— twelve feet at least. Two haif-torn-down and deserted nests found on June 10th in a patch of reeds were about five feet from the ground; one contained three slightly incubated eggs, the other was empty. Fresh eggs were brought to me on June 21ft, July 11th, and July 13th, so that no doubt two broods are reared here. The Chinkiang nests which I have seen resemble thos>e taken at Foochow, but ten eggs taken at Chin- kiang are much larger than Foochow eggs. They average 1.14in. by 0.86in. The largest is 1.20in by 0.86in., the shortest 1.07in. by 0.85in.' Dr. Russ observes that this Jay-Thrush is one of the most infretjuent to appear in the European bird market and only come.s extremely larelv to the large Zoological Gardens (I^ndon Gardens, 1878) ; nevertheless in the year 1884 it was advertised several times by English dealers in the Gcfiederlr Will. Collared jAV-THRrsH {Garrulax piclicnllis). Upper surface grey-brown washed with cinnamon, but indistinctly ; the innermost secondaries and centraf tail-feathers indistinctly transversely barred ; back of neck stronglv washed with golden cinnamon, diffused ; outer secondaries and primaries with black inner webs, the jirimaries with their outer webs becoming increasingly white outwardly, the outermost being 46 FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. almost entirely so, but the innermost golden brownish changing to grey towards tlic tips ; all the outer tail- feathers broadly banded with black towards the tips which are grey internally, broadly white externally ; Icres sordid whitish; a distinct pure white eyebrow streak, below which a black streak runs above the ear-coverts to the sides of neck, which are also black ; ear-coverts ashy white with blackish shaft-streaks, the outermost row black broadly tipped with white, forming an ill- dofined irregular bar ; moustachial streak black ; uuder- parts white, the feathers of tliroat and chest faintly tipped with huffish ; a broad undulatfd lilack l>plt from sides of neck across the chest, behind which the white feathers are more deeply stained with huffish* ; sides of body cinnamon ; under tail-coverts huffish ; under wing-covert« white washed with pale cinnamon ; bill with upper mandible blackish-horn ; lower mandible slightfy paler, more flesh-coloured changing to- white at baae ; feet greyish horn-coloured ; iris bright chest- nut. Female slightly smaller, and with a shorter and more slender bill. Hab., China. The late Consul Swinhoe, who originally described and named this bird, tells us that he found in its Btomaeh smooth caterpillars, grasshoppers, seeds, and the pulp of tig-like berries. Messrs. Rickett and La Touche (The Ibis. 1897, pp. 504-5), say: — "We found this species common at 'Ching Feng Ling. The birds were always in parlies, frequenting underwood in all forests or detached clumps of trees. " Tbev appear to feed chiefly on the ground, and one of us obtained a good view of some when thus engaged. They were scattering the dead leaves about, and peck- ing vigorously at the earih. The blows dealt at the earth were extraordinarily powerful, the bird raising itself to the full stretch of its legs and bringing its beak down like a pickaxe, at the same time dropping iLs wings down by its sides. "When disturbed they invariably took to the trees, calling with clear and very melodious notes, and rapidly disappeared from sight. Wounded birds uttered loud harsh cries, and ran through the cover with great speed. "We obtained twenty-five specimens, and note a good deal of variety in the colour of the ' necklace.' which Taries from pale ash to dark iron-grey and black, these colours beina often mixed and shading into one another. "Young birds are much smaller than the old ones. They want the white streaks on the ear-coverts, and the ' necklace,' vhcre it crosses the chest, is narrow, blackish, and unbroken. Their irides are pale straw- colour, while in the old birds it is usuaUv crimson. "t In The Ibis for 1899, p. 180, Mr. I^ touche says : — " Although we obtained breeding examples at Kuatun •during the last expedition, we failed to find the nest. A large flock was met on the 20th March in a wood close to the river in the Kienyang district, so that this tird may be said to be an inland species occurring in mountainous wooded country at all altitudes, probably all over South-west Chekiang, Western Fohkien, and 'N.E. Kwangtung." Dr. Russ simke of this as "one of the verv rarest imported foreian birds living in our po.«session," but if this is true as regards the German market it is not so in England, The Zooloffif-al Sociefv rece'ved its fi'-st example from the Paris .Jardin d'.\rclimatation in 1873. Vut the Berlin Gardens did not obtain one until twenty years later. I • In Ifloo I described t*ie un*ierpart3 of thlB bird as "mostly ypllowlBh-brown," BO that it would Beem that this ib a characteristic of the young bird. t A siight exagperation If my bird was a normal specimen', the eye Ib a bright chestnut-red. purchased a specimen in 1900 (Tanuiry 26th), and it lived in my possession in perfect health, and. after it had been transferred to a sufficiently large cage, in per- fect plumage, until January 16th, 1907, when it was unaccountably taken ill and died two days later. It fei well to the last. Although after a time this bird became wonderfully tame, and would readily take insects from one's fingers, it cannot be recommended as a pet. Its song is a harsh sort of chattering, and its note when it wants anything or desires to be noticed is an incessant irritating plain- tive whistle rapidly repeated ; when hungry it utters a harsh note something like Werk.' repeated with a short interval four or five times. It is, however, a strikingly handsome bird, and when breaking up a mouse its businesslike manner oi raising itself high on its legs and digging at it with its powerful bill is amusing; it will eat any amount of cockroaches, swallowing even the largest down whole after giving them a single dig with its hill. Towards the end of its life I suppose my bird must have become more contented, for his irritating whistle became more and more rare, so that sometimes it was not iieard for months together. I remember Mr. FuU- james telling me that he was obliged to get rid of a specimen which he once had because the neighbours complained of the noise. They would if the bird was anywhere where they could hear it. I hardly know which is the more unbearable — the miserable whistling of a C/ollared Jay-Thrush, or the everlasting measured Hoo, hoo, hoo (literally repeated hundreds of times) of a male Wonga-Wonga Pigeon. White-ckested Jay-Thrush (Garrulax leuroJophus). Head, neck, and breast white, washed with sshy-grey on the nape and hack of neck ; a black streak from ujiper mandible through the eye to the ear-coverts • re- mainder of plumage rufous-brown washed with oliva- ceous, and becoming more chestnut at its iunction with the white ; tail darker ; flights and tail with dusky inner welis ; bill black ; f'»et lead?n errey ; iris red- brown to brownish-yellow. Hab.. Himalavas from ths far north-west to Bootan, and thence through the Khasia hills to Arrakan. (Jerdcn.) Jerdon says of this species (" Birds of India," Vol. II,, p. 35) ; " It assembles in large flocks of twenty or more, every now and then bursting out into a chorns of most discordant laughter, quite startling at first, and scream- ing and chattering for some time. Thev feed on the ground a good deal, turning over dead leaves for insects, but also eat various berries. They frequent file hill zone from about 2,000 to 6,000 feet of elevation (rarelv higher), but are most numerous between 3,000 and 4,000 feet. " I have had the nest and eggs brought me more than once when at Darjeeling. the former being a large mass of roots, moss, and grass, with a few pure wliite eg^s." The following notes a^e from Oates'-s edition of Hum"'s "Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds," Vol. I., pn. 47. 48: — " According to Mr. Hodgson's notes, the Himalayan White-crested Laughing-Thrush breeds at various eleva- tions in Sikhim and Nepal, from the Terai to an eleva- tion of 5.000 or 6,000 feet, from April to June. It lays four to six esgs. which are described and figured as pure white, very broad ovals, meisuring 1.2 hv 0.9. It breeds, we are told, in small trees, (onstructim.' a rude cup-shaned nest amongst a clump of shoots, or between a number of slender twigs, of dry bamboo-leaves, creepers, scales of the turmeric plant, etc.. and lined with fine roots." According to Mr. Gammie, "The eggs are usually four JAY-THRUSHES. 47 or five in number, but on several occasions I have fouml as few as two well-sel eggs." The author observes: — "Numerous nests of this species have been sent me, taken in Mav, June, and July, at elevations of from 2,000 to fully 4"000 feet, and in one case it is said 5.000. They are all very similar, large, very shallow cups, from 6 to nearly 8 inches in external diameter, anJ from 2.5 to 3.5 in height ; ex- teriorly all are com]x>sed of coarse grass, of bamboo- spathes, with occasionally a few dead leaves inter- mingled, loosely wound round with creepers or pliant twigs, while interiorly they are composed and lined with black, only moilerutcly fine roots or pliant flower- stems of some Howerins-tree, or both. Sometimes the exterior coating of grass is not very coarse; at other times bamboo-spathes exclusively are used, and the nest seems to be completely packed up in these." According to Russ, this species is rare in the trade ; it reiicbed the Zoological Gardens of London and Amsterdaiii in 1876 ; soon afterwards Messr.«. E. Linden and K. von Schlechtendal secured specimens. The former gentleman observes : — " I received this bird from Jamrach of London as a Crested Pekoe, with the in- formation that it was a good singer. Now, if one does not take the matter of song literally, but .accepts in its place ,an unsatisfactory vocal organ, that assertion is justifiable. Its perpetual restlessness and constant movement is, as it were, accompanied by a subdued murmuring, somewhat as in the case of a person who has a hibit of humming .■something to himself. The loud tones most nearly resemble a quickly jerked out laugh, and this passes into a loud rattle." In nine cases out of ten, if ,a dealer goes out of his way to praise the song of a bird in order to dispose of it to a customer one may expect to be disappointed. White-throated Jat-Thrush {Garrvlar albngularis). L^pperside olivaceous-brown ; forehead yellowish- brown ; lores and a streak below the eye black ; fliglits darker brown with oaler inner margins ; tail-feathers greenish-brown, with black-brown bands and broid white margins; the two central ones uniformly greenish-brown ; angle of lower mandible and threat white; upper breast dull greenish-brown; remainder of under surface yellowish rust-coloured ; the sides ani under tail-coverts deeper in colour; bill black-brown; feet horn-grey; irides bluish-grey. The female only differs as usual. Hab., Himalayas generally from Bootan to Simla ; more common in the North-west than ;n the E.ast. " It prefers rather high elevations, from 5.000 to 9,000 feet and upwards ; lives in large flocks, feeding mostly on the ground, among bamboos and brushwood, and every now and then screaming and chattering, but not so loudly or discordantly as some of the others. Hutton. who says that it is very common at Mussooree, found the nest ' about seven or'eight feet from the ground, of woody tendrils, twigs, fibres, or at times of grass and leaves, and with three beautiful shin- ing green eggs.' It is not very common at Darjeeling, and is not found below 6,000 or 7,000 feet." — Jerdon, 'Birds of India," Vol. II., p. 39. In Oates's edition of Hume's " Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds" we read :— "The Whit-e-throated Laugih- mg-Thrush breeds throughout the lower southern ranges of the Himalayas from Assam to Afghanistan at eleva- tions of from 4,000 to 8,000 feet. Thev lay from the com- mencement of April to the end of June. The nest varies in shape from a moderat«lv deep cup to a broad shallow saucer, and from 5 to 7 or even 8 inches in extern.al diamet^er, and from less than 2 to nearly 4 inches in depth internally. Coarse grass, flags, creepers. dead leaves, moss, moss- and grass-roots, all at times enter more or less largely into the composition of the nest, which, though sometimes wholly unlined, is often neatly cushioned with red .and black fern and moss- roots. The nests are placed in small bushes, shrubs, or treea, at heights of from 3 to 10 feet, sometimes in forks, but more often, I think, on low horizontal branches, between two or three upright shoots. "There is, I think, the regular complement of eggs, and this is the number I have always found when the eggs were much incubated. I have not myself observed that this species breeds in comjxiny, nor can I ever remember to have taken two nests within 100 yards of each other." Dr. Russ says that "although this is one of the birds most rarely brought to ^;urope, it occasionally reaches Zoological Oiirdens. In the year 1876 it was alreadv in the London Hardens, and at the present time the Zoo- logical (iardens of Berlin posse.ss it." — " Fremdlan- dischen Stubenvogel," Vol. II., p. 232. Bl.\ck-gokgeted Jat-Thrush (Garrulax pectoralis). Above pale olivaceous-brown, washed with rust- reddish on back and rump ; nape and hind neck bright rust-reddish ; flights with ashy margins ; lateral tail- feathers banded with black and white ; a n:irrow white eyebrow stripe ; lores, cheeks and ear-coverts greyish or white (sometimes black) enclosed by two narrow black lines from base of bill, which unite behind into a broad band on the sides of the neck and expand into a gorget on the upper breast ; chin white ; neck, throat, breast, and sides of abdomen usually pale fulvous or bright rust-coloured; middle of lower abdomen, and sometimes the throat and breast white : bill bluish horn- colonred ; feet greenish lead-coloured ; irides brown, oibitjl skin dull leaden. Jerdon observes that "this species varies a good deal (according to the locality) in the markings on the ear-coverts, which in some" are bhck, in others white mixed with black, and in some the pectoral band is obsolete. Specimens from the Himalayas have usually the ears silver-grey, whilst those from Arrakan have them black and grey in every gridation. It is found in the Himalayas, "extending through Assam into Burmah." — " Birds of India " VoF II., p. 40 (cf. Thp Ibis, 1903, p. 587). In Hume's "Nests and Eags of Indian Birds." 2tid ed., pp. 45, 50. we read:— "IMr. Oates tell us that he ' found the nest of the Black-gorgeted Laughing-Thrush in the Pegu Hills, on the 27th April, containing three fresh eggs ; the bird was sitting. The nest was placed in a bamboo-clump about 7ft. from the ground, made outwardly of dead bamboo-leaves and coarse roots lined with finer roots and a few feathers; inside diameter 6in., depth 2in. Two eggs measured 1.04 by 0.83 and 0.86* Colour, a beautiful clear blue.'* " A nest sent me from Sikhim, where it was found in July, contained much larger eggs, and more in pro- portion to the size of the bird. The nest I refer to was placed in a clump of bamboos about 5ft. from the ground. It was a tolerably compact, moderately deep saucer-shaped nest, between 6 and 7 inches in diameter' composed of dead bamboo-sheaths and leaves bound to- eether with creepers and herbaceous stems, and thinlv lined with roots. It contained two eggs. These ara rather broad ovals, somewhat pointed tow'ards one end • of a uniform pale greenish blue, and are fairlv glossv' These egsis measured 1.33 and 1.30 in length, 'and 0 98 in breadth." Dr. Russ says that tliis Ls one of the very rarest birds ..•"..^^'■•i^T'^,'.'^;"''^ ?"* "^ "'^ ""^ "■""'«'■ sni.ill for the size of the bird, and Mr. (Jates observes :— " I fear I niav liivemnaL .„,?.. i in identi.'ying the nest referred to." ^ "'"'^ * mistake 48 FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. in the trade ; and that, to his knowledge, only a single example has been imported living to the Berlin Gardens, where it still is ; he evidently overlooked the fact that two specimens arrived at the London Gardens in April, 1890. Strhtkd Jay THRrsH {Grammaloplila striata). Above rufous-brown with white shaft-streaks ; heai more umber-brown ; wings redder, tail almost chest- nut ; outermost primaries with ashy outer margins ; under surface paler, with yellowish-white shaft-streaks, those on abdomen wider and longer than those on the back ; bill black ; feet dull leaden ; irides red-brown. Hab., Bootan to Nepal ; common at Darjeeling from about 6,000 to 9,000 feet, according to Jerdon. He makes the following remarks about the species ("Birds of India," Vol. II., p. 12): — "This bird has a remarkably strong and Jay-like bill, and was originally described as a Jay by Vigors. In its mode of coloration it ap- proaches some of the Oarrulax series, viz., Troclia- lopleron linealum, and T. imhricatum.." "It frequents the densest thickets, in pairs, or in small and scattered parties. It has some very peculiai" calls, one of them not unlike the clucking of a hen which has just laid an egt;. I found both fruit and insects in the stomach of those which I examined, chiefly the latter." The following notes are from Hume's " Nests and E'.'gs of Indian Birds," 2nd ed.. Vol. I., p. 67:— "The Striated Laughing-Thrush," remarks Mr. Blyth, "builds a compact Jay-iike nest. The eggs are spotless blue, as shown by one of Mr. Hodgson's drawings in the British Museum." " A nest of this species found near Darjeeling in July was placed on the branches of a large tree, at a height of about 12ft. " It was a huge shallow cup. composed mainly of moss, bound together with stems of creepers and fronds of a Selaginella, and lined with coarse roots and broken pieces of dry grass. A few dead leaves were incor- porated in the body of the nest. The nest was about 8 or 9 inches in diajnet*'r and about 2 in thicknces, the broad, shallow, saucer-like cavity being about an inch in depth. " Tlie nest contained two nearly fresh es^gs. The eggs appear to be rather peculiarly shaped. They are mode- rately elongated ovals, a good deal pinched out and pointed towards the small end, in the same manner (though in a less degree) as those of some Plovers, Snipe, etc. I do not know whether this is the typical shape of this egg. or whether it is an abnormal peculiarity of the eggs of this particular nest. The shell is fine, but the eggs have very little gloss. In colour they are a very pale spotless blue, not much darker than those o! Z out urn pis palpcbrosiis. "The eggs measure 1.3 and 132 in length, and 0.89 and 0.92 in breadth." From further notes it is made clear that the eggs above described are perfectly normal. Russ states that this bird is extremely rare, and has only reached the largest Zoological Gardens singly : at any rate, our Gardens seem to have possessed it more than once, and these extremely rare birds have a trick of turning up, now and again, in some numliers, in the bird-market. I well remember when the late Mr. Abrahams first imported a few specimens of Bathilda rufirauda and sold them at £8 a pair he tried to per- suade me to purchase a pair at £5 as a great favour, telling me that in all probability I should never have another chance ; later on I bought a pair for £2, and in 1905 and 1906 they were down to 10s. a pair, many hundreds being on the market. Red-headed LAUOHiNO-THRrsH* {Trocha'.opteron erythrocephalv.m\. Above greyish olivaceous ; head and nape chestnut ; lores, chin, and throat black ; ear-coverts reddish and dark brown ; neck at back olivaceous varied with black ; lesser wing-coverts deep chestnut ; primaries olivaceous, washed with rust-reddish ; breast greyish olivaceous, spotted with black, especially at the sides ; abdomen and under tail-coverts olivaceous ; bill greyish horn- brown ; feet dull yellow; irides ? . Hab., N.W. Himalayas and western districts of Nepal (Jerdon). " By no means uncommon in Kumaon, where it fre- quents shady ravines, building in hollows and their pre- cipitous sides, and making its nest of small sticks and grasses, the eggs being five in number, of a sky-blue colour." (Shore, cf Jerdon, "Birds of India," Vol. II., p. 43.) In Hume s " Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds," pp. 55, 56, we read : — " From Kumaon westwards, at any rate as far as the valley of the Beas, the Red-headed Laughing-Thrush is, next to T. lineatum, the most common species of the genus. It lavs in May and June, at elevations of from 4,(X)0 to 7,(DO0 feet, building on low branches of trees, at a height of from 3 to 10 feet from the ground. "The nests are composed chiefly of dead leaves bound round into a deep cup with delicate fronds of ferns and coarse and fine grass, the cavities being scantily lined with fine grass and moss-roots. It is difficult by any description to convey an adequate idea of tlie beauty of some of these nests — the deep red-brown of the withered ferns, the black of the grass- and moss-roots, the pale yellow of the broad flaggy grass, and the straw-yellow of some of the finer grass-stems, all blended together into an artistic wreath, in the centre of which the beautiful shy-blue and maroon-spotted eggs repose. Externally the nests may average about 6in. in diameter, but the egg-cavity is comparatively large and very regular, mea,«uring about 3iin across and fully 2iin. in depth. Some nests, of course, are less regular and artistio in their appearance, but, as a rule, those of this species are particularly beautiful. The eggs vary from two to four in number." According to Colonel G. F. L. Marshall, the markings on the eggs are usually confined to the larger end. This species has been represented in the collection of the London Zoological Gardens. The Spectacled Thrush {7'rochaloplerum canorum). I have adopted the above as the most descriptive title of the bird. Mr. Wiener calls it the "Chinese Jay Thrush," and scientists give to it the trivial name of "Chinese Laughing-Thru.sh," both of which appellations are more correctly applicable to the Black-throated Laughing-Thrush. A specimen of this bird was given to me by Mr. Abrahams in 1892. It is of a deep reddish brown colour; the head redder than the hick; this and the nape of the neck streaked with black shaft lines ; the wing-covens like the back ; the quills sepia brown, reddish brown externally ; the primaries reddish olive on the outer web ; tail feathers olive-brown at the base and on the margins, dusky towards the tips, indis- tinctly barred ; forehead brighter rufous than the crown and with distinct black shaft-streaks; the lores, sides of face, and ear-coverts dusky, washed with tawny • In what respect the so-called Laughinc-'l'hrushea of the Zoo- loeical Soci'.'ty's List differ from the Jay.Thnishea (the Lnughlnfr Thrushes of Jerdon and other Indian authors) I do not know : I expect they are all really Jay-Thrushes and that lauglilng is excep- tional with them. SIBIA. 49 buff; a short eyebrow-streak from the back of the eye and a lozenge-shaped patcli enclosing the eye, pale ashy grey* ; cheeks, sides of the neck, throat, and under surface tawny butt', witli black shaft-streaks on the tliree first mentioned ; sides deeper in colour and more olive in tint, oentre of abdomen ashy ; lower abdomen, thighs, vent, and under tail cnvcrts deep tawny buff; under wing-coverts tawny butt', excepting those of the lower series, which are ashy brown ; quills below dark brown, reddish along the eiigo of tlie inner web ; bill brown, with the base of the lower mandible yellowish, almost yellow in old birds; legs and claws yellowish; iris of eye yellow. This species appears to be confined to China. In Thv Ibis for 1891, pp, 334-5, in an article on the "Birds of the Lower Yangtse Basin," Mr. F. W. Styan observes: — "Abundant throughout the district on wooded hills, where they frequent the thick cover and find tlieir food among the dead leaves. They are not shy, but thread their way so rapidly through the densest brushwood, half flitting, half hopping from branch to branch, and sonietinu's dodging along the ground among tlie stumps, that it is difficult to shoot them. Thev sing most beautifully morning and even- ing, and are then more ea-^ily approached. Thev are favourite cage birds with the natives, who can always rouse them into song by imitating their note. When caged they e.xhihit considerable powers of mimicry, and are often known as ' Mocking-birds.' "Though naturally hill-birds, they sometimes stray into tne plain.s when good cover attracts them. I have seen them in our garden, and shot them inside the walls of Kiukiang citv, also in the Kahing silk-districts," In T/ie lfji.< for 1906, p. 438, Mr. J. U. D. La Touohe says: — "Common on the higher wooded hills, but also found in copses on the plain. It breeds in April, May, June, and July. " A nest which I took on May 5 was placed in a small holly-bush in a wooded ravine. It con- tained four incubated eggs. The nest was composed of leaves, coarse grass-blades, and twigs, and had a lining of pine-needles. The measurements were: outer diameter about 5iin. bv 6in,, outer depth 4iin., inner diameter 3-4in., inner depth about 2|in. Twelve eggs taken near Chinkiang average 1.04in. by O.Slin. ; the largest is l.lOin. bv 0.83ih., and the smallest 0.95in. by 0.80in." In the Catalogue of Eggs in the British Museum, Vol. IV., p. 9, under T. caiiorum, we read: — "Eggs of the 'Hwa-mei,' or Chinese Laughing-Thrush, are ot a rather broad oval form, glossy, and of a spotless pale blue colour. They measure from 1.00 to 1.04 in length, and from .80 to .85 in breadth." Herr Wiener says : " Unusual opportunities of observ- ing this Thrush allow me to name him as an incom- parable songster, a long-lived cage-bird, and one of rare intelligence." Unhappily, my experience has been the reverse : mv bird was taken out of a room where he had a good deal of liberty, and was transferred to a Thrush cage ; he gave me a few notes, not unlike those of a Blackbird, on the first two days of its captivity, but he was very nervous, soon began to mope, and after about three months he died in a decline. Judging by what I saw of it in a room with numerous other birds, I should sav that Herr Weiner is mistaken in saying: "In th» aviarv the bird would certiinly prove quarrelsome, and might prove destructive." I saw it in company with Blue-birds, lAnlhrix Weavers, Larks, Crested Pigeons, Bulbuls, Cardinals, etc., and though it is as large as a * This rharucter probably disappears after death, as it is omitted in all scientific descriptions that I have seen.— A. G. B. Blackbird and far more active, it did not seem to interfere in any way with its companions. Its flight in this comparatively small area was rapid but short ; rather more like a Series of long leaps than a true flight, though when frightened by tlie net it sliowed that it could flv and turn in the air very rapidly. Dr. W. H. Brazil (The FeaOured World, August 26th, 1892) observes; — "The Chinese seem very fond of the.se birds, and in Shanghai I saw a great many of them hung up outside the houses in pretty little bamboo cages. Unfortunately I never heard one of them sing, but they have the reputation of being good vocalists. I was told abo that they are very difficult to bring over to this country, as they usually die on the voyage, but I .suspect this is through improper feedirg." Witli regard to the South-Island Thrush {Turna/jra craxsiioflii!'), it is not very likely to come into the hands of our readers, although specimens have been deposited at our fJardens. New Zealand birds seem seldom to arrive in our Bird-market, and this species is not even mentioneIr. Reginald Phillipps has given an account, illustrated by a coloured plate, of a pair of this species in his possession. He says: "The se.xes are alike ; nevertheless it is seldom that I cannot distin- iiiiish my male from the femal". Dnring the first year the difference was usually xmmistakable, the male being the larger and thicker bird, and the rrest longer and more wavv ; and he wis much more bold and enterpris- ing." Anvbody who is fcrtnnate enough to secure examples of this bird should read Mr. Phillipps' account. He tells us thit Mr. E W. Harper lor-ed eleven specimens in Engla.nd in 1902, but one was shot and another drowned nrd nobndv knows whether or not the others survived the succeeding winter. GOI.DKN-EVKD B.\IIIiLKR {J'ljctorhis -'i lie II sis). Rufous-brown above; more cinnamon on wings; the tail with ill-defined darker hands; lores and an eyebrow streak and entire under-surface of body white ; a bright orange ring encircling the eye; wings and tail below dusky greyish; bill lilack. with deep yellow nostrils; feet pale yellow ; irides dark brown. The sexes are much alike. Jerdon observes ("Birds o.' India," Vol. II.. pp. 15. 16):— "This species of BabVIer is universally spread throughout India, extending to Burmah, and, from the name, perhips to China. It has been sent from Nepal by Hodgson; is not rare in Bengal and the N.W.P. ; is said to be common in Sindh, and I have seen it in every part of the .South of India. It is abo found in Ceylon, and it is very common in Upper Burmah. It frequents low jungles, or the skirts of forests, long grass, hedge-rows, and even comes occasionally into "ardens. Though sometimes to be met with singlv. it IS generally seen in small parties of five or six, flying from fiush" to bush before you, and trying to conceal itself in some thick clump. It has a low chattering note when at rest, and when flying from bush to bush a loud sibilant whistle. I have on several occasions heard one, perched conspicucmslv on a high busli or hedge-row, pinir forth a remarkahly g<:-u:l song. It feeds mostly on insects, often on ants and small co'eoptera. Mr. Blyth remarks that be possessed some nf these I irds alive, and noticed that they frequently placed one foot upon their fond, while they jjccked with tlie bill," In Hume's "Nests and Eggs of Indi (n Birds" there are nuinorous notes on the nidification of this species, from which I select the following: — "The Vellow-eyed Babbler breeds throughout tlie plains of Indi 1, as also in the Nilghiris, to an elevation of 5,000ft., and in the Himalayas to perhaps 4,000ft. It lays in the latter part of June, in .July, .\ugust, and Septeaiber. Gardens are the favourite localities, an 1 in these the little bird makes its compact and solid nest, sometimes in a fork of the fine twigs of a lime- busb. sometimes in a nuugo. orange, or apple tree, occasionally .suspended between three .'■tout grass-stem-, or even attached to a single stem of the huge grass from which the native pens are made. I have taken a nest, hung between three reeds, exactly resembling in shape and position the Reed-Warbler's nest tSalicarin arundi- nacea), figured in Mr. Varrell's vignette at page 313, Vol. I., 3rd edition. " The nest is typically cone-shaped (the apex down- wards), from 5in. to 6in. in depth, and 3in. or 4in. in diameter at the base : but it varies of course according to situation, the cone being often broadly truncated. In the base of the cone (which is uppermost) is the egg- cavity, measuring from 2in. to 3in. in diameter, and from 2in. to 2.5in. in depth. The nest is ver;/ com- pactly and solidly woven, of rather broad Vilades of grass, and long strips of fine fibrous bark, exteriorly more or less coated with cobwebs and gossamer-threads. Interiorly, fine grass-stems and roots are neatly and closely interwoven. I once found .some horse-hair along with the grass-roots, but this is unusual. " The full number of eggs is, I believe, five. I have repeatedlv taken nests containing this number, and have comparatively seldom met with a smaller number of eggs at all incubated." (Pp. 95-6.) Mr. Oates writes : — " The eggs vary a good deal in size and shape, and very much in colouring. They are mostly of a very broad oval shape, very obtuse at the smaller end. Some are, however, slightly pyriform. and some a little elongated. There are two very distinct types of coloration : one has a pinkish-white giound. thickly and finely mottled and streaked over the whole surface with more or less bright and deep brick-dust red, so that the ground-colour only faintly shows through, here and there, as a .sort of pale mottling: in the other type the ground-colour is pinkish-white, somewhat sparingly, but boldly, blotched witli irregular patches and eccentric hieroglyphic-like streaks, often Bunting-like in their character, or bright blood or brick- dust red. The eggs of this type, besides these primary markings, generally exhibit towards the large end a number of pale inky-purple blotches or clouds. Combinations of these different types of course occur, but fully two-thirds can be separated distinctly under the first and second varieties. Tliough much smaller, many of the eggs recall those of the English Robin. The eggs have often a fine gloss." (P. 98.) Four specimens of this species reached our Zoological Gardens in 1868, and in The Avirullural Magazine, 1st ser.. Vol. VIII., pp. 108-10. Mr. E. W. Harper pub- lished an account of his experience of eight examples which he kept in an aviary. As regards thp food suit- able for this species, he says : " Dr. Butler's famous mixture of powdered biscuit, ants' cocoons, egg yolk, and dried flies would doubtless suit him excellently as n staple food. Personally, whilst in India, I do as the Indians do ; that is to siy, pea-meal, Avell mixed with a little refined butter, forms the staple diet of nearly all my insectivorous binls. With this is intiniatclv in- corporated, every alternate d ly, a little raw, finely- minced liver or kidney. Whatever food be given, meal- worms or maggots should form part of the daily menu. " Tit-bits of a hard and shelly nature, such as grass- hop|)ers, cockroaches, dried flies, etc., must be ^iven at intervals to cleanse and stimulate the digestive organs; for the .same reason that beasts and birds of prey require hair, fur, or feathers to keep them in continued good health." In 7'/ic Auinilfvrnl Maifci-.ine for the year follow- ing, ilr. Reginald Phillipps gave an account, illustrated bv a foloured plate, of a specimen in bis possession. It would be well for anybody who might secure a. Golden-eyed Babbler to look up these two articles. STRUTHIDEA AND HYPOCOLIUS. 51 Grey Strbthidea {Struthidea cinerea). General colour grey ; each feather witli a paler tip ; wings brown ; tail black, the central feathi'rs with a deep metallic screen gloss ; bill and feet black ; iric tliat this bird is rare in the German market : it h.ns been offered to me more than once ; but unless one has n deep pocket and manv aviaries a bird of this kind is not sufficiently attractive to tempt one to purchase it ; of course it is not a cheap bird, though. on account of its sombre colouring, it is not excessively dear. According to Russ it built a nest in the Berlin Aquarium and .several times in the Berlin Zoological Gardens; in the latter also it laid eggs and brooded young ones, but unhappily without rearing them. In 1875 and 1876 the pair nested four times, Professor Peters taking possession of the second nest as well as eggs and young for the Hoyal Zoological Museum of Berlin. The male fed the young more frequently than the female, apparently upon soft food and worms : pos- sibly the '.vant of abundant insect-food may have had something to do with the death of the young, yet Russ speaks of one attaining the age of two months and having its head split open by a white Australian Crow. Grey Hitocolius {Hi/poculius ampdinus). Delicate huffish ash-coloured ; the crest, throat and under tail-coverts of a purer pale huffish, washed with vinaceous; lores, sides of lace enclosing eye, and a band at back of neck shining blackish ; primaries black, the outer ones shaded with brown at the tips, otherwise with white tips ; secondaries blackish, margined ex- ternally and tipped with ashy ; tertials buffish-ash, blackish at base; tail-feathers broadly smoky black at the tips ; under wing-coverts dull whitish ; sides of breast shaded with ash; bill and feet horn-coloured, the former with black-brown tip. The female is smaller, more olivaceous, crown and lores darker ; no black on face or nape ; primaries slightly edged externally with grey-brownish, the apical mai'gin distinct, prominent, white ; less black at the extremity of the tail-feathers, which are ashy grey or drab; under wing-coverts pale dull huffish. The young bird resembles the female, but is more dingy ; the Hights almost uniform in colouring, slightly blackish towards the tips, but not piUe-tipped. Hab., N.E., Africa as far as the Niam-Niam country ; the Persian Gulf, ard Sind. Mr. W. D. Gumming (cf. The Jhh 1886, pp. 478-80) says: — "It is not till the middle of June that they bree;l. " In 1883, first eggs were brought by an Arab about the 13th of June, and on the 15th of the same month I found a nest containing two fresh eggs. In 1884, on the 14th of June, a nest was brought me containing four fresh eggs, and on the 15th I found a nest contain- ing also four fresh eggs. " 2nd July. I came across four young birds able, to fly. On the 3rd, three nests were brought, one containing two fresh eggs, another three young just fledged, and the other four eggs slightly incubated. On the 9th another nest, containing four young just fledged, was brought. On the 15th. I saw' a flock of small birds well able to fly ; on the 18th I found a nest containing four young about a couple of days old, and on the 20th a nest containing three eggs well incubated was brought from a place called " Goosba " on the oppo- site bank (Persian side) of the river. " The nests are generally placed on the leaves of the date-palm, at no very great height. The highest I have seen was built about 10ft. from the ground, but from 3ft. to 5ft. is the average height. "They are substantial and cnp-.shaped, having a diameter of about J^in. bv 2iin. in depth, lined inside with fine grass, the soft fluff from the willow when in seed. wool, and sometimes hair. "The eggs are of a glos.sy leaden white, with leadf^n- coloured blotches, and spots towards the larger end, 52 FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. sometimes forming a ring round the larger end, and at times spreading over the entire egg. " On rare occasions I have noticed a greenish tinge in verv fresh eggs. This. I think, is due to the colour of the" inner membrane, which is generally a very light green, in some very faint and in others more decided ; this tinge seems to disappear after the egg is blown. " Very rough measurements are as follows :— 0.9in. by 0.63in. ;" 0.83in. bv 0.63in. : 0.83in. by 0.6in. ; 0.83iii. by 0.66in. ; 0.86in" by 0.66in. " " In 1883 I managed to rear a young bird, feeding it on bread steeped in water and lots of flies. " It used to fly about my room and the verandah, but always came to me when" I showed it a fly. Unfortu- nat«fy, one day I was rubbing up some brass hinges, and left them to steep in salad-oil, into which a fly fell ; the bird immediately seized and swallowed it, and in a few hours after got" a fit, which recurred several times during the next two days, and on the third day it died. "I "have known the old birds forsake a nest after it has been once examined, and even to stop building when it has been observed, and le.ive the locality altogether." When a statement like the above is made about any bird it is generally ridiculed by those who have not themselves observe"d it. In the case of our English Wren I have frequently observed the same thing. Mr. Cuming presented a male of this species to our London Zoological (Jardens in March, 1890, and a pair in May, 1892, but Dr. Russ does not notice the species in his"''Frem'dlandischen vStubenvogel," yet there is no reason why other examples should not come to hand. CHAPTER VI. ORIOLES (OrioMcB). The Orioles were regai-ded by Seebohm as relatives of the Crows; but, whether related to thera or not, it is certain that they have nothing to do with the so-called Orioles of the New World, which are to all iiitentfi and purpase.s Starlings. They are bright-coloured birds, chiefly yellow or scarlet and black, and they form hammock-like nests, lay white or salmon-pink eggs spotted with blackish-browii," sometimes with lilacine-greyish shell-markings. Their U-xxi consists of insects in all stages, spiders, ajid small fruits ; and in captivity a good insectivorous food, with tire addition of a few living insects and a little fruit daily, suits them well. I have only kept the European species, ajid I find it a most dull a"nd apathetic bird, but possibly this may have been partly due to the fact that it was blind of one eye and had a drooping wing ; as a show-bird an Oriole would be admirable. Black-n.\ped Oriole (Oriolus indicus). Plumage bright yellow ; the back and wing-coverts greenish ; tijxs of primary-ooverts bright yellow forming a spot of colour; primaries black, tippwl and bordered with greenifiih-yellow ; secondaries bnadl.y margined with pale yellow ; tertiaries with the outer web and part of the inner w«b greenish yellow ; tail black, the central feathers narrowly tipped with yellow, which increases in width to tlie outenni>st feathers, which are very broadly yellow at the distal end ; a black horse- shoe marking "extending frlotohes." " I procured a nest at Sangor, from a high branch DRONGOS. 53 of a banian tree in cantonnicnt. It waiS situated between the forks of a branoh, made of fine rooUs and graiss, with some hair and a featlierr or two internally, and suspended by a long roll of cloth about jin. wide, whioh it must have pilfered from the neighbouring verandah, where the tailor workwl. Tl.is strip was woumi round ea<,-h fork, then passed round the nes.t beneatii, fixed to the other fork and again bronglit rourwl tlie iieist, to the opposite side; there were four or five of these supports on each side. It wiis, indeed, a most curious nest, and «o securely fixed that it could not have b<^en removee- bush. The eggs are three in number, usually of a buffy-white ground-colour, blotched and freckled all over with 1-ight brown, and umber-brown markings, par- ticularly towards the larger end. Occasionally an egg in a set is found of a dull white ground-colour, with a well-defined zone of dark umber round the larger end. The measurements of a set taken at Albert Park in December. 1870 are as follows -.—D^ngth (A) 0.9 x 0.7 inch; (B) 0.95 x 0.7 inch ; (0 0.93 x 0.67 inch." In a note published in Tlii' Emu. Vol. II., p. 217, Mr. F. L. Berney records the fact that the Wood- Swallows feed upon honey. He says: — "Two of the species {Arlamji^ prrsi.iiatiis and .4. fupcrriUoxim] have been flocking lately on the bauhini i trees, which are just now in full bloom. I w.atched them quite close, there being no need for the glasses, for in their eager- ness to gather their breakfast of honev they crowded round me within 8ft. of my head." The writer shot some of these birds, but appears to have found only ants and one beetle in the stomachs, which (the edit-or points out) suggests that the birds were after insects and not honey; however, in Vol. Ill , p. 112, Miss Helen Bowie ^vrites : — " I have kept two p.airs of Wood- Swallows for tile last seven mnnths. They were turned out into an aviary in which there w.ns honev for some Mrl'iphnqiHiT. No sooner were the W(ir>d-Swallnws at liberty thin they made their way to the pot, and seemed to recognise it as a nafur.al diet. At prcsen' they live principally on fruit and honey, with a little Lark fooci and occasional ineccts bv wav of a treat. Thev visit WOOD-SWALLOWS. scented Howers, but I do not know whether in search ol honey or not. The brush tongue would seem to indicate that honey was in th« wild state a food some- times used, though perhaps, as in the case of Bome honey-eating Parrots, not necessary always to subsist- ence." Five examples of this species reached our Zoological Gardens in 1866 ; a pair was breecies in South Victoria for seven years, from which it appears that migratory flocks arrive there between August 19 and September 9 and depart between the end of April and middle of May. In July or August and depart again in January or February. The eggs are generally four in number ; they differ much in the disposition of their markings ; their ground-colour is dull white, spotted and dashed with dark umber-brown. In some a second series of greyish spots appear as if beneath the surface of the shell ; their medium length is eleven lines, and lireadth eight lines." — "Birds of Australia," Vol. I., jip. 144-5. According to Mr. North (Cat. Nests and Eggs Aus- tralian Birds, p. 43) " this species breeds from Sep- tember till the middle of January. The young birds are often found on the ground during December, having left the nest before being able to fly, and are unable to get back again." About 1898 Mr. Geo. Carrick imported two pairs of this Wood-Swallow (parents and hand-reared young) which later came into the hands of .Messrs. FuUjamcs and Fillmer. In 1899 Mr. Fulljames obtained three other pairs from the same imjxirter. In his article on Wood-Swallows {Avicultural Magazine, 1st series. Vol. VI., p. 155) Mr. Fulljames remarks that "they have been kept all together in a large open cage with wiie top as well as sides, and they spend quite a con- siderable portion of their time hanging head curon in circles, or, when in close pursuit of an insect, rapid and direct. Its cry, which it frequently utters, botli when seated and in flight, is plaintive, very like that of the Shikra (Afirronisus haditif) but more subdued."- — "Birds of India," Vol. I., pp. 441-2. Colonel W. V. Legge &ays : — " It is exceedingly fond of scattered groves of palmyras close to the sea-shore, resting on the fronds of these trees when not hawking for in.seots, and rinxsting on them at night. It associates in small flocks, perching together in closely packed rows, and sallying out in twos and threes after its food, which it catches on the wing, circling round, and sometimes mounting, with a buoyant flight, high in the air, where it will occasionally soar for a considerable time with outstretched wings. It is always of a most sociable nature ; and when a flock is scattered by the shooting of one of their number, they speedily reunite on a neigh- bouring tree. It is partial to the vicinity of water, as in hawking above the surface of tanks and lakes it finds an abundance of food. In its mode of feeding it resembles the Drongo-Shrikes, beating its prey (which consists largely of beetles) to death on its perch before it swal- lows it. Its ordinary note resembles somewhat that of the Red-breasted Swallow." " The breeding-season of the Wood-Swallow is in February and ilarch, both in the north and central districts. It builds in the former region, to a great extent, in the palmyra palm, placing its nest between the bases of the fronds. A nest which I found so situated in Erinativoe Island was composed of grass and roots, massive in exterior, and rather slovenly put together ; the interior was a shallow cup about 2iin. in diameter, and contained three nestlings. Mr. Bligh informs me that he h,is found the nest in the' hole of a tree situated in a coffee-plantation. " Mr. Cripps . . . . writes of some nests taken in date- trees IPTiceiiix syh-eslris) ; they were built at the junction of the leaf-stem and trunk, though in two instances they were placed on a ledge from which all the leaves had been removed to enable the tree to be tapped for its juice. In every instance the nest was exposed, and if any biixl, even a Hawk, came near, the courageous little fellows, says Mr. Cripps, would drive it off. 'The nests were shallow saucers, made of fine twigs and grasses, and with a lining of the same, and contained two to four eggs each.'" — "Birds of Ceylon," Vol. II., pp. 668-9. This species was exhibited for the fir.st time at the London Zoological Gardens on March 29th. 1903; being a common bird both in India .and Ceylon it is very likely to appear from time to time in the bird-market." SHRIKES (Laniidce). The Shrikes or Butcher-birds were placed by Seebohm near to the Crows, but generally they are placed nearer to itie Flycatchejis. They are birds of somewhat pre- daceuus habits with powerful bills, short thick mandibles, of which the upper one has the culmen or ridge curved and terminating in a well defined hook, preceded on the cutting edge by a slight depress-ion, behiral which is a prominent wedge-shaped tooth; the nostrils are oval, lateral, and basal, and there are well-marked rictal bristles as in the Flycatchers. Being more or le.ss pre- dac'ccus, their follar on the chest of the male is repre.-iented merely by a few blackish tipiion some of the feathers; bill and feet brown ; lower mandible paler." He also describes the young plumage in botli sexes, so that it seems impossible that his female can have been anything but an adult bird. Hab., South-eastern Africa. An excellent figure of the male (Plate XI.) is given in Sharpe's edition uf Layard's " Birds of South Africa." from which I extract the following note by Mr. Thomas Ayres : — "These birds inhabit, the dense bush along the luast, never leaving it ; they creep about the under- wo(k1 in search of their food, and are easily obtained by those who can imitate their call, for they "will imme- diat-ely answer, and come to the sjKjrtsman if within hearing. On perceiving their mistake they make a low charring noise, as they do also if theysee a eat, snake, panther, or other beast of prey." (p. 381.) In Stark and Sclater's "Birds of South Africa," Vol. II.. p. 36, are the following notes on the habits from the pens of Messrs. Woodward and Millar: — "It does not sing, but its cheerful cry. ' kong-kong-koit,' is one of the pleasantest of bush sounds. It is particularly ])artial to dense thickets, where, when it is disturbed, it makes a croaking noise, and it is difficult to shoot it at such close quarters without destroying its plumage. Tills Shrike feeds principally on insects, but the natives tell us that it sometimes attacks and kills the small Bush-Wrens, and that they have known them to eat the flesh of birds caught in their snares." " Tliey breed early in November, and although plenti- ful, their nests are rarely found. They build a loosely- constructed nest of twigs lined with dry leafstalks, generally placed four or five feet from the ground, in a thicket or among some dried twigs or sticks. " The clutch consists of two or three pretty white eggs delicately marked with grey-brown streaks and splashes, principallv at the obtu.se end, and measuring about .83 by .58. "The nest being loosely put together, enables one to see through it. and the eggs resembling light and shade renders detection more difficult, which is probably the reason they are not more frequently dis'covered. I have bunteu;iht home by Mr. E. W. Harper. According to this gentleman, the song, so far as could be judged by its recordinj. resembled the warble of the male Red-backed Shrike, and some of the calls those of the English Robin. An excellent coloured plate of both sexes .appeared in the succeeding volume. Mr. Dev.hurst has exhibited this species at the Crystal Palace, and it appears not to be the same speci- WHITE-EYES. 61 men as that owned by Mr. Humphrys, so that it is quite likely that others may yet be imported. Fruit and insects are the chief articles of diet. CHAPTER VII. VVHITE=EYES {Zoster opid(e). This giouji of birds has been referred to the Tits [I'aridce), lioney-eaters (Mt:lii>hmjiilir) and Sunbirds (Srrlarini'ida), but ])r. Liadow has. shown that the structure of the tongue removes it from the first and third and from most of the forms usually included in the second ; therefore it has been thought better to consider Zostrrnps as typical of a distinct family. The species are characterised by modest colouring, usually olivaceous or mouse-coloured above and yellow below, the eye surrounded by a conspicuous ring of white feiitluMs which induced the dealers to give them the trivial name of Spectacle-Birds." They are small, .active little creatures, vaguely recalling our Willow-Warbler and its allies, and feeding upon insects and fruits. In captivity they do well on the same treatment as that provided for other delicate fruit-eating insectivors. Although in 1872 the Zoological Society of London received six examples of the New Zealand form ZostrropK lalcrnlis, presented by Mr. Bills in August, it is unlikely that this bird, if distinct, will apjiear again in the London market. The destruction of the native birds by cats and other vermin imported into the islands and the strict laws for the preservation of such birds as have not been exterminated, militate against the chance of British aviculturists seeing much of this or others of the birds of New Zealand which formerly were occasionally brought home. Dr. Russ reg rds Z lalcrnlig as a mere synonym of Z. dorsalis, but the List of the Zoological Society records both as distinct species. The Gret-b.\cked WmTE-EvE {Zosterops ccerulescens). "Crown of the head, wings, and tail olive; back dark grey ; eyes surrounded by a zone of white feathers, bounded in front and below with black; throat, centre of the abdomen, and under tail-coverts greyish white with a slight tinge of olive ; flanks light chestnut brown ; upper mandible dark brown ; under mandible lighter ; irides and feet, greyish brown. In some specimens the throat and sides of the head are wax-yellow, and the flanks are only stained with chest- nut brown." — Gnuld. The sexes are said to be alike in plumage, but, from what I have seen of Zosterops, I should judge that the female would be slightly paler in all itis hues and a little smaller. According to Finsoh, the female of Z. lateralis is paler in the green and grey of the upper parts, and I have noticed that the female of the Chinese species (and I think of this bird also) showed a less vivid yellow on the underjxirts. Without question, the female has a longer bill with less arched cnlmen. Mr. Ck>uld gives the following account of this species, which I cannot do better than quote verbatim: — •This bird is .stationary in all parts of Tasmania, New South Wales, and South Australia, where it is not only to be met wMi in the forests and thickets, but al.50 in nearlv every garden. It even builds its nests and rears iti3 young in the shrubs and rose-trees borderincr the walks. Among the trees of the forest the beautiful Leptospermitm is the one to which at all times this species evinces a great partiality. * This is, of course, a translation of tlie German name Brillenvogel. " Its flighit is quick and darting, and when among the branches of the trees it is as active as most birds, prying and searching with scrutinising care into the leaves and flcvwere for the insects upon which it feeds. It is sometimes seen singly or in pairs, while at others, it is to be observed in great numbers, on the saDie or neighbouring trees- It is of a familiar disposition, and; utters a pretty and very lively song. " The breeding season commences in September and continues to January. The nest is one of the neatest structures possible ; it is o,f a round, deep, cup-shajjed form, composed of fine grasses, moss, and -wool, and most carefully lined with fibrous roots and grasses. The eggs are usually three in nunilwr, n.f a beautiful uniform pale blue, eight and a half lines long by six broad."*— " Handbook Birds of Australia," Vol. I.^ pp. 587-8. I quote the following from Camipbell's " Nestc and' Egg,s of Australian Birds," pp. 347-8: — "Though an ordhard pest, the little Wbitc-Eye is a very interesting &|)ecies, while its small shapely nest, with its beautiful bluish-gi-een eggis, are amongst the models of nidiology." " Gould regarded it as a stationary species. I have found their pretty nests in the coastal scrubs during summer, while in winter the birds in finiall companies are frequently seen darting about our gardens, where they are specially fond of the heating berries of the pepper-tree (Schhuis). When threading the branches,, feeding, a bird occasionally utters a soft, sweet, chat- tering warble, as if singing inwardly, or to itself. The well-known call or alarm note is a short, feeble, whi.'tle- !ike .wund, often repeated. " While mentioning pepper-trees, I may mention that my son Archie was once watching White-Eyes feeding- in our tiee. when a Sparrow (introduced) intruded. One of the White-Eyes, with his sharp little beak, made ai lunge at the Sparrow, piercing it to the heart, so that it immediately fell dead beneath, and was brought tcf me for examination." "'My friend Mr. Ed. D'Omibrain presented me with three White Eyes, which he trapped in his garden. They are fed on ground sweet biscuit and fruit, and are now thriving in the aviary with a pair of Canaries." It appears that although this species is rather an annoyance to fruit-gi-owers, from its love of cherries, which it probes with its sharp bill in order to feed on- the pulp, it is nevertheless a nio.st valuable friend to the gardener from the quantities of blight and other small insect pests which it devours. In confinement this bird sings rather prettily ; it is easily kept, being fed upon ripe orange or over-ripe pears (even sweet apple), and sweet-water grapes split open : also potato chopped up with yolk of egg and anv good insectivorous bird-food slightly damped. It will also do well for a time on moistened sponge cake and fruit. Indian White-Eve iZos/rrops /mlprhrosus). In colouring it is olive-green above, the throat' and fore-chest bright yellow, belly white in the middle, flanks greyish, thighs and under tail-cnverts yellowish, bill blackish, feet leaden grev. a circle nf white feathers round the eve, the iris pale brown. Hab., India, CVvlon, and Tenasserim. In its wild state this species may be seen clinging to flower-stalks, and in Ceylon is said to affect the tulip- trees in the principal street of the Fort at Colombo: in feeds apparently not on the nectar of flowers, but on the tiny injects which are found therein, and it is ' Tliree to four according to Campbell. 62 FOREICiN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. also stated to eat the fruit of a small Indian black- berry. It is moderately gregarious, but e.xtreniely active, and a.s it flits hither and thither it is said to twitter incessantly. The ne>t is a neat deep cup, usually fixed in the fork of a berberry or other low bush ;" tlie eg^s, two to three in number, are greenish- blue, or pale blue inclining to whitish. The song, according to Dr, Russ, resembles that of the Grasshopper Warbler; the species -was bred by Mr. Oesterlin. of Mannheim, but not successfullv, one young one being hatched from the first nest, which died when eight days old. A eccond nest was built, and three eggs laid, when the hen died, and the cock bird \vearied of the task of incubation, after four days. Probably a garden aviary in a sunny position would be the most suitable place "in which to attempt to breed This bird appears to have been more freely imported into Germany than England. Chinese White-Ete {Zosterops simplex.) Above it is olive-green, somewhat tawny on the ■crown ; chin and throat, as well as under tail-coverts, The Chinuse White-Eyf. bright yellow, lemainder of under puts white, greyish o gradual as to be practically imperceptible. The birds, whether moulting or not, are always, to all appearance, in the pink of perfection. Till-: W'lHTE-EvE. This is the more extraordinary as I had been led to believe that during their moult they became perfectly bare of feathers, dropping the whole crop simul- taneously. It is rare to hear the song of this bird, though one is familiar with its e.xcited, reet the Japanese Empire," p. 68) says: — "The Japaiie.su White-Kye is a resident in all the Japanese Islands, and i^ peculiar to Japan. It is not very common in Vezzo, but was obtained at Hako- dadi as long ago ius 1863." " The neat of the Japanese White-Eye is a beautiful structure toniposed entirely of nvoss, patched outside with large pieceis of liv'hen, aiul lined ir. side with horse- hair. It i.s rather flat in sha|)e, a'ld is evidently a ground nest." (Jouy, Proe. I'nited States Nat. Mus. 1883, p. 288.) Eggs in the Pryer collection are un- spotted bluish white, of tlie dimensions of full-sized Willow-Warbler's eggs. According to Russ, Miss Hagenbeck imported a single e.xample of this -species ; then a pair reached the Berlin Zoological Gardens in 1892; later in 1895 G. Bosz of Cologne imported a great number into the trade. He adds the following notes of interest to the general reader : — " Professor Dr. Brauns of Tokio says that the species maj- be found at all times in Central Japan, and as a migrant it iksKociates especially with the swarms of difi'ercnt kinds of Titjnice. This also Blakiston and Pryer had maintained, as they had noticed the species as a common bird in winter in the plains. " It sings," writes Dr. Brauns, "if not very loud, yet charmingly, and in the home is accounted one of the best and most perfectly tameable household companions. Naturally its upkeep requires animal matter as food, but one can buy this almost anywhere in Japan as a prepared mixture. The latter, I am told, is prepared mairnl.v frorc crayfish — which are not eaten here — and perhaps it is as near as one can get to an insectivorous food-mixture. This Speotacle-bird consequently is one of the most abundant cage-birds, continually offered for sale in all shops, although it is not yet one of the most admired of bird.s." It seems hardly likely that crayfish would form the basis of a mixture for in.sectivorous birds ; but what other traiiilation one can give to the term "river-crabs" I don't know. It is far more likely that the mixture consisted largely of the so-called water-boatmen to which the fancy name of "dried flies" has been given by bird- caterers. C.^PE White-Eye (Zostei-ops capcnsis). Above olive-green, yelIowis.h on rinnp and upper tail- coverts; flights and tail-feathers brown, washed externally with olive; forehead olivaceous yellow ; lores black ; the usual white ring of feathers round eye; ear- coverts and sides of face green ; cheeks and throat bright yellow, changing to pale brown on breast and abdomen; sides greyii-li, flanks fulvescent ; binder tail- coverts bright yeihiw ; axillaries and under wing-coverta yellowish white; bill and feet bluish-grey, the meta- tarsus yellowish ; iris brownish-yellow. Female said to resemble the male, probably a trifle paler and with more slender bill. Hab., South Africa. I take the following notes on the habits of this bird from Stark and Sclater's "Birds of South Africa," Vol. I., p. 303: — "The common White-Eye, when not breeding, is invariably in small family parties, con.sist- ing of the parent-birds and the young of the precensiderable part in the cross-fertilization o" many plants. " The nest is buiJt among the smaller twigs at the extremity of a horizontal branch of a bush or low tree. It is very small, of a shallow cup-shape, and is neatly constructed of fine tendrils and moss, gJued together with cobweb and frequently decorated on the outside with pieces of grey lichen. The interior is lined with hair. The eggs, four or five in number, are unspotted pale blue. 'They measure 0.66 x 0.50. " Both parents incubate the eggs, which are hatched at the end of ten days. The nestlings are fed on soft larva', smaJl caterpillars and the saccharine juices of flowers by both male and female.' Dr. Russ says that so far as he knows this species has only once been imported, three examples having reached Europe towards the beginning of 1880 ; he does not seem to know what became cf them. Of course there is no more reason why it should not be freely imported like the Chinese and Australian species, and doubtlet's one of these days some enterprising dealer will bring home a number. Yellow White-Eye (Zostcrops Hava). Greenish yellow, forehead and upper tail-coverts bright yellow; flights and tail-feathers blackish-brown witli yellow margins; axillaries and under wing-coverts white or yellowish ; body below yellow ; sides of breist sumewhat dingy; bill bla-jkish ; feet lead-coloured; irides brown. Female similar, but probably slightly paler and with more slender bill. Hab., Sumatra, Java and Borneo. Dr. RuSs regrets that he has been unable to discover any notes on the wild life of this bird; and unfor- tunately I have had no better I'jck, but there is a gre it sameness in the wild life of all the species, as will be seen by comparing the accounts of the preceding forms. In February, 1877, Ch. Jamrach imported thirteen examplee of the Yellow White-Eye into the London market, of whicii a pair was forwarded to Dr. Russ, but arrived dead, but nevertheless were useful in estab- lishing the species ; he regi-ets that he is unable to say what became of the remaining examples, and since tihat time no more have been imported to his know- ledge, yet there is no reason why they should not again appear in the market. FLOWER-PECKERS (Dimid,f). To this family the genus I'ardalotua has been referred by Dr. Sharj* ; but Prof. Newton thinks th.i't, if rightly placed here, the name of the family ought to lie changed on tlie ground that Paidahilu'a antedates rUnniin. I am afraid, if this rule were stringently followed, the names of many families in the various classes of animals would have to be altered. Although Prof. Newton says that the Diamond-birds (Australian 64 FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. trivial name for the Pardalotes or Panther-birds) have been enoneouslv referred to the above family he does not say where tliey oufjht to be placed, and as Campbell accepts Dr. Sharpe's decision I am afraid I must do so also ; in their habits they resemble the Titmice (Parldce) pretty closely, but I should be very sorry to suggest that they were related to them ; one of thase days some anatomist will doubtless decide what is their natural position. Spotted Panther-bird {Pardalotus punctatus).' Crown and nape, wings, and tail black, with a round white spot at tlie tip of each feather; a white eyebrow- stripe from base of bill to beyond eye ; ear-coverts and sides of neck grey ; feathers of back fawn-colour, grey at base and with black edges ; rump and upper tail- coverts mahogan}' red-brown, the tail-coverts redder; throat and breast bright golden yellow ; abdomen sandy bullish, tawny on the flanks ; under tail-coverts yellow ; bill black ; feet flesh-brown ; irides dark brown. Female with the colours less pronounced and no yellow on the throat. Hab., "Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South and West Australia, and Tasmania, including some of the islands in Bass' Strait." — Camp- bell. An exceUent illustration of the male in two positions by Mr. Norman B. Roberts accompanies an article on tills bird which I published in June, 1900. {The Avi- cultural Magazine, 1st Series, Vol. VI., pp. 165-9.) Gould sayB of this species: — "It is incessantly engaged in searching for insects among the foliage, both of trees of the highest growth and of the lowest shrubs ; it frequents gardens and enclosures as well as the open forest ; and is exceedingly active in its actions, clinging and moving about in ey^ry variety of position both above and beneath the leaves with equal facility. " With regard to the nidiScation of the species, it is a singular circumstance that, in the choice of situa- tion for the reception of its Tiest, it differs from every other known member of the genus ; for while they always nidify in the noles of trees, this species descends to the gronnd, and, availing itself of any little shelving bank, excavates a hole just large enough to admit of the passage of its body, in a nearly horizontal direction to the depth of two or three feet, at the end of which a chamber is formed in which the nest is deposited. The nest itself is a neat and beautifully built structure, formed of strips of the inner bark of the Eucalypti, and lined with finer strips of the .same or similar materials ; it is of a spherical contour, about four inches in diameter, with a small hole in the side for an entrance. The chamber is generally somewhat higher than the mouth of the hole, by which means the risk of its being inundated upon the occurrence of rain is obviated. I have been fortunate enough to discover many of the nests of this species, but they are most difficult to detect, and are only to be found by watch- irg for the egress or ingress of the parent birds from or into their hole or entrance, which is frequently formed in a part of the bank overhung with herbage, or beneath the overhanging roots of a tree. How so neat a structure as is the nest of the Spotted Diamond-bird should be constructed at the end of a hole where no light Ciin possibly enter is beyond our comprehension. The eggs are four or five in number, rather round in form, of a beautiful polished fleshy-white, seven and a ♦ Some years aeo Professor Alfred Newton objected to my adop. tion of this liernian name for tlie species, in place of the Australian name Uiamond-blrd ; bnt I rointetl out tliat there were other maniondhirds in Australia— the Uiamond-.Sparrow and the Diamond- Dove— and a dealer wpuld be confused by so many; to that 'Panther-bird" was preferable. half lines long by six and a half lines broad. "The song of the Spotted Diamondbird is a rather harsh piping note of two svUables often repeated." — " Handb. Birds Australia." Vol. I., pp. 157-8. According to Dr. Ramsay, the nest consists of a lining to the spherical cliamber at the end of the burrow, and is sometimes formed of grass. Stmietimes it is placed in a hollow log, a crevice in an old wall, a niche under a shelving rock, or the banks of water-holes or creeks, hut never in the hollow branches of trees like those of other birds. Wlien blown the eggs are ]>early white. The breeding-seas m sometimes commences as early as July and lasts until the end of December, three broods being reared. When building, according to Mr. C. C. Brittlebank the male collects till his bill is full of baik, which he gives to his mate; he then collects his own load and carries it to the nest. Mr. Campbell says that a nest which he " found in a West Australian forest was only eight or nine inches in the ground with a chamber three and a half inches in diameter." — " Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds," p. 444. This beautiful little bird was imported by the late Mr. J. Abrahams in 1882. He sent a pair to Dr. Russ. but unfortunately they were dead when they reached him. There is not the least reason why they should not be freely imported. With a stock of any good insectivorous food there ought to be no difficulty. HONEY=EATERS (Mdiphagidce). Though there is not much prospect of aviculturists securing many Poe-birds in the future, it ha.s been such a notable cage-bird in the past that it must not be passed over. PoE HoNEY-E.tTEH, TdI, OR PaRSON-BIRD {Prostliemadcra novev-zealandim). Shining metallic green with purple reflections on the shoulders, rump and upjwr tail-coverts ; hind neck with collar of soft curved filamentous feathers having white central lines ; middle of back and scapulars bronze- brown, the latter with blue reflections; greater wing- coverts metallic green, the outer ones glossy blackish purple ; intermediate ones white in their apical portion, forming a distinct wing bar ; flights black ; primaries with metallic green outer edges towards base; this co'our increases on the secondaries until it covers the whole web ; tail metallic green with purjilish reflec- tions ; lower breast metallic green changing to purplish I lue ; sides and abdomen blackish brown, the long flank feathers shading into pale brown ; under surface of wings and tail black ; under wing-coverts metallic green ; throat ornamented with two tufts of curled white filamentous feathers ; bill and feet blackish brown ; irides dark hrown. Female smaller, less brightly colouied, more brown on underparts j tufts on throat sipaller. Hab., New Zealand. Sir Walter Buller says:— "This is one of our mosr common species, and on that account generally receives less attention in its own country than its singular beauty merits." "It is incessantly on the move, pausing only to utter its joyous notes. The early morning is the period devoted to melody, and the Tuis then perform in concert, gladdening the woods with their wild ecstacy. Besides their chime of five notes (always preceded by a keynote of preparation), they indulge in a peculiar outburst which has been facetiously described as 'a HONEY-EATERS. 65 cough, a laugh, and a sneeze,' and a variety of other notes entitling it to be ranked as a songster. "Its flight is nipid, graceful, and slightly undulating, the rustling of the wings as they are alternately opened and closed being distinetly audible. " The food of the Tui consists of ripe berries of various kinds, flies and other insects, and the honey of certain wild Howers. "The nest of this species is usually placed in the fork of a bushy shrub, only a few feet from the ground, but I have also found it at a consiilerable elevation, hidden among the leul'y toj) of a forest tiee. It is rather a large structure, composed chiefly of sprays or dry twigs, intermixed with coarse green moss, the cavity beuig lined with fibrous grasses, very carefully bent and adji sted. Sometimes the interior is comjxised of the blaCK hair-like substance from the young shoots of the tree-fern, the cavity being lined with dry bents." " The eggs are generally three or four in number, and present .some variety in form and colour. They are white, -with a faint rosy blush, stained, mottled and freckled with reddish-brown ; or more or less speckled onlv at the larger end; sometimes almost pure white." (Cf. BuUer's "Birds of New Zealand.") The Zoological Society's List records nineteen examples of this species as having been exhibited in the Gardens at Regent's Park, and at one time the Poe-bird or Tui used to be a familiar object at bird shows, but of late years I have not seen a specimen. There is much difference of opinion as to the most suitable food for captive Parson-birde, the following having been recommended 'by various avicuJturists who have kept it : Boiled potato mashed up with moist sugar : potato niaahed up with condensed milk ; crushed biscuit mixed with conden.'-ed milk ; stale breadcrumbs two parts, Abrahams' food one part, moistened with grated carrot and mixed with a little preserved yolk of egg; Carl Capelle's food, and ants' cocoons. I should feed them precisely as I do Tanagers, on my regular soft-food mixture, orange, banana, and a few mealworms, and I am quite sure they would do well. A very interesting paper on the Australian Honey- eatens from the pen of ^Ir. A. J. Campbell appeared in The Avindlural Magazine, N.S., Vol. 1., pp. 347-353, with notes on various species kept in captivity in their native land. LtTNTJLATED OR WhITE-NAPED HonET-EATER {MeKl7ireplus lunnlatus). Above greenish olive ; head and chin black ; a white crescentic marking on the occiput ; a scarlet naked space above eye; wings and tail brown; outer webs of primaries with their apical half edged with grey ; basal half, out-er webs of secondaries and tail feathens washed with greenish olive ; below white ; bill blackish brown ; feet olive; irides dark brown. Female similar, but smaller. Hab. , Wide Bay, Richmond and Clarence Rivers Districts, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. "It inhabits almost every variety of situation, but gives a decided preference to the Eucalypti and Anqo- phorm trees, among the smaller branches of which it may be constantly seen actively engaged in searching for insects, which, with the pollen and honey of the flower-cups, constitute its food. It is a stationarv species, and breeds during the month? of August and September'; its beautiful, round, cup-shaped, open nest is composed of the inner rind of the stringy bark or other allied gum-trees, intermingled with wool and hair, warmly lined with opossum's fur, and is suspended by the rim to the small leafy twigs of the topmost branches of the Eucalypti. The eggs are two or three in number, of a pale buff, dotted all over, but particularly at the larger end, with distinct markings of rich reddish brown and chestnut-red, among which are a few clouded mark- ings of bluish grey ; their medium length is nine lines, and breadth six and a half lines. " Like the young of M. r/dornpsis, the young birds of tliis .species breed some time before they have attained their green livery ; at all events, I have found examples breeding in a state of plumage, which I believe to be charact*>rictic of vouth." — Gould, "Handb. Birds Austr.al.." I., pp. 568-9. A. J. North, "Catalogue of Nests and Eggs." etc., p. 227. observes: — "Amongst a number of nests pre- sented by Dr. Ram.say to the Trustees of the Australian Musetun is one of this species, taken in October, 1864 ; it is a deep, cup shaped structure, outwardly comiposed of .shreds of stringy bark {Eucalyptus ohliqua), closely matted and held together with cobweb, wool, ete. , and line : Clutch two usually, three occasionally: stout oval; texture fine; surface .slightlv glossy; colour almost white, but sometimes of a delicate flesli-tint, sparingly but distinctly marked and spotted with pinkish-red, the spots being more about the upper quarter. Dimensions in inches of a proper pair: (1) .86 X -64, (21 .85 x .63."—" Nests and Eggs of Aus- tralian Birds," pji. 396-7. The Zoological flardens of Hamburg received a single example of this Honey-eater in 1881, and Dr. Russ believes that up to the present time this is the only instance of its importation. Yellow-tufted Honey-e.^ter {PliUtU auricomis). Above dark brown, slightly olivaceous ; primaries and tail-feathers margined with olive-yellow ; crown of head olive-yellow : a black line from "base of bill, en- circling the eye and extending over the ear-coverts; behind the latter a tuft of extremely rich yellow feathers extends backwards ; throat bright yellow ; remainder of under-surface lirownish-yellow ; " bill black ; feet blackish-brown ; irides reddish-brown. Female similar in colouring, but smaller. Hab., Queensland, New South Wale^, and Victoria, Gould says:— "The Yellow-tufted Honey-eater is abundant in New South Wales, inhabiting at one season or other every portion of the country ; the brushes near the coast, the flowering trees of the plains, and those of the sides and crowns of the hills towards the interior being alike tenanted by it. It is an active, animated species, flitting with a "darting flijht from tree to tree, and threading the most thicklv-leaved branches with a varietv of sprightly actions." — " Handb. Birds Aus- tral,," Vol I., p. 511." Oould quotes an account of the nidifitation published by Dr. Ramsay in The Ihis for 1864, but the following later account quoted by Mr. Campbell is, I fancy, more px.%ct : — "This species remains with us in the" neigh- bourhood of Sydney throughout the whole year, breed- ing earlier than the generality of Honey-eaters. We have eggs in our collection taken early in June and as late as the end of October, during which month they sometimes have a third brood. August and September seem to be their principal months for breeding. Upon referrins to my note book, I find that I captured two young birds, well .able to fly, on July 18th, 1863 ; but dnrin? -some seasons birds breed here nuKU ecrlier than in others. The nest is a neat but somewhat bulky structure, open above, and composed of strips of the .stringy bark Biiralripl'if nblif/iia. The tot.al length of the nest is alxiut 4 inches bv from 2J inches to 3 inches wide, being 2 inches deep liy 1^ inches inside. The eggs, whieh are usually two in number, are of a pale flesh- pink, darker at the larger end, where they are spotted and blotched with markings of a much deeper hue, inclining to salmon-colour; in some the markings form a ring u|k>ii the thick end, in others one irregular p.atch with a few dots upon the rest of the surface. When freshly taken they havf a beautiful blush of pink, which they generally lose a few days after being blown. Their length is from ten to eleven lines by seven to eight in breadth. Some varieties have a few ob.solete dots of faint lilac, others are without markings, save one patch at the top of the larger end. Like most of our Aus- tralian birds' eggs, they vary much in shape and tint of colour. The site selected for the nest is usually some low, bushy shrub, among the rich clu.sters of Tenoma australis, or carefully hidden in the thick tufts of nierhnum {B. cartUagiiieum), which often cover a space of many .square yards. In these clump.s, where it clings to the stems of ferns, I h.-ive several times found two or three pairs breeding at the same time within a few yards of each other. The ferns and Tecomw seem to be their favourite places for breeding, although the nests may often be found placed sus])ended between forks in the small bushy oaks (Casitariiia)." Dr. Rams.ay .says that, " like most of its tribe, the Yellow-tufted Honey-eater is very partial to fruit, and during the latter end of February and throughout the month of March the pear trees swarm with this and many otlier species. During the orange season also they visit us in great innnbers, and many may be seen fighting over the half decayed fniit with wdiich the ground at that time it literally strewed." This seems an important item to bear in mind in the event of my readers becoming possessed of examples of any of these birds. According to Campbell, the breeding-season is from July to Januai'y. The Zoological Gardens of Berlin became possessed of an example of this charming species early in 1894. The following \\as the food supplied to it:— "Early in the morning, on alternate days, mealwonns and fresh ant-cocoons; at eight o'clock, biscuit and any fruit that happened to be in season, and in addition' a date stuck Ijetween the bars of the cage. Towards eleven a little shredded raw meat, of which, however, it would only suck up the juice. At one o'clock the staple food, consisting of topped bread or crumbled white bread and cooked or grated carrot, a little rice, boiled egg, varied with minced figs or small and large raisins, with a little sugar sprinkled over the whole. In the after- noon something quite soft, yellow salad (whatever that may be), and, in conclusion, towards evening bread soaked in milk." If that bird did not die fromchronic indigestion I cm only say that the Honey-eaters must be the most vigorous creatures in existence. In 1899 a pair reached the London Gardens. Y''ellow Honet-e.\ter {Z'lilotU /lava). Upper surface olivaceous-grey; head yellow, a spot of blackish-brown under the ear-coverts, with a bright yellow patch behind it ; under-parts citron-yellow ; length, S^in. ; colouring of soft parts not noted, by Crould. Hab., coastal region of North Queensl.and, in- cluding the Gulf of Carpentaria. (Campbell.) As it is doubtful whether tins bird has hitherto been imported, I will merely note that, according to Mr. J. A. Boyd and others, the nest is usually suspended by the rim to the thin leafy twigs of a cumquat (orange) tree, but sometimes in a ficus or a mango ; is mostly composed of cocoinut fibre ; the eggs, two in number, are of fine texture, without gloss, pinky-white, marked chiefly at the small end with blotches of light chestnut or pmkish-brown and light purplish-brownr 68 FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. Lkwin's Honey-eatei;. Lewin's Honey-eater (Plilotis leirini). Upper surface, olive-green ; a blackish streak from forehead to beyond the eye, below which is a narrow stripa of yellow almost joining a patch of bright yellow behind the ear ; under surface, paler olive-green ; bill, black at tip, yellow at base ; feet, purplish fjesh-colour ; irides, dark lead-colour. Female similar, but smaller. Hab., Queensland. New South Wales, and Victoria. Gould says of this species : — " Moderately-sized trees, particularly (.'a-tuarinn and Banhnce, thinly scattered over grassy plains and the crowns and sides of low hills, are its usual places of resort. In Western Australia it enters the gardens and commits considerable havoc among the fruit trees, particularly figs, of the seeds of which it appears to be fond. It also feeds upon insects, which are principally sought for among the branches ; but it frequently seeks for them and small seeds on the ground, when it hops around the boles and beneatn the branches of the trees in a most lively manner. . " Its natural notes are full, clear, and loud, and may bo heard at a considerable distance. In South Aus- tralia I heard it in full song in the midst of winter, when it was one of the shiest birds of the country. " It is exceedingly pugnacious in disposition, often fighting with the Wattle Birds {Ant/wrhcrrrt), and other species even larger than tbose. " The breeding season commences in August and ter- minates in December. The nest is a frail, round, cup- shaped structure, the materials of which vary in dif- ferent situations ; those observed by me in New South Wales being composed of fine dried stalks of annuals thinly lined with fibrous roots woven together with spiders' webs, and suspended by the rim to two or three fine twigs near the centre of the tree; on the othet hand, those observed by Gilbert in Western Australia were formed of green grasses, which become white and mry when dry, matted together with the hair of kangaroos or opossums, lined with fine grasses and the down of flowers, and placed in a thick scrubbj' bush at about three feet from the ground. " The eggs are usually two. but occasionally three in number, of a light yellowish buff, thickly freckled with small, indistinct reddish-brown marks, or of a nearly uniform fleshy-buff, without spots or markings, but of a deeper tint at the larger end. Their medium length is eleven lines, and breadth eight lines." — " Handh. Birds Austral.," Vol.T. p. 505. According to Campbell the nest is " constructed chiefly cf strips of hark (M dalevrn ^ etc.) and spiders' cocoon.'i, generally outwardly, Iwau- tifully covered. with mo.ss, lined in- side with thick warm ply of a downy or silky sub.slance. such as thistledown or other soft seeds, varying in colour — white, brown, or yellowish — according to tho locality or the species of plant from which the seeds are gathered." The eggs are described as " white, very sparingly marked with spots and dots of dark purplish-brown, almost black, most of the markings being on the apex or about the upper quarter." — "Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds," pp. 386-7. This species has been imported by Mr. Geo. Carrick (cf. Avicul- tural Magazine, 1st series. Vol. VI., p. 251), together with other Honey-eaters. He says : " I tried them all on pure honey, which they one and all took to greedily, refusing Yellow-tufted Honey-eater. HOXEY-KATEKS. t.y to ta£te any other forxl while hon^y regained, but never found them do well ''lomtis trmpornlis, .so numerous in the Apple-tree Flats in the district of the Upper Hunter; never within the dome, but in a neat round depression on the top. I had many opportunities of driving the female off the nest, and I can therefore speak with confidence as to this fact. " It is probable that, in places where no suitable substitute is to be found, it makes a ne.= t like other species of its tribe. It commences breeding early, and rears at least two broods in the year. On reference to my note book, I find I saw fully-fledged young on the 19th of November, ajul that I took many of their eggs in December; they were generally two in number, of a rich salmon-colour irregularly spotted with rust- brown, one inch and a quarter long by ten and a half lines broad." — "Handb. Birds Austral.," I., pp. 561-2. Campbell describes the true nest as " cup sliajied, round, neat ; composed of strips of bark, in some instances with gra.ss ; usually jilaced in a depression on the top or side of the deserted large-domed stick nest of the Babbler or Pomalnrhinna Icmporalix. In some instances the nest is susjjcnded in the ordinary Honeyeater-like fashion in the branchlets of a tree, and is substantially constructed of coar.se strips of bark ; lined inside with fine, reddieh brown (inner) bark, and a amall quantity of grass." The dimensions of the latter aie given as 6 inches by 4 ; egg-cavity 3J by 2 inches. The London Zoological Society received this species in 1882 and again in 1895; the Berlin Gardens acquired it in 1893, and the dealer Reisz exhibited it in 1894 at the e.vhibition of the .F^gintha Society in Berlin. Bl.\c'k-t.\iled Flower-bird (Anthurnis melanura). Upi>er surface dark olivaceous- brown ; flights with gi-eener margins to the outer webs ; secondaries with dull greyish tips ; tail-feathers with pale outer margins ; forehead faintly glossed with steel green ; loral stripe black-brown ; a narrow whitish stripe from the angle of the bill to the sides of the head ; under surface paler than the upper, yellower ; under wing and tail coverts dull yellowish white with brownish central spot; bill black; feet dark leaden grey; irides brown to blood-red. Female rather smaller, duller and paler. Hab., New Zealand. This bird has been called Bell-bird on account of the sound of a flock resembling a peal of bells. Writing of it as observed by himself in its native land Andreas Keischek says: — "As soon as the sun has risen, the singers grow silent, and scatter to seek their food — the nectar of blossoms. Wherever many wild bees are found, these birds disappear, because those insects reears now to have almost, if not quite, disappeared from the North Island and seems to be restricted to the South Island and a few neigh- bouring islets, it is hardly likely that it will ever be a familiar bird in the market here ; but this, alas ! is practically true of most New Zealand birds ; the speci- mens left alive by cats. Sparrows and other vermin are jealously protected by the European colonists. CHAPTER VIII. SUGAR=BIRDS (Carebidce). These birds are related to the Tanagers, and Dr. Sclater observes that it " is in some instances difficult to distinguish the Cipiihuhi- from the TaniKjrifhr on the one side ami from the Mniolilfidw on the other, but the more slender, unnotched bill and filamentous termina- tion of the extensile tongue, when the latter character is discernible, will usually serve to indicate a Coerebine bird." It may be well to note that the Mniotillidm are the " Bushcreei)ers," and replace the Old World Warblers in America. The management of Sugar-birds in captivity should lie similar to that of Tanagers. Four species have, during the last few years, been sparingly inqiorted into England, and may, ])crhaps, one of these d.ays, be a» freely imported as the best known Tanagers. If so. Wattlkd Honev-kateus. {S/:clr/ud al the Zoolo/jii'a/ (lai-driis 72 FOREIGN BIRDS FOE CAGE AND AVIARY. doubtless their price, which is now very high, may be expected to become fairly reasonable. YELLOW-\^^NCED SuGAR-BiKD (Uoercha ctjanea). It is bright purplish blue, with the lores, a space enclosing tTie eve, the mantle, wings and tail black; the crown pale "blue ; inner webs of wing feathers and under wing-coverts sulphur yellow, whence its trivial name; bill black; feet carnation red; iris dark brown. The female is green, dark above, yellowish and indis- at the migrating season they feed greedily on soft saccharine fruit^i, oranges for example, and then come even into the gardens of the settlers." (" Syst. Uebers. der ThieiB Brasiliens," 3, p. 151.) According to Bart- lett, this bird is " common at certain seasons " in Eastern Peru (P.Z.S., 18?3, p. 260). Taczanowski in his " Ornithologie du Perou," Vol. I., p. 437, does not even give as much information respecting the wild life as this. W. A. Forbes, who would have given informa- tion if he could, says (Thf Ibis. 1881, p. 330): "Only Yellow-wingei) Sugar-bird. tinctly streaked below ; wings and tail blackish, edged with green ; inner webs of wing feathers and under wing-cuverts yellow. This bird ranges from Southern Mexico southwards to south-east Brazil and Bolivia, and occur.s in Cuba. It may readily be distinguished from any species of IJacnis or from othiT birils of more nearly related genera by its slender curved bill and its colouring. Burmei^ter observes of this species that " in tho entire forest region of tropical Brazil, from Kio de Janeiro northwards to Para, and further upwards to Guiana and Colombia, it is everywhere known and nowhere rare. Insects are its chief article of diet, but once did I come across this bird — a single specimen in immature plumage that I saw in the garden at Estancia." Salvin {The Ibis, 1888, p. 257) states that it is com- mon at Yucatan and occurs at C'uba, but he tells us nothing about its habits. I do not think the habits of birds greatly interested him, he was more devoted to classification. Mr. C. F. Underwood (The Ibis, 1896, p. 435) tells us that the native name of the bird in Costa Rica is " Picudo " ; and in the same volume, p 517, Mr. (J. E. Lodge, in his "Notes on West Indian Hummingbirds," remarks : " In this clump of bamboos, too, were several SUGAR-BIRDS. 73 nests of the little ' Sugar-eater,' which I think is Cceielia cyania." But he does not describe either nest or eggs. . , , In a notice of Nehrkorn's Catalogue of his Egg-collec- tion {The /fci-s 1899, p. 462) is the following remark: "Among the special rarities of the collection we observe eg^s of ('(en ha ci/anca from Amazonia (of an almost uniform black)"; but H. von Jhering (The Ibis. 1901, p. 14) says: " Nchrkorn says that the egg of Civiiha cyanca is" black, and Allen (quoting Smith) says that it is white, with fine reear, or split fresh figs and, of course, banana; meal- \\orms, smooth caterpill.irs, fir spiders are regarded as a, great trvat and should l>t> given when available. Some of these birds eat and even husk seeds, in which respect they evince Fringilline affinities, but nevertheless do tiot necessarily belong to the FringilUdce; on the contrary Saltator auranluroslris is- specially noted by Ridgway as not a true Finch, All-giieen T.\n.\gf.r (C'hioropfwnia viridxs). Head and neck bright green ; Kick dark blue-green ; wing-coverts bljisih; najie, circle round eye and upper tail-coverts sky-blue; wing and tail-feathers black. (1) Violet TANAGEKS. (2) Scarlet. (3) Superb. 76 FOREIQN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. edged with green ; under surface bright yellow ; under wing-coverts and innei margins of wing-feathers white; bill dark leaden grey ; feet bluish flesh-brown ; irides brown. Female with the blue of the upper surface confined to the napi- and rump, the back brownish olivaceous; tlie under surface yellowish green. Habitat, S.E. Brazil. Nothing appears to be known respecting the wild life of this beautiful bird ; mdeed, excepting for Hudson's notes in "The Birds of the Argentine Republic" the few records of tbe habits of S. American birds when at liberty are widely sc-;>tteTe and nape blue ; narrow front, dark chestnut, bordered posteriorly by a narrow black line ; below deep brownish orange red, throat black; under wing-coverts and inner edges of wini»-fealhers white; bill black; feet pale brown; whole length 4.5 inch&s, wing 2.5, tail 1,5, Female. — Aliove, olive-green, cap blue; front chestnut; below yellowish olive, brighter in the middle of the belly; throiit p:de red. Habitat, Southern Mexico and Central America down to Panama." (P. L. Sclater, " Cat. Birds," Vol. XL, p. 62.) According to Jluss, the traveller A. von Frantzius reported that this species occurred abundantly in the vicinity cf San Jose in Costa Rica. " Here the young birds especially are caught by boys in July and August, brought for sale, and kept in cages for the sake of their song. They are then fed almost wholly upon ripe Pisang-fruits. When at liberty one finds them in clear spaces and upon withered trees, where they devour the fruit of a parasitical plant resembling our mistletoe." "It must be just this species which, according to the statements of A. E. Brehm, to his surprise uttered no liell like sound, as Schomburgk describes, but a really charming varied song, and was at the same time a most industrious songster. In verity one may if one pleases best compare the song of this bird with that of the Black-headed Weaver or Textor. The song consists of a number of isolated sounds which are connected to- gether by creaking and buzzing, of which a continuous whole is formed, not unpleasing in itself, while at the same time very peculiar. In tliis statement, which Brel.ni enunciated in January. 1873, there must be a gi'eat error, ina.^'imuch as the song of the Textor is de- scribed in my ' Haudbuch fiir Vogelliebhaber,' as also in all other reliable works, as -consisting of chirping, snarling, hissing, and cackling sounds, and is neither more nor less than unpleasing," — Russ, " Fremdl. Stubenv." II., pp. 441-2. It appears that formerly both Brehm and Russ re- ceived tins species, but in the latter cafe only a single example of the male, obtained from Lintz, of Hamburg ; it is not noted as having reached any Zoologiiil Gardens, Gold-fronted Tanager {Euphonia Havifmnt). Dark olive-green ; forehead bio.idly yellow, bounded at back by a bhick line ; crown and nape blue ; under parts olive-green, sides of head darker ; the throat .yellowish ; axillaries pal-? yellow ; under wing-coverts and inner edges of wing-featlier.-i wdiitish ; bill dark 1-,'aden-grey ; feet broivn. Female rather paler, but otherwise "similar. Habitat, Lesser Antilles. I am unable to discover any notes whatever res|>ect- ing the wild life of this Tanager. Two specimens of E. flavifrons from Dominica were presented to the Ix)ndon Zoological Gardens in May, 1889, by Mrs. Herbert, but I am not aware of any other instances of its imjwrtation. Greenish Tanager {Euphonia chlorolica). Above pui-plish-black ; forehead to middle of crown yellow; below .yellow with the throat purpl ish- black ; wings below black with a large white patch 78 FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. on the inner webs of the flights ; tail below black, a large wliite patch on the inner webs of the two outermost feathers ; bill and feet black. Female above f;rej--gre€n, the front and rump yellower; below also yellower, ashy at centre of breast and abdomen; flanks and under tail-coverts jKile yellor>v; under wing-coverts and inner nnrgins of wing-feathers whitish. Habitat, (iaiana. Brazil, Faraway, Bolivia, •and Eastern Peru : the Guianan form being typical, the others being fiubdividcd into two or three local races or sub-species. Respecting this species also T have found no notes on the life-history. The Zoological Society purchased a male in August" 1892. The n.ime appears to nie mis- leading ; it applies better to the female than the male. Dwarf Tanager (Euphonia minuta). Glossy greenish black, purplish on neck and irpper "back; a broad yellow front:iI band; throat purjjli.ih black ; breast and front of abdomen yellow ; hinder abdomen and under tail-coverts white ; under wing- coverts and inner webs of flights white ; tail below black, the inner webs of three outer feathers with a con.'^piouous white jiatch ; bill leaden grey; feet black. Female above olivegrecn, below yellowish olive; throat and centre of abdomen ashy white. Habitat, Guiana, Ix)wer Ania7X>nia, Colombia, Panama, and Central America up to Guatemala. (Sclater.) I can discover nothing respecting the wild life of this little Tanager. Captain Pam brought home a pair from Venezuela in 1906 and presented them to the London Zoological Society.- Violet Tanager {Euplionia violacea). Above, forehead and front of the crown bright yellow ; the cheeks, back of neck, back, wings, and t-ail puq)lisli bhie-black; the under surface bright yellow, the legs and beak black, the upper mandible produced into a curved point ; iris of ej-e hazel. Female above olive- green, below yellowish olive; wing-feathers white at base of inner webs. Habitat, Guiana, Trinidad, Lower Amazonia, and S.E. Brazil. According to Bui-meister an inhabitant of the whole forest region of Brazil ; he says that he found it abundantly a.t New Freiburg, as the bird is nowhere rare, and yet he gives no infonnation respecting its habits. Mr. W. A. Forbes (The Ibis. 1881, p. 331) savs tb.it he found it sparingly botb in gardens and in the vicinity of high forest, and he adds; — ■ " This bird is kept commonly as a cage-bird bv the T?razilians, who call it 'Guarratan,' a name, as already observed, also applied to several other small brightly phunaged birds." R.u.=s, quoting apparently from Mangelsdorff. though he does not say so, observes: — "In freedom the little •^ird is uncommonly lively and quick : sometimes when flying, and if it is leaping about on the fruit-trees one miT h*^.ar its short tuneful call note. Its fond con.sists of all kinds of fruit, and should the ' Organists'* after the breeding-season unite into flights or sw.arms they are cipa-ble nf accomplishing <'onsiderable damage to banana, orange, and other like fruit-troes, inasmuch as they arc vor.acious feeders. The nest is formed in ,a dense thicket, or in a tangle of <'reepfrs. usuallv large and not verv neatly, of grass-stalks, fibres, fine tendrils and tufts nf cotton and lined with delic.-ite stalks. The clutch consists of three to five beautifullv coloured and marked verv thin-shelled eggs." (I'remdl. Stubenv., II., p. 434.) Tho colouring of the eggs is not mentioned ; but there is a long quotation from Mangi'Isdorff respecting the * German trivial ramo for all the Euphonice. wild foods of the bird, its charming song and power of mimicking the songs of other birds. In captivity this Tanager is tolerably amiable, and, according to the lute Mr. Abrahams, "a magnificent song.ster." Of this I can say nothing, inasmuch as although in 1897 I had the ojrportunity of purchasing this pretty little bird at a fairly reasonable price (that is, alK>'.it dout)le the usual German charge for the species), I already possessed the far more beautiful Superb Tanager, and therefore was not tempted to undertake . another fruit-eating cage-bird; but it seems to me hardly likelv that the generic name of Euphunia (" pleasant sounding ") would have been given to a group of birds unless at least some of them were known to warble sweetly. The evidence of various owners of this bird varies somewhat ss to the merit of its song, but we well kno'w that individuals of a sjjecies differ con- siderably in talent. TmcK-niLLED Tanager [Euphonia laniirostris). Glossy blue-black, frontal half of head, extending to behind the eyes and rounded at back, a.s well as under surface of body, bright yellow; wings below black, with a large basal white patch on the inner webs of the feathers ; tail below black, with a large white patch, not quite extending to the tips, on the inner weos of the two outer feathers; bill and feet blick. Female above olive-green, below yellowish green, brighter on middle of abdomen and under tail-coverte. Habitat, Costa Rica, Veragua, Panama. Colombia, Venezuela, Upper Amazonia, Peru, and Bolivia. I have no notes as to the wild life of the species,* but it would doTjbtless greatly resemble that of the Violet Tanager; with which, according to Russ, it has certainly been confounded by dealers. He says that in 1893 the wholesale de:iler E. Reiche sent three examples i<> him for identification; they were not, however, in full adult colouring, >ind so he could not at first make anything of them ; liter he identified them at the Zoologica.l Museum of Berlin. Apparently he kept a paiir of these birds, whicTi. liefore six months bad passed, went to nest, but without residt. This species was obtain. d bv the London Zoological Society in 1872, 1878, 1679, 1890, 1892, and 1906. Pectoral Tanager (Euphonia pectoralis). Above glossv blue black; throat and breast the same colour; the latter with a yellow p:i!ch on each side; abdomen deep chestnut; wings below black with white coverts; tail below black; bill black; feet dark brown. Female al)Ove bright olive-green with a large dark grey patch on the nape ; below, throat and breast grev ; sides of breast and abdomen olive-green ; under tail-coverts clei'- rufous. Hafttat, Wood-region of S.E. Brazil (Sclater). Bumiei.ster only tells us that this bird " ha.s its home in the entire wooded region of Brazil, and is nowhere rare." Mangelsdorff says that it loves the forest, but occurs everywhere else like the Violet Tanager, and that its wild life is similar. Russ says that in 1875 he received a male from Miss Hapenhcck, of Hamburg, and in the same year it reached the Tjondon Zoological Gardens. Paul Mangels- dorff in 1889 brought heme a male from Brazil, but it shortly afterwards died; whether it has since appeared in the market I am unable to say. Bi,ArK-nELHED Tanager {Euphonia cat/ana). Gloss.v bluish-black. wHth a yellow patch on each side of the breast ; under i\-ing-coverts and inner margins of flight.^ white; bill black; feet dark bri>«-n. Female above bright greenish olive, with a dark grev patch on the nape; below grey; chin and sides of body below TANAGEHS. 79 yellowish olive ; under wihg-eoverts white. Habitat, Caveiin*', Guiana, and Lower jVinazonia (Sclater). Desmarost says: — "This bird lives in the more open tracts of Guiara, in the rice-fields in the vicinity of human habitations." G. Lintz, of Hamburg, imported two ejcamples ot this yelloH i.sh ; below ashy ; sides of body and under tall- coverts veilowish olive ; under wingcoverts white. Habitat. S.E. Brazil (Sclater). Banneister say.s that this species appears to be rare, but he gives no inform.itinn timching- its life-history. Dr. Russ does not mention it. r-^--' .i^^C^ Black-backed Tanageh. Tanager in 1871, and in 1875 Miss Hagenbeck sent two specimens to Dr. Russ ; it dees not. however, appear to have come into the Ixjndon markets hitherto. Lead-coloured T.\nager {Ili/pophcra diah/hra). Above dark bronzy blui.*--!! green ; forehead yellow ; below yellow; upper part of throat green ; under wing- coverts while ; flights and tail below dark ashy ; bill dark leaden ; feet brown. Female above olive-green ; forehead, rump, and margins of wings and tail more The London Zoologicnl Gard-ns acquired a pair by purchase m August, 1892. Jamaica Tanager (Pyrrhuphonia Jamaica). Above bluish-grey; below paler; middle of abdomen yellowish ; axiliaries pale yellow ; under wing-coverts and inner webs of flights" white; under tail-coverts whitish; bill dnrk leaden: fe<'t dark brown. Female :ibove pale green, head bluish-grey; below pale bluish- crev ; the flanlcs washed with green. Habitat, Jamaica. 80 FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. According to Gosse (Birds Jam., p. 238) this species is an irwjustrious songster, and utters very distinct sounds, penetrating, long-drawn, as well as deep-sound- ins; tones reminding one of the ciy of a Falcon. Apart from these sounds it also utters a pleasing mei!odioua song.* Dr. Russ received this Tanager from the dealer Lintz, but it appears to be very rare in the bird-market. We now come to what Dr. Sclater regarded as the more typical Tanagers {Tanagrinm), which he again sub- d'ivided by the characttjr of the bill— slender, strong, bristly, weak. Whether it is natural to place such different types in one subfamily, is happily a question which I am not called upon to decide. Red-bellied T.^nager (Tanagrrlla velia). "Above velvety black; forehead, sides of head, ex- ternal edgings of wing and tail feathers, and oipper tail- coverts bright blue ; lower b.ick shining silvery green ; below bright blut". irregular collar across the throat black ; middle of bellj* and crissum chestnut-red ; under -.ving-covevts white; bill black, feet dark brown; whole length 4.10in., wiiig 2.8, tail 2. Female similar, but not quite so bright in colouring. Habitat, Cayenne and Guiana " (P. L. Sclater). Obtained on Rorainia at a height of 3,500 feet (cf. The Ibis, 1885, p. 209). I have not, howendon Zoological Society by Sir William Ingram in .July. 1893, and 1 have aJi impression on my mind that this is not the only known instance of its importation; indeed, a dead specimen was sent to me in the flesh in 1900. Blue-.\nd-Bl.\ck T.^N.tGER (Tanagrrlla cyanomelcena). Velvet black, with the forehead bright blue; centre of crown and lower back pale silvery green ; upper tail- coverts and outer margin.s of wing and tail feather.? bright blue; sides of head and throat bright blue; a black collar; under surface of body greyish-blue with the centre of abdomen and under tail-coverts chestnut- red ; under wmg-ooverts white ; bill black ; feet dark brown; irides brown. Female similar in colouring, but with a longer, more slender and tapering bill. Habitat, S.E. Brazil. Bunneister gives no information respecting the wild life, nor can I discover any notes elsewhere. A specimen of this beautiful species was purchased by the London Zoological Socirty in Februarj', 1892, and birds identified with this sri)ecies have more than once appeared at our bird shows. Black-d.vcked Takagku (Pipridfa melanonota). Male above violaceous blue ; forehead, lores, and sides of head velvet black ; interscapular region blue-blackish ; wings and tail black edged with blue; body and wing- coverts below clear ochraceous ; flights and tail-feathers below blacki.'h ; bill black ; feet broftvn (Sclater), leaden (Taczanowski) ; irides clear reddish brown. Female above dark brown, the head and rump tinged with blue; wings and tail black edged with blue, forehead, lores, and sides of head black ; below clear ochreous. Habitat, Paraguay, S.E. Brazil, Bolivia, Pern, Ecuador, and Venezuela. Taczanow.ski (" Ornith. Perou," Vol. U., p. 451) remarks that ".at Tambillo they were always high up in the tops of trees." Of the examples shot bj' Goodfellow on hi.«! journey through Colombia and Ecuador [The Ihis, 1901, p. 160) he says: — "Iris in all ca.ses bright red. The stomachs contained berries." This is all that I have discovered connected with the • Not having Go&se's book in my library I quote from Russ. wild Jife. Two specimens reached the London. Zoo- logical Gardens in 1866. At recent bird-shows the Black-shouldered Tanager {Cnlli.ilt melaiwnota) has been called Black-backed; tihia IS very confusing, and ought to bo avoided. The genus Callisir is the largest and most Ijeautiful group of birds in the family. Dr. Sclater says of it : — "Salmon found three species of CaUinlc ne.sting in the St.ate of Antioquia. The nest is open, made outwardly of moss, and lined with fine roots, fibres, and horsehair. The eggs are pale greenish in colour, more or less thickly spotted and blotched with various shades of brown."— "Cat. Birds," Vol. XL, p. 95. Paradise Tan.\gek {Calliste tatao). Male above velvet-black ; with the crowni and sides of hrad bright grass-green ; lower back bright crinuson, shading into orange on the rump ; lesser wing-coverts turquuise-blue ; other coverts and jjrimaries edged more or less with puj-])Iish blue ; throat puiiilish-blue; breast and greater part of abdomen turijuoise-blue ; hinder abdomen and under tail-coverts blackish ; bill black ; feet dark brown or black ; irides brown. Female similar, but smaller, the colours slightly duller, the head less golden in hue; the crimson or scarlet on back more restricted, and the bine on the throat more restricted in adult birds. Habitat, Cayenne, Guiana, Rio Negro, C':)lombia, and N.E. Peru. Burmeister remarks of this Tanager that it "inhabits the forest region of Brazil to the lower Amazon, and goes southward about as far as Pern.ambuco, at most exceptionally to Bahia; northwards the species extends over Guiana, Venezuela, and New Grenada, but no nearer to Peru. It is certainly not. foijnd at Rio de Janeiro; there one meets with the bird in the hands of dealers, but not at liberty." (" Syst. Ucbers.," III., p. 188.) He seems, however, to be wrong as regards Peru, there being a male from Huambo in the British Museum series. In his " Naturalist in the Guianas," p. 190, Eugene Andre givts a coloured illustration of this Tanager, and remarks: — "My men collected some good Callisles, among which were two males and one female of the b.^autiful Callis/e paradisea." Naturally he gives no information respecting the wild life of the species. On Minimi mountains, Rorainia, this bird occurs at .an elevation of from 3,000 to 4.000 feet, according tc Henry Whitely. {Tlic Ihis, 1885, p. 209.) In Peru, according to .Stolzmann. it occurs sometimes in considerable flocks in high forest or oi)en spaces, but ai>parently not at a higher elevation than 4.500 fe;'t; in the stomachs of those he obtained be found seed.s and insects. (A. Taczanowski, " Ornifli. Perou," II., p. 459.) On account of its surpassing beauty this is a favourite cage-bird in .South America, and therefOTe it is the more surprising that it should so rarely be importeondon purchased a speci- men of this species in July, 1884, which was alive in 1903, and although Dr. Rups only mentions it as a Cnr.cothramli's ; most frequenters of British bird shows will remember Mr. Swan's tine si>ecimen, first ex- hibited at the CVystal Palace, I believe, in 1902. In subsequent shows it was one of the birds one looked for and commented upon its condition. It is quite likely that other specimens ma.y have been imported among the numerous consignments of birds from the Argentine Republic. The species of Tanngra are almost-, if not quite, as bcnutiful .IS tho.=e of (he genus f'ldUxIr, and I .should judge them to be hardier." They should lie fed in the same manner. >SiLVp;R-nLUK T.\NAGER (Tnnngra rana). Pale blui'sh-a.=h, deeper on the baek, bluer on the rump and Kometinies on the breast; wings and tail blackish, edged with gi-eenish-blue ; the upper wing- coverts glittering blue; bill dirk horn colour; feet black. Female similar; iirobably duller. Habitat, Southern Mexico, through Central .\merica to Columbia, Venezuela. Ecuador, and North Peru. Salmon says (Proc. Zool. Soc., 1879, p. 500) that this bird builds in orange trees ; the eggs are rich brown, densely blotcheve bluish-grey tinged with green ; wings and tail blackish, edged W'ith greenish-blue; lesser wing-coverts shining blue ; below paler, especially in the centre of abdomen ; bill deep leaden ; feet brown. Female rather duller, the lesser wing-coverts greener. Habitat, Soutbeni Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia. Accoixling to Burnieister, who, judging by Dr. Sclater's synonymy, ci>nfounded tliis si)ecies with T . fat/a-ca (as he admits that he aJso did in the " Catalogue of Birds "), this Tanager " lives in the tops of palms, and feeds upon fleshy berries and soft iu.sects. It comes much into the ncighbourhucd of the settlements and is not rare there, particularly in gardens where there are palms." This species also has been exhibited at the Ix>ndon Gardei's, and has been imported both into Italy and England, the Contessa Baldelli and the Rev. B. Hems- worth having both owned specimens. Sataca Tanager {Tanagra saijnca). Above blui.sh-grey ; wings and tail blackish, edged with gi-eenLsh-blue ; lesser wing-coverts dull greenish- blue ; below paler bluish-grey ; bill leaden ; feet brown ; FemaJe similar, but prooably duller. Habitat, S.E. Brazil and Argentina. According to Hudson (Arg. Rep. 1, p. 39), this species "appears in spring, in small flocks or parties of three or four birds, in the woods on the shores of the Plata. The male utters a series of peculiar squeaKng notes by way of a song." It is a strange thing that Mr. Hudson, who praises the stopper-screwing song of the Grey Cardinals, has nothing but abuse for the songs of Tanagers ; yet in my experience these brilliant birds, though thev utter some harsh notes, are capable of uttering many tnat are far purer and less excruciating than those of the Cardinals. P.u.M Tanager (Tanagra pahnnnnn). Olive green ; tlie head paJer, the back daj-ker, as also the edges of the wing-covei'ts ; wings and tail brownish- black ; the flights and tail-feathers edged with dark r.live ; wing-feathers below creamy-white towards base ; bill dark horn-colour ; feet brown. Female smaller, but similarly coloured. Habitat, S. Brazil and Bolivia north- ward.s to Trinidad, Venezuela, Columbia, Panama, and COsta Rica. Salmon (Proc. Zool. Soc., 1879. p. 600) observes that " the nest is placed -in the fork of a shrub or low tree, and formed of grass-stalks mixed with roots and fibres, lined and ornamented on the outside with green moss." "Eggs pale whitish, very thickly freckled with red- brown spots ; axis 95. diam. 65." Whitely met with this species on Roraima at rn elevation" of from 3,000 to 4,000 fwt (T/ic Ibis, 18C5, p 210). In Mr. im Thurn's garden in British Guiana, Mr. W L. Sclatcr notes T. palmarum as common {The IhU, 1887, p. 317). Mr. W. Goodfellow {The Ihix, 1901, p. 467) in his account of a journe.v through Columbia and Ecuador, says: — " Tliew birds .are tame in their habit.';, and frequent the vicinity of the huts." Dr. E. A. Gorldi. descrihini: the birds of the C pirn River {The l\,h, 1903, pp. 478, 479) says:— "In the jjalm-trecs in front of the fazenda was a continuous movement of glittering Tanagers {Tanngra palmartim) and other Passerine birds." " Approaching the negroes' cottages, I noted in the higher trees many Tanagrine TANAGEKS. 85 forms (TaiKKjra /laliiKir'um, Ithnm iiluicitlus jacapa, Cnlli.ile)." This l)irrl also has been exhil)it«l at the London Zoological Gardens. Akciibishoi" Tanager (Tanagra ornata). Above dull olive, rather blighter on the rump; head and neck all round glossy smalt blue, showing dull brassy reflections in the living bird; wings and tail blackish, wiged with bright olive; lesser coverts bluish shading into yt-^Uowish-grecn and bruadly tipped with yellow (funning a yhurt conspicuous bar in soino examples) ; unen rage and supplied with apple ; the journey occupied nine days and they reached me on a bitter frosty morning, yet both were living. As theie wa-s a marked difference in the size of the two birds and the stouter specimen was distinctly duller in colouring tban the other. I naturally supposed them to be a pair, and kept them together in a moderate-sized flight ; they, however, quarrelled fretiuently and when one went downi to feed the other attacked it ; I there- fore transferred them tt> a larger flight, where at first they were more friendlj' ; then the larger bird became disagreeable and attacked the smaller and brighter one ; day by day it .showed more and more evidences of ill- health ; this ended by it throwing up a quantity of blood and the following day, just a month after it reached me, it was dead — doubtless the exposure with no variety of food had been tr>o much for it. The other bird, which for a few days was subject to sneezing fits, entirely recovered and is in perfect health and plumage as I write. In 1905 I described the call-note of this Tanager as a thin sibilant /.<«7. but the song as beginning '"^ with a sort of descending chatter, like the quarrelling of SparroTTS. Then follows a series of thin, reedy notes, with one or two clear, sharp whistles thrown out spas- modically by way of a change, recalling the recording of a Dominican Ordinal's song." I have, however, since discovered that it has another and distinctly a more meritorious though rather shrill song, which I re- corded as the bird repeated if, as follows : — Tup-ehrer, lup-rheer, tup futti-tiip, chrer, le-chi-pr, sung rapidiv and loudly. The Archbishop Tanager is extremely swift in its movements, and when strangers approach its cage and begin to stare at it, its flight backwards and forwards from perch to perch is so rapid that it is im possible for them to see what it is like. On the eartli it moves by swift hops, shuffling its wiings like a Hedge Accentor or Pekin Nightingale. Tliis bird also has been exhibited by our Zoological Society, and of late years r.pccimens have appeared at various bird shcvws. Striated Tanager {Tanagra bonariensis). Above, back black; rump orange; wings and tail blackish edged ■nith bine; head blue; lores and orbital region black ; breast orange, fading into yellow on the abdomen ; bill horn-colour, lower mandible whitish, feet brown, irides hazel. Female, greyish-brown, paler below ; rump and throat yellowish. Habitat, South Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, and Bolivia. Hudson says"(Arg. Kepiib., Vol. I., p. 39): "It is a migratory species, which ap|)ears in Buenos Ayres in small flocks in summer. Bp. 159 162. gives a charming p.ctxiunt of the discovery- of nest.s of thi.s bird on the banks of the Bhack River, which is well woithy of perusal, but does not eiitci' siutticiently into detiils for scientific purposes. A full description of the nidification will probably be found in Baird's "Birds of "N. America," p. 301. In Iow:i, according to C. R. Keyes ("Ornithologist and Ooloiri.^+," Vol. IX., 1884, p. 34), the number of eggs to a clutch is always four. Prince Maximilian speaks of finding the nest on one occasion at the junction of the Ohio with the Mississippi, but it wa,s placed in the fork of a branch of a tree, the main stem of which was s<> tJiiii that he could not examini- it closely. Heni-y Whitely obtained /-. cEstiva on Roraima at an elevation of 3,500ft. (The Ibis, 1885, p. 211.) Mr. Walter Goodfellow says {The Ibis, 1901, p. 468) : " Three males and one female from Canzacota, West Ecuador (6,500 feet), Quito (10.000 feet), and Baeza, East Ecuador (5,500 feet). Our Consul at Quito told me that he had never seen more than three at that altitude during the thirty years he had lived there. The si)ecimen we shot in the garden during our stay at the Consulate had been in the neighbourhood for several days, but was very shy and tried to conceal its bright coat in the trees as much as possible." Dr. Russ says that this species is rarely imported iind only singly in the German niarktt, nevertheless a pair may be found here .and there in several birdrooms, but he siiy.s that it is not present in any zoological gardens, and" that even the London Gardens h.'ive not exhibited it. Rkd T.\NAGKii (I'ljranga rubra). Scarlet, the feathers white at ba=e ; wings and tail black ; bill smoky horn- coloured, the tomium paler; feet reddish smoke brown ; irides encircletl by a paler cinnamon margin. Female above yellowish olive ; wings arid tail blackish gieen, with more olive margins; throat brighter, remainder of under surface of a paler yellowish green. Habitat, Eastern N. America in summer ; throughout the Antilles and Central America to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in winter. According to Gentry (vide Russ, " Fremd. Stubenv.," Vol. I., pp. 649-50), this Tanager appears in the SUates as a summer visitor from early in May until the last week of September, and is useful in destroying insects and all sorts of vermin. In isolated human locations it is shy and nervous, yet on the other hand in the vicinity of human habitations is bold and confiding, so that one may approach within .a few steps of it. In woodlands it seeks its fond for hours together upon the outermost branches of the highest trees ; apple and pear trees especially attract it. One also sees it in comiwny with Migratory Tlirushes and Changeable Troupiuls seeking for grubs on the soil behind the ploughman. Seeds even of soft plants it never e.ats. After the breeding-season they separate into paiis and families and wander alx>ut apart. One may judge it likely that in spring, when they return, the sexes separate, since the males cer- tainly arrive earlier. The latter tJien sit on the summits of the highest trees singing by the hour together, doubt- less with the object of attracting the females flying overhead. Here and there one sees a male Itigh up on a great tree close To .x very noisy thoroughfoi'e, undis- turbed by the traffic, and just as here so in the broad forest it always chooses the summits of the highest trees. Its cry, chichnr, re.sounds repeatedly and is very illusive, .IS if from a distance, evtn thouph the bird may be quite close to us. Liter, when the trees are clothed with foliige, this T.anager, in .'pite of its splendid colour- ing, well knows how to conc.'al itwlf, at any rate in the forest, where:i.s in fruit and other gardens it aln'avs shows itself op'uly. just as though it were well aware that here it is safer from bird.>j of prey. The song of the male, which is ventriloquial in character and is delivered in rather slow time, may be fairly expressed by the following syllables : — chi-chi-rhi-char-ef-charr-pe-chi. I have beard it cnmipared with that of the Baltimore Oriole, but I cannot discover the slightest resemblance between t'he two. The breeding season starts at the end of May or beginning of .Tune, and he keeps himself always at s TANAGERS. 87 certain distance, just as though he wished to avoid betiayini; the nest hy his cnn.spiciiouslycoloured plu- mage. At the appro-i;:h of danger botli sexeis utter a gentle rip^jling chirrup, whicli consists of weak, pleasing notes, whilst they slip away thrcmgh the densest tangle of Kriinchcs and "leaves, and if anyone attempt^s to rob the l)rood, the female boldly dashes towanls him, almost at his head. The nest is built by the latter alone, only in four days, always on a horiznntjil bougli uf a tulip tree, or an oak in a grove or light thicket, or even on an apple tree in a garden. It consists of stalks, straws, leaves, and similar mateiriaJs, is loosely constructed and lined witli rootlets, grasses, bast, and fibres. An egg i.s laid daily until the orted species. In 1873 he r6Ceiveation commenced at once ; on the 18th and 19th additional eggs were laid, oomplet- ino- the chitrh of three; tlie ground -colour was delicate cream, the shell being sauooth and thin ; in shape they were a true ellipse ; they were marked with irregular black spots and a few fine wavy lines. The male perched by the nest singing while the hen sat, and his song, uttered with closed beak, consisted of a low, intermittent warbling; to tliat de Mannncourt's infor- mation, liesides being meagre in the extreme, is proved to be inaccurate Inculiation lasted thirteen days ; the newly-liatched young were lead-coloured and covered with black down. The larger of the two toat hatched left the nest on July 12, being then like his mother, excepting that he was a trifle paler and had bluish feet; the second, which left the nest the following day, was rather deeper in colour. The young were partly fed with fruit. Mr. Tescheniaker very kindly sent me the two youns birds on August 13th, but unhappily they were delayed so long on their iourney from Devonshire to Kent that they were more than half dead with hunger and thirst when they came to hand. I turned them into a large flight cage, but they never recovered their health, were constantly quarrelling, and consequently their plumage suffered considerably. On October 13th the hen died, and the cock followed on the 15th : a sad conclusion to a most interesting and instructive experience. LiTTLK Bl.\ck Tan.\gkr {Tarlii/phonus luctuosus). Male very similar to the preceding, excepting for its inferior size and the white on the upper side of the wing covering the lesser coverts. Female different ; olive, with greyish head, whitish throat, yellow under- surface, but white under wing-coverts. Habitat, " Nicaragua, Costa Rica. Panama, and South America down to Trinidad and Guiana on the east and Bolivia on the west." (P. L. Sclater.) The wild life has yet to be studied, but Dr. Rus.s considers this bird to be far more amiable and less aggressive than its larger relative.* It has only been very rarely imported, and singly by Bekemans, whilst Gudera once obt-ained five malas iFrom a small dealer in Bordeaux. One of these five Russ purchased for his birdrooni, where it lived for about nine months, but was unable to survive its first moult. Crestkd T.4N.\ger [Tachyphnnus crixlatus). Male, above black, crown covcpi'd by a scarlet or orange erectile crest, lower back and rump .yellowish rust-red, lesser upper wing-coverts white, below black, with a yellowish rusty strijje on the upper part of the throat ; bill black ; feet bluish flesh-coloured ; irides dark brown. Female rusty-brown washed with olive; rump yellowish brown; undersurface yellowish rust- coloured ; bill brown ; feet brownish flesh-coloured ; irides dark brown. Habitat, Guiana, Cayenne, Colombia, Amazonia, and Brazil to Rio Grande do Sul. • S&lmon (P.Z.S., 1879. p. 508) tells us only that its food consistfl of fruit. €to., which we already know. Of the wild life Buffon says that it is very common in Guiana, lives on small fruits, has a shrill Finch-like call, but utters no similar song; is never found in large woods, hut only on ploughed fields, liurmei^ster says it IS abundant in Kio de Janeiro, but more so in the valleys on its b:iJiks than those of the mountains. As Russ observes, considering its wide distribution, throughout which it is nowhere rare, it is astonishing that tile bird trade luis not imported it frequently and in great numbers, yet it has only been occasionally imported, and singly by Bekemans, of Antwerp. Crowned Tanaoer {Tachi/phnnus coronalus). Glossy black; crown with a small mediaif crimson crest ; lesser upper wing-coverts and under wing-coverts white ; bill dark leaden ; feet brown. Female, above rusty-brown ; head slightly ashy ; below paler ; the throat and bre;i.st with ashy freckles; under tail-coverts rusty-brown. Habitat, S.t. Brazil. Bunneister says that this species is " common in all the woodlands of South Brazil, especially abundant in St. Paulo and Sta. Catharina" fSyst. Ueb. III., p. 166). Russ does not mention this as an imported species, but Mr. L. W. Hawkins exhibited a pair at the Crystal Palace in 1905. It has also been exhibited at the London Zoological Gardens. The Tanagers which follow are of somewhat sombre hues, and some of them have been regarded by Russ as Grosbeaks. Fasciated Tanager (Diucopis fasciala). "Above grey; lores and sides of head black; wings brown ; coverts black, crossed by a broad white band ; tail blackish, edged with brown; beneath white, sides passing into cinereous ; under wing-coverts white ; bill phun'oeous ; beneath whitish; feet clear brown. Whole length 6.7 inches, wing 2.9, tail 2.7. Young, above brown ; lores and sides of the head rather darker ; below not so clear." "Habitat, S.E. Brazil" (P. Ii. Sclater.) Dr. Sclater does not distinguish the sexes, which are alike in plumage, but " the beak of the female is much %vider from base to middle than in the male " (" How to Sex Cage Birds." p. 32). Herr H. von Jhering obtained this bird at Bio Grande do Sul {The Ilns, 1899, p. 434), but he tells us nothing about its wild life, nor have I been able to discover anything respecting it. It has been exhibited at the London Zoological Gardens. Bahama Tanager (SpindatU zeiia). Above black; a chestnut band on the nape; wing- coverts and secondaries broadly bordered and primaries narrowly edged with white ; terminal halves of outer tail-feathers largefy white, remaining feathers white- tipi>ed ; a long eyebrow streak, a broad moust,achial stripe and the chin white ; centre of throat yellow, bounded on each side by black patches which nearly unite below ; breast chestnut in front, shading into yellow at back ; front of abdomen also yellow ; lower abdomen and under tail-coverts white ; sides ashy ; under wing-coverts white ; bill leaden, paler below ; feet blackish. Female, above olivaceous grey ; wings .\nd tail brownish black margined with white, below- paler ; the lower abdomen, under tail and wing coverts white. Habitat, Bahamas. Why Spihdalis, which has a similar scheme of colour- ing to the genus Saltalvr, has been placed between the brilliant Tanagers of the gener,% Tanaijia and Rhainphociduii I do not understand, though Dr. Sclater says it is hardly different in structure from Tariagra; but surely the beak is more Finch-like? Ridgway says of it: " Culmeii distinctly (usually ANAGEU8. 89 strongly) convex," whereas lie describes Tanayra as having the culuien " nearly straight for liasal half or more more or less strongly convex teruiinally ; the tip slightly uncinate." ("Birds of North and Middle America," II., pp. 62 and 64). Nevertheless he leaves it in the 'J'anai/rirld'. Mr. J. Lewis Bonhote (Avic. Mag., N.s., Vol. I., pp. 19, 20) observes of this bird : " Tlie cumniunL'st and perhaps the handsomest of all the birds of the barrens is the Bahama Finch {S. zi-iin), known locally as the C'ock Robin. It is to be found in some numbers round every clump of busli, and seems to feed chicHy on berries, the black berry referred to wlien dealing with the (irosbeak * being also a favorite with this bird." "I have never found the nest of this species, but fi-om the large preponderance of males at Abaco last Marcli I feel pretty certain they must have been nesting at the time. Flying about in small Hocks they may generally be fonnd by listening for the call-note, which is a high-pitched ' twee ' frequently uttered, especially during the early spring, when the males are very pugnacious ; it does not appear to have any noticeable song. As this bird is frequently caught alive I ^ave on several occasions hnd one in my possession, but they did not live long, and I never succeeded in getting them on to artificial food, bnt have had to feed them entirely on wild berries : they get very tame, but their beauty is their only attraction." This pretty Tanager was exhibited by Mr. Dewhurst at the Crystal Palace in 1906 and 1907. and I have to thank Mr. Allen Silver for calling my attention to the lact.t Great Salt.^tor (Sallntor niaijnus). Above olivaceous, the sides of head ashy with a weak white eyebrow stripe ; chin white with a black stripe on each side ; under surface of body pale ashy varied with fulvous, especially on middle of throat and under tail-coverts ; bill blackish ; feet brown ; irides brown. Female similarly coloured. Habitat, " Panama south- wards to Bolivia and South Brazil " (P. L. Sclater). Taczanowski (" Orn. Perou," II., p. 540) quotes Stolz.- mann for the following : " It keeps in pairs in open spaces in the low Ecrub. Its call-note is a very strong and piercing whistle. It nests in January and Feb- ruary. The nest is placed very low down. The eggs resemble those of Aphobus chnpl." W. A. Forl>es {The Ibis, 1881, p. 354) says : "I only once met with this bird, whtch I shot in thick and high forest some miles froni Parahyba." Mr. T. K. Salmon describes the nest as being " com- posed of small sticks and fern-stalks, and placed in low underwood," and the eggs as "pale greenish blue, with a zone of black spots and hair-lines round the larcrer end." (" Proc. Zool. Soc," 1879, p. 505.) Dr. Sclater concludes ("Cat. Birds," XI., p. 282) that this is an unvarying description of the nest and eggs of the genus ; but it would seem, from Dr. E. Lonnberg's notes on S'. auratitiiros. trU lays similar eggs. Mr. E. W. Harper gave four examples of this fine Tanager to the Zoological Society of London in 1906. Allied S.u,tator {Saltalor similis). Above ash-grey ; upper back, greater wing-coverts * Referred to in the previous volume {let ser., Vol. VIII., p. 285). t The dealers' names of "Cuban Ta-naeer " and " Banan.'x Bird " applied to this species are absurd. It does not come from Cuba, and Bajiaim is probably a corruption of Bahama and secondaries washed with olivacoous green; eyebrow stripe white ; throat while with a black line on each side ; under surface of body ochraceous yellow, ashy on the flanks; under wing-coverts pale ochraceous; bill leaden grey ; feet brown. Female resembling the male in colouring, but doubtless differing in form <>{ beak. Habitat, .South Brazil and Corrientes, Argentine Re- public. I have discovered no notes on the wild life of this bird. It has been exhibited at the London Zoological Gardens. Orange-billed Tanager (Saltalor aurantiiroslris). Alxjve greyish washed with olivaceous, excepting on the tail, which shows faintly indicated darker bars; the outer feathers varied with white at tips ; brown of head slaty-blackish ; flights dark grey-brown with olive-ashy margins to outer webs ; lores, sides of head and throat black ; eyebrow-stripe fulvous at first, but becoming white in front with advanced age ; under surface huffish white on chin, becoming gradually clear sandy buff on throat, bounded be-hind by a broadish arched black band which connects the black at sides of throat : breast from band greyish cinnamon washed with olive gradually passing into the clearer pale cofifee-tint of the abdomen; under tail-coverts deeper; flights and tail-feathers below ashy ; under wing- coverts pale buff. Bill at first dark liorn-colour washed with leaden grey, but bright ochre-yellow tipped with black in the adult bird; feet leaden greyish; irides dark brown. Female slightly duller in colour and without the connecting black collar across the back of the throat ; eyebrow stripe permanently fulvous ; bill broader from base to middle and never of the uniform clear ochreous colouring of that of the male. Habitat, Paraguay and Uruguay and Northern and Western Argentina. " In Corrientes d'Orbigny found this Saltator breed- ing in the month of November. It frequents the shrubs and bushes in the neighbourhood of the houses, and makes an open nest of roots, not of very neat construc- tion. The eggs are two or three, greenish blue, slightly spotted at the larger end with blackish and reddish zigzag markings. The eag is figured in ' D'Orbigny's Vovage' (PI. XXVIII., Fig. 3)." (Sclater and Hudson, "Argent. Ornith.," Vol. I., p. 42.) I published an account of this Tanager in The Aricultural Magazine, N.s., Vol. II., pp. 335-339, illus- trated by a coloured plate representing adult and old males. The London Zoological Society was probably the first to exhibit this Tanager ; but, like most of the Tanagers, its appearance in the bird market seems to be spas- modic ; a few turn up one year and then perhaps several years pass and not a specimen is received. In . 1903 an Italian brought a consignment of Argentine birds to London, from which my friend Mr. Housden, of Sydenham, secured three examples of S. auran- tiinislilf, a male and two females. I purchased the male and fed it in the usual manner ; but, as the collector had previously fed it upon canaryseed only, its constitution was undermined before it came into my possession in September ; its health fluctuated some- what, but in November it died. ' Though neither brilliantly coloured nor a songster (though Dr. Russ imagines that it must be), this species is pleasing on account of its confiding nature. In the same year, 1903, Mr. Swaysland received four young examples of tliis species, their bills being in the horn-coloured stage, one of which he exhibited at the Crystal Palace under the imjiression that the dark- billed form represented a distinct species. 90 FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. Magpie Tanacer [Cissopis leveriana). White ; the head, neck, upper back, wings, and tail black; the lesser wing-coverts, sjKits at the ends of the greater coverts, margins of outer secondaries and ends of tail-feathers white; throat and breast, the latter tapering away to middle of abdomen, black ; bill and feet black. Female said to be similar, and for lack of authentically sexed females in the nmseum collection I was unable to discover how to distinguish them. Habitat, Guiana, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, I'eru, and Bolivia. (P. L. Sclater.) Taczanowski quotes the following from Stolzmann C'Orn. Perou," II., jip. 537-8): "This cxtraordinaiy Tanager is found by the banks of rivers and margins of forests. As a rule it is very rare and much more wild than all the other Tanagers. Its oall-note so closely resembles that of the lihamphorrtliis.lhat 1 was unable to distinguish it. Th« song is short, like that of Molothrus and of Carcnorhrmis latinuchus. One generally pomes atroEs tlicm in pairs travelling across the dense thickets on the liorders of the woods. I have seen them in March feeding on sweet fruits which then attract a number of different birds." A fair number of examples of this Tajiager has been exhibited from lime to time at the London Zoological Gardens and of late years I have seen it at bird shows. Amcrngst Tanacers it is very remarkable aiwi SLiriking, its bla( k and white plumage being especially distinctive. Bl.\ck-headed Tanaoer {l^chis/orlilaini/s afra). Front half and Mdes of head and throat to middle of breast black; wings and tail blacki--h with grey edges ; upper surface otherwise grey ; under surface paler, the centre of a,bdomen and Tinder wing-coverts whit- ish ; bill leaden grey, black at tip ; feet black ; irides TerrnlhrauMr«, quotes a modified version of Forbes's account, and notes it as one of the birds not hitherto received in the trade, but which he thinks, .sooner or later, certain to conic. FuuGiNors OR Smoky Tanager (Pityhia fiiHginnsus). Black, the whole excepting the sides of head, throat, and breast bluis.h, these parts being more sooty or dead black ; -under wing-coverte white ; bill orange ; f««it black. Female not quite so bright, the throat and breast scarcely more intensely black than the reet of the brders on busby and sunny opening^," and that is all that I can discover res])ccting its wild life. It has been exhibited at the London Zoological Gardens. Before pussing on to the true FringiUie as well to note that Professor Robert Ridgway refers some of the preceding genera to that family — viz., Diuropix, Saltafnr, and Pitylua. He writes ("Birds of North and Middle America," Vol. I., pp. 24-5) as follows : — "TIm group most closely related to the FringiUid(Z is, of course, that called Tanagridm, or at least oertair» m0:^C '^m that this bird in the members of the latter, which possibly is, even alter tne above-mentioned eliminations, too comprehensive, and therefore may require still further restriction. As com- m<;nly under.stood and accepted, the two supposed families arc clearly purely artificial, and the arbitrary line that has usually Ijeen drawn between them is mani- festly far out of place, the Tanwjrida: having been made to iiu hide fdrms (those mentioned above*) which are unquestionably Fringilline in their relationships." His f(;ist. or I am cer- tain I should have broken up the Tanai/riilir more than Professor Hi/'/iiin \" t'at. Hirds," p. 84) aiif. Ridgwav says (" liiixls of North and Middle America," Vol. 1., p. 25) : — "It is very evic'ent, accord- ing to my judgment, that Dr. Sharpe's so-called sub- families, Carrot kranstintTy FringilliiKT, and Emheri- zinir, are unnatural group.'^, especially the first." It must, however, not be forgotten that Dr. Sharpe him- self says: — "Every division of the family is to be accepted (m the score of convenience rather than as having a foundation of solid structural characters." In tile absence, therefore, of any (jther subdivision of the family based upon an anatomical study of the whole of the genera of the Fringillidce, it simplifies matters to accept the subfamilies proposed by Dr. Sharpe. The three subfamilies, then, will stand as follows: — Friiiijilliiiir (the most typical Finches, of which our Chaffinch is the type, or representative sijecies) ; Embrrizitue (Buntings, of which our Yellowhammer is i->e|)Tesentative) ; and C occothraustime (Grosbeaks, repre- sented in Great Britain by the Hawfinch and Green- finch). The whole of these birds feed their young from the crop ; though the more insectivorous members of the family, such as the Chaffinches, Bramblings, Sparrows, and the Buntings, commence to feed also with un- digested insects long before the young leave the nest, a fact which has led even careful observers into error, whilst by some it has even been assumed that these birds were incapable of regurgitating food, ^lore careful study would have convinced them that this is so far from being the truth, that (in all these cases) the regurgitation of soft food is continued, more or less, after the young have left the nest, as I have repeatedly seen. Of the true Finches {Fringillince) more are now im- poi-ted every year, several Chaffinches having been introduced into English aviaries and bird-rooms, also nut a few of the species known more particularly to bird-catchers and others as Finches, such as Serins, Siskins (sometimes called Goldfinches), as well as Saffronfiiiches, Rosefinches, Bullfinches, and Sparrows. So far as possible, I have endeavoured to get together information respecting the species hitherto imported into the European bird-markets, but to follow Dr. Russ's e.xample and describe dozens of birds which have hitherto never been imported would, in my opinion, be e.\ceeding my duty. He often excuses this action by stating that a bird is exceedingly desirable, and lieing rnnimon in its own country is likely, at .««me time, to h- im|K)rted ; when that time comes" it will be soon enough to regard it as a cage bird. Typical Finches (FiingUHrup). I place this group first, as not only being more typical of the family, but as enabling one to bring the Cardinals of the subfamilies C'occothraustincc and Emhriizinm into juxtaposition. Chaffinches should be fed upon seeds, green food and insects. Blue Cn.tKyiNCH [FrxngiUa tcydea). Slate blue, the median coverts blackish, tipped with blnisti-white; greater coverts similar, but blue vx- tenially and less white at the tips. Tile fourth, fifth, and sixth primaries with a small white sixit at liase of outer web, uniting to form what is known as a "speculum" when the wing is cIo.sed. Tail fe.atbers blackish, edged with blue, the two outer feathers with an ashy patch near the end of the inner web. and a white margin at tip. Eyelids white, under parts pale bluish-grey. The centre of abdomen and under tail covertfi white; lower "wing-coverts whitc-ewii olive- yellowish ; the under surfaung as late as the middle of September." Russ says that he received a pair of this species, but lost both "before they acquired their summer plumage. Mr. Boedicker had some larter, Inrt sent them away, and Rr.ss did not heair what became of them. He adds that Reiche of Alfeld regularly imports a considerable number in the early sirmmer months, selling them at 84s. a dozen or 10s. a pair ; but doubtless this traffic is now put a stop to by the existing laws for the pro-~ tection of birds in the United States. C. tri-^liii has been exhibited at the London Zoological Gardens, and I think also at some of our shows. Mr. Seth-Smith secured a pair in 1898.* Yarrell's Siskin {Chn/somilrix ynrrdli). Bright yellow, somewhat olivaceous on upper back ; median and greater coverts black broadly tipped with yellow ; other wing-feathers black, the primaries edged • A coloured plate illustrating both sexes was published in Tht AHailfural Magazine, Ist series. Vol. V., facing p. 125. with yellow and the secondaries with whitish towards the ends; the latter, excepting the innermost, yellow at base ; terminal half of tail black ; crown, lores, and eyelid black ; sides t>elow somewhat greenish. Female browner on the wings and tail than the male, and with no l)lack on the bead ; in fact, it is altogether more yellow. Habitat, Brazil. I have no notes on the wild life of this Finch. In The Ibis for 1881 Mr. W. A. Forbes says:— "I obtained a living specimen at Parahyba, which is now alive in the Zoological (Jardens. I suhsequently saw one near (laranhun.s, and a pair near some forest close to Quipapa." Also, in Thi' IhU for 1906, Mr. M. J. NicoU says: — "Several examples of tliis species were purchased alive in the market-place at Bahia, but they all cms to have overlooked the fact that this Siskin has been exhibited at the Jx)ndon (iardens, but apparently includes it in his book on the ground that .\udubon had one in a cage for some time ; but, accord- ing to Dr. Shaipe, Auduton figures two species us his Fnngilla mcxicann, the present bird being the male, but the female either iS'. p^altrla or ■S'. mfj-irana ; the question is, which did he keep in a cage? Many years s^ince I bought two examples of what I believe to have been this bird, from Mr. Abraliams. I had to pay 30s. for the two. They sang splendidly. Unhappily one only lived a week and the other a fortnight, so that I had to pay dearly for the pleasure of hearing the song, which is certainly far superior to that of any other Siskin or Serin that I have heard, with the exception of Serinus leurnpygius. Indian Siskin (Chrysomitris spinoides). Crown and cheeks close to the moustachial stripe blackish olive ; frontal band, lores, front of cheeks, sides of neck, and rump bright yellow ; wings black- brown, the fliglits narrowly edged with clear grey at the tips and their inner webs broadly bordered at base with yellow; a broad yellow transverse belt; tail black-brown, yellow at base; lower abdomen dull white ; remainder of under surface bright yellow ; the sides olive-greenish, browner and mottled with white on flanks ; bill and feet fleshy grey-brownish ; irides brown. Female altogether paler, her back and abdomen streaked with dusky olive. Habitat, "Himalayas from Cashmere to Sikhim, extending into the province of Szechuen in Western China" (Sharpe). Jerdon ("Birds of India." Vol. II., pp. 409-10) ob- serves : — "This prcttv little Siskin is found throughout the Himalayas. It is a somewhat larger and more brightlv .coloured bird than the Kuropean Siekin, and the bill is proportionatelv much stronser. At Darjeel- ing it is only a winter visitant, hut then by no means rare. It keeps to the woods, occasionally entering gardens in small parties. Adams savs that it is common in the wooded dirfricts in the north-west, and that its song is very like that of the English Sis'kin. Hodgson says it is more common in the central region than in the northern." Hume ("Nestis and Eggs of Indian Birdi>." Vol. II., pp. 156-7) says: — " The" eo-called Indian Siskin is not a Siskin at all, and is certainly not a f'lirj/i'nmitrU. The note is very like that of a Greenfinch, but struc- turally our bird is not a rhlnrix : and it seem^ to me that cither one must unite the whole of the true Finches under one genus, FriiirjiUn. or one must separate the present species as a distinct genus, and adopt, as I have done, Cabanis's name, Hyparanfhis. " Althouch this biiyl breeds verv freely in all well- wooded hills in the interior of the Himalayas, «t eleva- 94 FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. tions of from. 4,000 to 7,000 fe«t, I seem to be the only person who has taken the nest in resent times. ■' The folknving is a not-e that 1 recorded at a time when 1 had recently taken teveral nests; — " Lays in July and August, at least in the neighbour- hood of Simla, where alone I have found its nest. The latter is placed in very various situations, and alway.s SLO well concealed that, except by watching the birds early in the morning, when both parents are generally feeding in the neighbourhood of the nest, it is almost impossible to discover it. I have found the nest (August 18;h), with three young ones, some 30 feet from the ground, nearly at the top of an evergreen oak, and I have found it in a deodar bush not 3 feet from the ground, on the lowest bough, about 6 inches from the main stem. Once 1 found it against the trunk of an aged deodar, nearly buried in a huge clump of moss, much of which the bird.s had attached to the sides of the nest. Usually the nests are seated Hat on some bough or wide-.spreaecting which he gives very little information be,vond the fact that it wanders about in, companies often consisting of several dozen individuals; is most frequently met with in plantations, but sometimes in the forests of the sierra, and feeds on the seeds of a certain bambuo-like grass of very lofty growth, and that its Song is like that of the European Siskin. Captain Pani brought home two of these birds and presented them to the London Zoological Socictv in July, 1906. YKLi-OW-nKLLiKD SiSKlN" (Chrysomitris :ranlliol. Soc, 1879, p. 508). They are described as " pale greenish white, thickly but fiiintly freckled with lilac iuul brownish spi>t.s ; axis 7, diam. .5"; and this would seem to !«■ all tliat has been recorded respect- ing the wild life of the present species. Calrtain Pam presented a si)ecimen of this Siskin to the London Zoological Gardens in November, 1906. Ybllow-rtimped Siskin* {C'hr)/somitris uropygialis). Entire head and upixr surface black, the feathers of the upper p;uts witli yell >w margins ; flights with a terminal white fringe, best marked on the inner secondaries, which have broad yellow borders towanis the ends; remainder of flights yellow at t!ie base; shorter upper tail-coverts yellow, longer ones black witli yellow fringe; basal two-thirds of all excepting the central tail-feathers yellow ; under surface from tbroat backwards yellow, greener at sides, the flanks varied with blackish ; thighs dusky at base ; flights below blackish, yellow towards base of inner webs ; beak Itaden, feet brown. Female apparently undestribed. Habitat, Chili to South Peru. Russ states that the food of this Siskin eonsiits of oily .^-oeils of plant* on the Cordilleras. Its behaviour is shy and c:iutiit be vliflicult to capture. According to Ijandbeck it does not long survive its craving for liberty, which, says Russ, is the more to be deplored, in that it would be treasured as an admirable songster; he says also that in spite of its wide range it has hitherto only been received singly and extremely rarely in the bird-trade. Black Siskim [Chrysomilris alrala). AlKive dead black ; greater wing-coverts tipped with yellow; flights, excepting inner secondaries, yellow at the base ; tiiil-feathers, excepting the central ones, yellow at the base ; abdomen and under tail-coverts yellow: thighs pale yellow: under wing-coverts, axillaries and base of flights below yellow. Female or young browner than male; yellow paler; the median wing-coverts tipped, like the greater coverts, with yellow : the flights with yellowish white margins towards the end of outer web ; under surface yellow from the throat backwards ; the breasts mottled with broHTi. "Mendoza to Bolivia and Peru" (Sharpe). Taczanowski (" Orn. Perou," Vol. III., p. 53) says; — "The nest is composed of an irregular bed of moss mixed with .a little wool, some stems of dry grass, rf>otlets, and little twigs, upon which the true nest is construrted of wool and different kinds of hair, rarely also including a few feather!;. All this structure is thick and very compact : interior shallow, but carefully moulded. Height, 4.5; width, .13; diameter of interior, 4.5; de.pth, 2.5 centimetres. All found by M. Jelski under the straw-covered roofs." " The eggs are greenish white, variously spotted, even among specimens of the same clutch. Eggs found on the 30th April differ from one another in this respect : one has at the large end a zJanuaiy, 1890, and subsequently at Sacaya. " They did not appear to be stationary for any length of time, but frequented stretches of tiie low bush in large scattered flocks, and 1 saw none after February, and concluded they had migrated. " The only note I observed them utter was an insignifi- cant twitter when flitting from bush to bush. I did not see any at altitudes above 10,500 feet." According to Russ. this bird is caught and caged by the Indians on account of its admirable song, and he expres.ses the hope th-ely resemble the common Siskin in general appearance and colouring, as also dn habits. I did not observe them in the central provinces, but was told they occur as winter visitants. I found them very numerous in Arauco. and also about Valdivia ; but south of the latter district I did not observe so many, though a certain number occurred as far south as I went, and In Chiloe. They bred at Rio Bueno about November, somewhat earlier than other small species there. " I was not fortunate in getting any eggs of this bird, but found a new nest, which was placed in a thick tf(i FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. shrub on the mar Tin of the forest about three feet above tho ground. " A boy brought me a young one in full feather ; it was somewhat like a female, but less distinctly marked. " These birds are easily captured at certain seasons by means of trap-cages. I had specimens alive at various times, but they usually escaped or got injured, so I had none to bring home. " In winter-time in Arauco I frequently saw thein feeding on the topnio.st twigs of low forest trees, just like a flock of Siskins do here on the alder. They com- mence to sing at Maqucoqua (Arauco) about the begin- ning of August, and sin^ a good deal through the summer. Their song is very pleasing and much esteemed. Their call-note is the double whistle of the Siskin. They prefer wooded districts, are not found in very open localities, and aopeir capable of finding sub- sistence in the forest for a large portion of the year, if not altogether." This species has been exhibited at the lyondon Gardens in 1875, 1886, and 1890, but Russ does not include it in Black-headed Siskin. his work under the name of C. Imrhata, but has resur- rected for it the name of C. maryinalis. Black-he.\ded SiSKm {Chrr/somilris icterka)- Above pale olive-green; wings black, with the excep- tion of the lesser coverts ; a broad yellow belt across the base of the flights ; rump yd'ow ; upper tail-coverts olive-green ; tail yellow at the base and black at the extremity ; entire head, including throat, black ; under surface bright yellow. Female duller and without black on head. "Habitat, Brazil and Argentine Republic to Chili. , ^ In its wild state this species is more wmmonly met with in inhabited districts than in woods, being espe- cially fond of poplar groves, and usually building its nest in a poplar ; its favourite seeds are those of the sow-thistle and lettuce, on which plants it may usually be seen when their .seeds are ripening. Like our Siskin, this species is extremely restless, and travels in small companies, usually consisting of about a dozen individuals. The nest is generally place^l on a smail br.inch, at its junction with the trunk of the tree and is timilv and neatlv built, with a lining of hair', down, or feathers. The eggs are five in number, thin-shelled, and pure white. The song is very sweet, and jertainly superior to that of the European bird. Unfortunately, it rarely arrives in this country in good condition, so that many 6]>ecimens die before thej' have been long in captivity ; they are also never very cheap. I imported a specimen in 1893, but it arrived in such ill-health that it only lived three davs after it re:wlied nie. Mr. A. H. Holland (The IhU, 1892, p. 197) says :— " Very common throughout the year, and in flocks immediately after nesting. Has a melodious twitter. Breeds lat« in November, and i.s easily tamed." -Mr. 0. V. Aplin, writing on the birds of Uruguay (T'/ie Ibif, 1894, pp. 170-171), says : ^Common, especi- ally about the qurntas of estancia houses, and resident to a certain extent, but jx>sfibly not entirely so; they certainly become much less common in theautumn. They are fond of feeding on the seeds of different tall plants, and I have seen them clinging to a yellow-flowered composite, and especially to a blue-and-red-flowered Boraginaceous plant called /lor mora of " Little Cardinid," and subse- quently .single specimens or pairs reached Chr. Hagen- beck. Jauiracb, Bekenians, and otheiis. Mr. Heer thus describes his success in breeding the species : — " The feuiuie only laid two eggs,* but hatched out both, and both l.id already successfully l««ft th« nest when one which wiis already recognisable as a nialen nest-liox . . . and formed a flat cavity, chiefly of wadding, linen threads, and cowhair. The clutch consisted once of three and the second time of four c;,'_'s. In the first brnod, however, she only brought up two young, and in the second only Dne. These broods must lie the only ones, up to the present time, which have been recorded, as the bird so far occurs in few collections." And what a poor record it is ! The eggs arc not de- scribed, the duration of incubation is not indicated, the nestling phimn^e is not noticed. t Mr. Astley has published an amusing account of the Hoodixl Siskin, illustrated by a coloured drawing, in The Aviniltural Magazine. 2nd series, Vol. I., pp. 47- 51. In 1906 Captain Pam and others brought home five examples of this specie.s, two of which were presented to the Ijsefni(?nt!y we discover that she laid three, but only notched two. t Dr. Riiss, however, gives the following description of the r??:— 8h;i|)r< oval; colour delicate bluisli or greenish white, tiiie!y dottid with red-brown. Length 14 mm., breadth 11 mm. spruces, alders, willows, and juniper-berries." Gentry states that the wild life corresponds with that of other Siskins, including the European species, but its flight and actions more nearly resemble those of the Purple Rose-finch. The call-note is a sharp penetrating swiirr or zirr, which it utters during flight. Audubon says that the song is soft, varied, and melodious, and to some extent resembles that of the American Siskin. Its food consists of the seeds of grasses and other plants, and in the autimm of juniper berries, coniferous and other seeds, and in spring, espe- cially when hatching, of plant-lice and other insects, also all kinds of tree-buds and shoots of conifers. According to Brewer, the breetling season is in May; the nest is fonned of fibres, rootlets, stalks, and grasses, and neatly lineads, villages, stone bridges, cliffs, ruins, rocky islands, and on the margin of the de.sert, feeddng chiefly on seeds of grasses. 'The call-note is described as a wooden " ter-ter " by Von Heuglin, and a metallic " twang-twang" by Meadc-Waldo, and the song insigni- ficant, often chattering, or rather chirping, but always dntermingled with sounds which resemble tnose produced by a child's toy trumpet. J. L. S. Whiitaker, in liis "Birds of Tunisia," Vol. I., p. 221, says : — " Eminently a rock-frequenting bird, the Desert Bullfinch is. as a rule, only to be found in hilly, stony ddstricts. and never apparently in the true sandy desert. Its plumage, like that of many of the Larks and other birds, harmonises admirably in colour with the warm reddi.sh tints of the southera rocks and soil, and affords a good example of Nature's protective colour- ing. The exquisite rose hue of this little bird's plumage, however, is mifortunately, somewhat evanescent, and fades considerably after death. " During the greater part of the year E. githaginea is to be found in small parties, but during the breeding season single pairs are more often met with. It is by no means a shy bird, and will often allow one to approach within a ferw yards of it before taking to flight. Its food consists ohiefiy of the seeds of wild plants, but also to a certain extent of insects and ^gnibs. In captivity the species thrives well, and examples of it may occasionally be seen in aviaries." "The ne.st of this -jpecies is tisually placed under a tussock of gratis or other small plant on a hill-side, and is neatly built of fine bents, lined with a little hair or wool. The eggs, usually four or five in number — though I have found as many as si.\ — are elongate in shape and of a delicate sea green colour, slightly .spotted and streaked at the larger end with dark lake and reddish-brown. Average measurements, 20 by 14 mm." Mr. IMeade-Waldo in 1897 bred three nests of six and one of four from a single pair, the male of which was alxjut ten years of age. He says that the yoimg are fed entirely on seed disgorged from the crop, no soft food being touched. Canary, spray millet, and shepherd's purse are the favourite food of the fpecies. I have seen a good many specimens of thi.s spe<'ies, both at bird shows and in private aviaries, but 1 never possessed it myself. Rock-Sp.^rhow [Pdronia jielrnnin). Above sandy brown, with darker streaks and spots ; back and wings dark brown with pale buff margins to the feathers ; tail dark brown, the feathers increas- ingly tipped with white on the inner webs from the central feathers outwards, below pale buff indistinctly streaked with Irrown, more strongly on the flanks; a yellow patch on the throat ; bill brown, paler below ; feet pale brown ; irides brown. The female is similar, but with less defined yellow jxitch on the throat. Habitat, Europe southward to N. Africa, Madeira, and the Canarj' Islands ; eastward to Central Asia, Eastern Siberia, and North China. J. I. S. Whitaker ("Birds of Tmiisia. ' Vol. 1, pp. 211, 212) says: — "As the name would imply, P. jjitrania is a rock-loving bird, being generally found, either in small parties or in pairs, on hill-sides or in the vicinity of rocky ground. Occasionally, however, it is to be found on cultiN-ated land, consorting with Skylarks, and I once shot one out of a flock of Larks in the middle of a cornfield. The food of the Bock- Sparrow^ consists chiefly of grain and various kinds of seeds, but it is varied to a considerable extent by an insect diet. The note of this bird is a harsh and monotonous chirp. " The Rock-Sparrow breeds as a rule in holes in cliffs or old walls, and the nest is composed of straw or dry grasses, with a little vrool, plentifully lined witn feathers and hair. The eggs, four or five in number, greatly resemble those of the common House-Sparrow." Dr. Russ mentions three or four European dealers who have at various times offered this species for sale, but he says it is rarely received, but several avicul- turists state that it is a noteworthy songster. With captive birds one is far more likely to hear the true .song than the field naturalis-t ; therefore it is quite likely that Mr. Whitaker never was fortunate enough to come across a singing male, and only heard the chattering and chirping in which Sparix)ws far more frequently indulge. Yellow-throated Rock-Spabkow (Pfeak black ; feet ashy-browrn ; irides brown. I'emale with the chestnut of lesser cwverts and the yellow throat spot paler than in the male. Habitat. Fcrsia and Baluchistan to Sind and the plains of India, ascend- ing the Himalayas west of the Beas up to 4,000 to 5,000 feet. Jerdon ("Birds of India," Vol. II.. pp. 368, 369) says: — "It frequents thin forest jungle; also groves of trees, avenues, and gardens, in the better wooded parts of the country. It lives in small p,irties, occa- sionally, during the cold weather, congregating in very large flocks ; feeds on \'arions seeds, grains, and flower- buds, and has much the same manners and liabits as the common House-Sparrow. It h:is also a very similar note. It breeds in holes in trees, and in some parts of the country in the roofs of houses, in the hollow bamboos of the roof, and, occasionally, in pots hung out for the pairpose. Tlie eggs are three or four, greenish white, much streaked and blotched with pur]5lish-brown." Hume (" Nest.s and Eggs," 2nd ed.. Vol. II., pp. 157-159) says: — "I have taken scores of nests of this species; all were, without exception, placed in holes in trees. Old mango-trees, for instance, are very often SISKINS. 99 chosen, and in tliese the nests may be found at 30 feet from the ground, though usually they are a I heights of from 12 to 20 feet; >onietinies K*Miie old stuli is patronised, and then the nest may not 1)C a couple of feet from the ground. On one oica-sion I found a nest in a liole in the stem of an old lieens bush iCapparU aphi/llti), which stem was barely 5 itielie.s in diameter. " ITie nest is generally only a little bundle of dry giaaa, thickly lined with feathers. If in a mangrove grove much frc(|uenteil by the t'onunoii (iireii I'iiroquets, the feathers of these latter are sure to l>e tliosc chietly used. Soinotiuies, however, a more or less cup-shaped nest is formed, fine strips of bark and tow i)eing added to the grass; and, again, at limes it is a regular pad of hair, tow, and wool, with a few few- streak ; chin, upper half of thix)at, brea.st, and under tail-coverts white, shariin^; into pale brown on the sides of the head a.nd throat (sometimes the white runs over on to the front of the face and is limited to the centre of the throat in continuance of tl>e usual palo sulpliur pat^-h on the front of the breastl ; a.l>domen white, faintly washed at the sides with browii ; under wing-coverts mid axillaries aj^hy-brown ; beak dark horn brown, flesh-coloured toward's base of lower mandible ; feet dusky flesh-coloured : irides reddish -brown. Female, according to Vnn Heuglin. more fulvescent. with cheeks, bi-eas-t, and flanks wa.shed with fulvrius, etc., etc.: but he was prob.ablv describ- ing P. (ilbiguJaris, which is neither the female nor the yoimg of /'. (h'litaki, as has been supposed. Habitat. N.E. Africa. Von Heuglin says that this spccics-s is found in pair* or small tlcxks along the opeiungs in the woodlands or perched on the bushes in the deserts, generally near water, and that the note resembles tliat of our House Sparrow * ; his assertion that the eggs, which he found in a Weaver-bird's ne.'t, where wiute was ba.'^eil upon faulty observation, the eggs which he found having doubtless been laid by the Weaver, certainly not by the iSparrow. In 1898 two examples of Pclronia were sent to me by an luiknown friend, which were (incorrectly) pro- nounced by Mr. Abrahams to be sexes of the niur- derous Yellow-throated Sparrow. As I have already ivcorth became egg- bound, and 1'. dcntata (the supposcxl cock-bird) died before it etween the latter and ear-coverts dark brown ; chin, upper throat, centre of breast, and under tail- coverts white; a yellow patch at back of throat; flights below brown with pale inner edges ; under wing-coverts pale brown, partly mottled with white; beak dusky horn-brown, with pale lower mandible; feet browiiiish ash ; irides brown. Female smaller and with smaller yellow throat-spot. Habitat, Africa, to the south of about 3 deg. S. lat. (Shelley.) In Stearic and Scla.ter's " Birds of South Africa," Vol. I., p. 158, we read : — " Although this Sparrow may he sometimes seen hopping about rocks, it is more fre- quently to be met with among trees, and especially euphorbias, from the bark of whiioh it appears to glean a considerable amount of food in the shape of small beetles and other insect.^. Mr. T. Ayres writes regarding its habits in Mashonaland : ' The.'-e Sparrows ai'e not un- common about the Umvuli, frequenting the high trees and feeding much as the Tomtits do, hanging about the outer twi.^ and eating the young buds, etc. ; as, how- ever, food of all kinds is scarce' for birds, this may not be a usual habit. They are now mostly in pairs, and their loud Sparrow-like cries, often repeated in the early morning, attract one's attention to them.' " This species appears to feed very largely on insects, which it finds in crevices of rocks and in the bark of trees. It also eats small seeds of grass and variou.s weeds. It builds a large Sparrow-like nest of dry grass and feathers in the hole of a tree or rock, and lays three <}r four eggs, which resemble those of the Cape Sparrow, but they are slightly larger, as a rule, and more sparingly but distinctly spotted with dark slaty-brown." On the other hand, Captain Shelley says : — " Mr. Ivy, a resident at Grahamstown, writes : ' I have found many nests of this .'■■pecies in the decayed centres of the branches of the euphorbia trees. The bird makes a small opening in the bark, and on a deposit of a few feathers and down in the hollow of the branch, lays from three to four dull brown unspotted eggs. It breeds in companies, and the eggs are difficult to obtain, as the branches of the euphorbias are high up above the ground, and though heavy are brittle and rotten.' He further remarks that the eggs are very unlike those of Pas.ipr arcuatux." — "Birds of Africa," Vol. III., pp. 266. 267. Captain Shelley has resurrected the name Harigtila for this species on the ground that Bonaparte quoted Sundival's name while giving it a different one. This 's not always a conclufrivc proof of jjriority. for I have had proof-sheets of a book forwarded to me when I was bringing out a work (to enable me to quote from them). and I rather think my book was published firet. Although this speoies has been rej)re.sented several times at the London Zoological Gardens, Dr. Rii.ss omits it from bis large work. Cape Sp.^RROW {Panser nrmatii!'). Abovg deep bnight cinnamon ; the nape and mrmtle greyish: upper tail-coverts brown; les.ser wing-coverts cinnamon.; middle and greater coverts black, tipped with white, the lattcT with brown edges ; tail black. with reddish margiins to the feathers ; head black ; a bi<>.ad eyebrow stripe, sides of neck and back of cheeks while; throat and front of breast black, rtniainder of under surface white, greyish at the sides and on the thighs; flights below dusky with the inner margins greyish fulvous; beak black; feet brown; irides brown. Female smaller and duller than male, browner above, the crown being duller black, the jnantle and uppe-- back brown ; a pale buff streak bordering tlie back of crown and a bufh.sh pat its nest in som? thorny busli or tree. It sterns probable that this» Sparrow was iriginally a desert biid. and has compara- tively recently changed lits habits in certain districts and adapted it-self to a town or village life. In autumn and winter these Sparrows are frequentlv found in con- siderable flocks, often consorting with other Finches and Weaver-birds. Even when nesting they frequently form sooial communities and build many nests in the same bush or tree; occasiona'ly I have seen a bush so packed with nests that they formed a solid mass, much like one of the collective nests of a Social Weaver-bird." " The nest, a domed structure, is more or less flask- shaped, with an entrance from a few linches to more than a foot in length, through a horizontal projecting neck. It is constructed of small sticks, straws, dry grass, occasional'y interwoven with rags and bits of paper, the cavity !>eing warmly lined with wool and feathers. Two or three broods are raised in the year, the first eggs being laid in September. These aie f.-o!'.j SPARROWS. 101 three to six in number, and vary considerably in size, ehape, and colonr ; they are usually of a pale ereenish- blue ground colour, thickly blotched and mottled with various shades of brown and lavender. They average 0.75 by 0.58. They are hatched at the end of twelve days. The young remain in the nest for about twenty- four days, during which time they arc feecie& and Dr. Hartert as a distinct subspecies. He says that with an extremely fine series before him he is unable to find a difference to distingui.Oi it as a sub-species; .nnd this 1 can quite believe, seeing that our common Sparrow varies considerably in measuremeint and in purity of colouring. This bird is occasionally imported singly, or in small numbers, among other African birds. Tlie "London Zoological Society ha.s re<»ived it from South Africa, and in 1895 I purchased one out of several then In the market; it proved to be a hen, and, being kept with Weavers and Buntings, it proved harmless enough, • The feniRle described >>v ItusR was evidently in winter pimnnce, th? beak being horn 3-ellowigh with whiter under mandible. but it never uttered a note. It died .\ugUot 17th, 1900. I gave a short account of the bird in The AvicuUural Magazine, 1st series, Vol. II., pp. 5-6. Dkskbt Si'ARROw (Passer simplex). Creamy buff, slightly ashy on crown and mantle; median wing-covens pure wnite; greater coverts dull black, bro.adly tipped with white; flights dull huffish, browner towards the extremities, and edged with white, which becomes .slightly yellowi,-,h on the outer wei)s of the -secondaries ; tail "pale dull brown, darker towards the tip, and with buff margins, widest in centre feathers; the feathers at sides of forehead, in front of eye, and a few above the oar-coverts, black; cheeks, ear-coverts, and sides of tliroat white; chin and throat black; beak clear brownish, with the base white; feet yellowish ; irides dark brown. Female yellower above, and without any black on head and neck. Habitat, Kordofan to the Libyan and Sahara deserts {Shclletj). _ Von Heuglin s.iys"that this Sp.irrow "feeds on grain near habitations, "and in its habits resembles P. mon- tuiius, does not freijueiit the mountains, hut inhabits the lowlands of Kordofan, Sennaar, and the wastes between Berber and Suakin." He says that the egg resembles that of the House Sparrow; but to anyone who examined the series of eggs of the latter bird figured in my "Birds' Eggs of the British Lsles," PI. IV., figs. 132-143, most of which were taken by myself, .such a rentark might mean anything, inasmuch as the eggs of the House Sparrow vary from the type of the Pied Wag- tail to that of a Comiiion Bunting or a Tree Pipit. They are neither constant in size, shape, colouring, nor character of marking. Some eggs are like a common type of Cuckoo's egg; others almost like that of the Robin; others, again, like an elongated egg of the Skylark. Therefore, while saying that Pass^er simplex lays eggs like those cf the House Sparrow, Von Heuglin might as well have completed his description by assur- ing us that they were about the size of a, piece of chalk ; but, oddly eno'ugh, he is precise in his measurements — 0.85 by 0.6. , .^■ Dr. Ruse appeared to be unaware that this species had been exhibited at the London Zoological Gardene, and therefore dismissed it in a few words as a bird vp- likcly to appear in the bird-market, and as rare in itJ native country. . • „ ,- i t J. I. S. Whitaker ("Birds of Tunisia, \ ol. 1., p. 209) says: " Althoaigh not uncommon in the localities it frequents, the bird appears to be somewhat local in its distribution, and is not found everywhere in the sandy desert." On p 210 ilie remarks :—" There seems to be some difference of opinion as to the description of country and localities most frequented by the Desert Sparrow, and also regarding the situations selected by it for its nest A" the evidence, however, points to the species being partial to sandy Bjx>ts, and it probably occurs both on the oiitskirt's- of the oa.'es and in the more open country and nests in trees as well as in the holes of well-sides, or similar sites. Mr. Dodson, alluding to the birds of this species met with in Tripoli, says that he observed them only in p.ilm-tree^. where, apparently they were breeding. Baron v. Erlanger . . . found a nest in the hollowr of an old desert tree, and -"a^. in- formed by Herr Paul W. H. Spatz that these birds nested among the sticks forming the nests of someof the kr<-er Raptores. built on similar desert trees. IJr. Koenig? on the other band, appears to have found the species nesting in the crevices of well-sides. "In many of its habits, as well as m its note, the Desert Spa"rrow seems to resemble the Tree Sparrow. 102 FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. It leeds chiefly on seeds, but also to a large extent on insects. Its nest is a rather bulky structure, compactly built of dry Haifa grass, wool, and leathers, and the eggs, ■which are usually three in number, are said to closely resemble those of the Tree Sparrow." Ykllow Sparrow {Passer lufetii']. H©arteon millet, canary, oats, and hemp, with a few living insects, their larvae and pupae, or spiders; I should also give a little fruit and soft food. Next to the Sjiarrows Dr. Sharpe has placed the Serins or Canaries ; but, unless Prof. Ridgway is correct in regaixling the ,Saffron-finche.^ as Buntings,* it seems- to me that thej', both in their nesting-habits and in the colouring of their eggs, show much closer affinity to the Sparrows ; moreover the Rose-finches with their Canary-like call-notes should not, I think, be widely divorced from the Serins. 1 shall therefore take Si/calis next.. S.\rFRON'-FiNCH [Sj/calis Aaveola). The cock is of a bright greenish yellow above, the feathers of the mantle and upper back being strs-aked with dusk}' lines; the wing leathers blackish, edged with brighter or duller yellow ; the tail feathers also blackish ivith bright yellow outer and paler yellow inner edges ; the crown of head and back of neck bright greenish yellow, the forehe,id bright orange, the cheeks and throat yellowish orange ; undiT surface of body bright yellow, the sides being slightly greenish; the beak horn brown, the lower mandible being )>ale ; the iris of eye greyish brown; the legs brownish flesh coloiu'ed ; entire length about 5i inches. The hen is a little duller above and paler below than the cock, but otherwise is very simihir. Habitat, Southern Brazil to New Grenadv and Venezu;'la. When in the neighbourhood of towns these birds and their close .allies freijuently build large nests, lined ivith horsehair, in holes in walls ; but if in the open country they select holes in decayed trees or dcs?rt<'d nests of ether birds in wnich to Vjuild. Their eggs, which some- what resemble those of a Sparrow, are usually five in number. In an aviaiy the cigarlK>x ty|)e of receptacle is preferred for nesting purjjoses. If kept in a large' cag.3 or Crystal Palace, .aviarj- with Canaries, the Saffron- finch is ■unbearable ; he charges the jx>or things inoes- Siintly, and makes their featheis fly wholesale; but in a large .aviary, with Weavers and other strong ,si)ecies, I have found him very innocent — e.vcepting towards members of his own genus — and even amusing, but especially in the breeding season at roosting time, for then the cock and hen play a game of liide-and-seek, only they always hide in the same receptacle, usually .'i German Can :uy -cage ; the cock crouches down in a Canary nest-lK>x whilst the hen hides, suddenly he darts across to the opening, and out she bolts ])a.st him ajid take.^ possession of his Irox ; he follows her ami sihe darts b.ick, and so the giime goes on imtil both are wearj'. The song of this bird is not particularly pleasing, though hearty. This bird has been called Brazilian Sparrow, but the only respect in which it resembles a Sparrow is in the * I made the same su^^e«tion myself many years ago. SAFFRON-FINCHES. 103 colouring of its eggs ; it docs, indef a Giveiifinch, though with more lu'arly the materials which a Bunting woulii seltH.-t; indi'^l, from its colouring aning, when on the earth, this sjK'icies was at one tinio Ix^lieved to l>e related to EmU'i-iza. Its name of Brazilian Canary, recognised in sieveral Euro])ean languages, is not inappropriate appan-ntly, sin<:e the genii:^ (S'l/ro^ix replaces S''rinti.< in South AnieritM. It has several close relatives, with similar habits, and which are occasionally otfeied for Siile under the same name. »V. Havola pairs fieely with S. pphelnl in an aviary, and the resultin;; young are jjerfectly fertile, the males being usually indistinguishable from the sire of the Sivlfronfinch. but the females more nearly approaching their mothor. I have bred many of thase and pure- bre<^l Satfnjn-finches, both in aviary and cage ; they are extremely quarrelsome, resembling the Chaffinches in disposition aneen, this SparroW selects other breeding-sites; my exi>e- rience is that outside of a town it never lays anywhere but in some domed nest, and at home I freijuently put up boxes for them in the trees, but they would not notice them, though the Wrens and Swallows were glad to have them. Sometimes they make choice of the large fabric of the Anumhiuis acuticaudatus, called Leiiatero in the vernacular ; but their claim to this nest (even when the Lefiateros are out of it) is frequently disputed by other si>e<;ies which possess the same habit as this Sparrow, but are more powerful than he. Their favourite breeding-place is, however, the solid earthen structure of the Oven-bird ; and it is wonderful to see how persistently and systematically they labour to drive out the lawful owners — birds so much larger and more jxiwerful than themselves. Early in spring, and before the advent of the Tree-Martins, the pair of Sparrows begin haunting the neighbourhood of the oven they have elected to take possession of, usually one pretty high up in a tree. As the season advances, their desire towards it increases, and they take up their jxisition on the very tree it is in ; and finally a particular branch near the oven, commanding a good view of the entrance, is chosen for a permanent resting-place. Here they spend a great ix>rtion of their time in song, twitterings, and lo\-ing dalliance, and, if attentively observed, they are seen with eyes ever fixed on the coveted abode. As the need for a receptacle for the eggs becomes more nrgent they grow bolder, and in the absence of the owners flit about the oven, alight on it, and even enter it. The Oven-bird appears to drive them off with screams of indignation, but the moment he retires they are about it again, and, even when it contains eggs or young birds, begin impudently carrying in feathers, .straws, and other materials for a nest, as if they were already in undisputed possession. At this stage the Tree-Martins (Prognc tapern) perhaps appear to com- plicate matters; and even if these last comers do not succeed in ousting the Oven-birds, they are sure to seize the oven when it becomes vacant, and the Sparrows, in spite of their earlier claim, are left out in the cold. But they do not take their defeat quietly, or, rather, they do not know when they are beaten, but still remain to harass their fellow-pirates, just as they did the Oven- birds before, bringing .straws and feathers in their beaks, and when forced to drop these materials and chased from the neighbourhood with great noise and fury by the Tree-Martins, it is only to return undaunted in a few minutes, bringing more straws and feathers. " This Sparrow makes a rather large nest, neatly lined with horsehair, and lays five eggs, long, pointed, the entire surface thickly marked with dull chocolate brown." I imfjorted this species from La Plata in 1895, and turned it into one of mv birdroom aviaries with the common Saffron-finch. "The male died soon after I received it, but the female, as already stated, interbred with the better-known species and produced young, which again bred until eventually no characteristics of S. pehelni remained. Dr. Russ seemed to be unaware of this species as a cage-bird ; but coming irom the Argentine Republic, it is probable that it is not infrequently received and sold as the common Saffron-finch. 104 FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. Yeli/jwish Finch [Sycalis arvensis). Above pale olive-green, mantle and upper back broadly streaked with bl;iekish-brown ; wing, excepting the lesser coverts, which are greenish jellow, deep brown, the feathers with i«ilc boi'ders ; tail similar; eyebrow- stripe bright vellow ; l>elow, the throat and breast are dull aishy buffish, the lower brea.st and abdomen bright yellow ; " beak ami feet horn-colour ; irides brown. Female, browner, the back less yellow, as also the lores and eycbrowstriix" ; yellow of under parts paler. Habitat, South Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, and Chili to South Peru. Dr. Sharpe distinguishes three sub sjiecies of this bird, among which is, the notes al.'O fall, becoming lower, sweeter, and more impressive till he reaches tlie earth. After alighting the .-ong continues, the notes growing longer, thinner, and clearer, until they dwindle to the merest threads of sound, and cease to be audible except to a person standing within a few yards of the songster. The song is quite unique in character, and its great charm is in its gradual progress from the somewhat thick ncAes at the commencement to the thin, tremulous tones with which the bird returns to earth, and which change again to the excessively attenuated sounds at the end. "The nest is deep, well-built, and well-concealed, sometimes resting on the ground, but frequently raised above it. It contains live long, pointed eggs, with a white or bluish-white ground-colour, and thickly spotte-J with brown." I have quoted the full account of the song of this bird, because it shows how exhilarating the climate of Argentina must be when a very third-rate performance can arou.se such enthusiasm in the mind of the listener. Hea.rd in an English aviary the song ij a trifle more musical than that of the Common Saffron-finch ; but, like many of the songs of Argentine birds it is ju>t that sort of thing which can be produced ity .screwing round the lid of a circular wooden box.* The flight is graceful and pleasing, resenibling that of the Grey Singing-finch in its fluttering butterfly-like character. My birds built in 1907 in a (igar ne.'-tbox hung high up in the small aviary where I kept them, but the hen never settled down to lay and eventually died, leaving the cock bird solitary. Millet, canary, and green food, with a little soft food suit all the Saffron-finches well. We now come to the SERINS or CANARIES, which do well upon the same food as Saffron-finches. Cape C'.vn.\ry {.Serinu.i canicollif). This species is yellow, greenish above, excepting on the crown, nape, and lower back ; the nape is grey ; the scapularies and mantle with dark shaft-streaks; flights and tail-feathers blackish, with yellow outer margins; beak pale horn colour; feet greyish-brown; iris dark brown. Female browner on mantle and liack ; Sitreaked with dusky brown; crown pale y.ollow with dusky streaks ; below paler yellow. Habitat, Cape Colony, where it is resident. Natal, the Orange Free, State and Transvaal : introduced into Reunion. Messrs. Stark and Sclater (" Birds of South Africa," Vol. I., pp. 168. 169) say :— This well-known and favourite cage-bird is, in its wild state, a common re-^ident in nearly all districts that are overgrown with bushes or low trees varied with open glades and clearings. It is perhaps more abundant on the lnishclat, neiitly construcled and cup- fhaped, is built in a thick low bush, of dry grass and bents, with sometimes a little moss, lined with hair, ieathers, and downy seeds. The eggs, three or four in number, are white, faintly tinged with blue, and streaked and spotted at the obtu.^e end with purplieh- brown and reddish-brown. They measure 0.75 x 0.55. This species is also called the Grey-necked Serin, ■which, perhaps, is a better name for it, when one am- siders that .several other si^ecies liave borne the name of Cape CVmary incorrectly. Some years ago Mr. Abrahams kindly sent me an old male bird of this -species in order that I might become acquainted with its .song, which has been greatly praised. It did imf live for muiiy months after I re- ceived it, but iti3 song was decidedly pleasing — a clear. Tinging trill, with little variation, but no shrill notes. 7>ike moit of the African Serins, it was fed chiefly upon oanarv and millet, certainly tlie most wholesome food for Canaries, excepting when breeding or moulting, ■when all Serins are the better for more variety. Sru'Hi'R SKKnK,\TKR ISrri II ii" ■^ulphiiialux). Above greeniiih-yellow, Avith blackish streaks, e.xcept- ing on rump and upjjer tail-coverts and leseer wing- coverts; remaining wing-'eathers blackish, with yellow borders; a bro;id golden-yellow eyebrow streak; lores dusky; feathers encircling eye, ear-coverts, and cheeks, dull greenish ; a sjwt at base of lower mandible, a broaii stripe under the ear-coverts, and the throat golden- yellow ; .sides of neck, breiist, and sides of body pale greenish-yellow ; remainder of under surface yellow ; flights below dusky, with the inner margins grey; upper mandible dull yellowish, lower mandible pale yellow; feet dull brown; irides haze!. Female smaller and duller, the yellow stripe on the face smaller and duller. Habitat, Cape Colony, the Orange Free State, Natal, the Trausv.nal, and northward on the east side of Africa to Masai Land. Messrs. Stark and Sclater say (" Birds of South Africa," Vol. I., p. 170) : "This large and conspicuously- coloured Seed-eater is rather common in many parts of Cape Colonv, bolh on ojien pasture hnd and in bushy localities. In winter these birds form considerable flocks, often joining with other Finches to search for seeds on the irround. The principal part of their food, however, consists of small berries and their seeds ; tlie latter they crack with their powerful bills for the sake of the kernels. In spring the males sine delightfully, their notes beint? both nowerful and mellow ; for this reason they are frequently kept as cage-birds, and even exported to F.urope. Tlie nest, ii.sually built in Seotem- Iver in Cape Colonv. is a small nnd neat cup-shaped .structure, and is nearly always placed in a low bnsh, rarelv more than 4ft. above the ground. It h con- structed outwardly of drv grass-stems and the smaller staaks of plants, and is lined with finer grass and cot- tony down. The ecss. generally four in number, are either white or white faintiv tinged with blue; about one-half of them are unsputted ; the remaining h>lf Tiave a few deep black .spots, or one or two zig-zag mark- ings towards the larger end. They are usually some- what elongated, and tapering towards the smaller ex- tremity. They average 0.85 by 0.60. " Incubation lasts lor tourteen days, and the young remain in the nest for from three to four weeks. During this periiMl they ar<' fed en insectii and on the contents of the crofxs of the parent birds." Thougli common in some parts of South Africa, this bird is rare in the bird-market, and not cheap. Mr. Abrahams sent me a male in November, 1899*, and I turned it into a tlight-cage with a hen Canary ; it seemed pleased to have even so much liberty after being confined in a small cage, and whistler tail-coverts olivaceous yel'ow; wing and tail feathers dark brown with pale margins ; eyebrow-stripe and cheeks white ; below mou.se- brown ; throat, centre of abdomen, and under tail-coverls white; under wing-coverts partly tipped with white; beak horn-brown, paler at base of lower mandible; feet flesh-brownish ; irides brown. Ftmale rather smaller and duller. Habitat, Cape Colony. In Stark and Sclater's "Birds of South Aft-ica," Vol. I., pp. 175, 176, are the folio iving note.s on the habits of the species: — " Tiiis large and soberly coloured Seed- eater is very common to the north of Cape To^vn, especially towards Saldanha Bay, a locality in which Layard noticed its abundance in his time. Here it inhabit* the bneh-overgrown sand-dunes close to the lieach, and foed.s on the seeds of several of the more common weeut the beginning of September they proceed to build their nests, open cupsliaped structures, in the bushes, freiiuently in a " milk-bu.<;h " about four feet above the ground. These are rather loosely constructed of thin, pliable twigs and diy gi:ass-stems, and are invariably lined with the white downy blossf>ms of a common weed. Towards the end of the month the females lay three or four- eggs of a very faint bluish white, sometimes plain, more often spa.ringly marked at the large end with one or two spots or haJT-like streaks of deep purplish- black. They average 0.80 by 0.60. "Both the male and female sit very closely on their eggs, and defend their nest valiantly against aggressors. On almcst every occasion on which I have inspected a nest of this bird I have liad my fingers pecked for my pains, and with their powerful" bills they can inflict a severe bite. On one occasion I saw a" pair of these Finches attack a large snake with great coura?e and success. "The young are fed on insects and macerated seeds from the crops of the old birds. They remain in the nest for a little more than a month." About 1895 my old colleague Dr. Sharpe gave me an ex;miple of this species which he ha.d owned for some little time, but which I believe on one occasion had escaped from its cage and injured its skull by flying against the ivindow; it never sang a note and I mar"- velled that Dr. Rnss should sjjeak of it as a lovely singer, but after its death on April 24th, 1896. I dis- covered that it was a han. I think it probable tliat it is, as Stark says, a very melodious song.ster, but it is certainly no beauty ; it has the beak and general colour- ing of a I>ondon hen .Sparrow with just a touch of the Greenfinch on its rump and upper tail-coverts. Grky Singing-fi.vch (Serlnux leucopi/ifius). Above ashy-broATO -.vith darker brown centres to the feathers, the head greyer than the back; feathers of lower back blackish-brown with greyish tip^ : rump white; lesser wmg-eoverts pale hrownish-ash; remainder of wing and tail-feathers dark brnuTi with pale margins ; throat a.shy whitish ; breast pale brownish-ash slightly mottled with dusky ; bre;i6t and abdomen white slightly stained with bulKsh, washed at the sides with ashy and streaked with dusky; beak pale fleshy horn-colour; feet flesh-coloured ; irides brown. Habitat, Noi-th-lvastem anearly white, sometimes with a few small black spots at the larger end. The .strength of voice in this sweet singer and its energj- have often astonished me; though no larger than a Zebra Finch it will sit upon a branch and sing away almost iricessintly hour after hour, pouring forth a melody not unlike that of the St. Helena Seed-eater, but, at the same time, more varied and better sustained. It is a gentle, nen'ous little bird, and, though it looks delicate, is tolerably hanly ; it will readily build a neat and compact little open nest on the floor of a German C.anai-y cage in an indoor aviaiy, and lay four or five little pure wliite eggs; provided that the hen does not succumb to egg-binding, to which I have found it liable, the Grey Singing-finch will rear its young on the same diet as a Canarj-. The flight is extremely graceful and pretty, remind- ing one somewhat of that of a white butterfly. To see it to perfection two or three cock birds should be kept tugether In a large aviary, for, although they will figlit and sing alternately from morning to night, all the fighting takes place on the wing, and, beyond the loss of a few small feathers, very little liarm is done. There is no malice in it, for directly after a (»mbat the biixls may be seen feeding side by side at the same hopper. Before and after a fight the birds will often sit on different branches singing against one another. The music is exceedingly rapid and melodious, without one unplea.«ant note ; indeed there is no other Finch, whether British or foreign, which I have heaixi, that can compete with this tiny songster ; Mr. Teschemaker however says that the allied Yellow-rumped Serin sur- passes it. YELLOW-RUjrPED OR AnGOL.\ SeRIN" (Serinus an/jolensis). Closely resembles the preceding species excepting that it has the rump yellow inetead of white, the forehead brownish white, a slightly bromier tint above and faint washes of yellow on the primaries and axillaries. The female has" not been differentiated in scientific works. 108 FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. Habitat, Orange Uiver to the Zambesi aaid Congo dis- tricts and Uganda. Major .S. K. Clarke (The Ihix, 1904, p. 525) s(ab«« that the h;i.bits (rf tiiis S|>ecies art* similar to those of S. marshalli (the St. Helena Seed eater in it.s slightly modified form) ; he describes the iris ats " dark brown ; the beak and legs horn-coloTired," but in Layard's " Birds of S. Africa " the feel are described as " flesh-coloured " ; they probably resemble those of the Grey Singing finch and are fleshy-horn in tint, or pure flesh-coloured in fully aduilt birds. In Tlie Ibis for 1906, p. 353, . Mr. A. H. Evans mentions ,S. (iiujuhiuiis among the birds observed by him on the Mag-aliesberg Range, ;uid he says: — "We liiid admirable opportunities of studying the habits and listening to the not^^ of the species observed, and only regretted that our time wa.-i so limited." Unfortunately he has not, apparently, published the result of his study fond atti?ntion to bird-notes, >o we must fain fall back upon the experiences of aviculturists. In 1907 Mr. W. E. Te.ucheniaker bred the Yellow- rumped Serin from birds imported from the Transvaal the previous year. He has published an account of his experiences in The Avicultural Magazine, N.s., Vol. V., pp. 198-200. He tells us that " the three eggs in one clutch were of a light blue ground colour and absolutely unspotted. The other clutch had a warmer ground colour, one egg being freely spotted with small brown spots, the .second having one or two brown spots, and the third no .spots at all." Birds liatchetsillus). General colouring above blackish-brown ; every feather more or less broadly bordered with yellow: the median and greater wing-coverts tipped with ashy whitish, and the dista,! extremities of the secondaries edged and fringed with the .-ame ; upper tail-covirts black with broad ashy-white borders; tail-feather.s blackish, faintly washed at base with yellow and edged with whitish ; crown of head blackish witli the fore- head orang<-re Finches, but I find no not« of the fact in Shelley's " Birds of Africa," Vol. III. ; therefore it would seem that they must have been separated since 1902. Messrs. Stark and Sriater thus describe the habits of the Alario Finch: — "These pretty little Finches are of gentle and confiding habits, and wlien feeding allow a verj- close approach without showing any s.ymptonis of alarm. They are fond of perching on low bushes, but The Aijvato Finch. obtain the greater part of their food, consisting of grass and other small seeds, from the giound, where they often intermingle with the flocks of Waxbills and other small Weaver Finches. The males frequently utter their low but sweet song from the top of a bush, chiefly in the spring, but, according to Dr. Rus,s, it is, in caged birds, continued the whole year.* He describes it as being soft, flute-like, but low-pitched. In Great Namaqua Land Andersson found the Mountain Canary always in the neighbourhood of water. Rickard remarks: — "1 fancy this is the species much prized by the lads in Port Elizabeth, who called it the ' Namaqua ' ; it only appears at long intervals, but in considerable numbei-s when it does occur ; it sings we!l and becomes very tame. " In confinement this speoiee breeds both with the Cape .and the Common Canary. In a wild state it builds a small and neatly-constructed cup-shaped nest in a low bush of dry grass and small stalks, lined with fine grass and the down of plants. The eggs, three to five in number, are p:ile bluish-green, spotted at the large end with several shades of reud'sh brown. They average 0.68 by 0.50. The youn^ are hatched in eleven days, * The various notes respecting the writings of Riiss in " The Birds of South Africrt " are taken from my *• Foreign Finches in Captivity."— .\. G. B. and remain in the nest for about three weeks. They are fed on partly-digested food from the crops of the old binds for some time after they leave the nest. Two broods are reared in tho season, the fir.st laying being iu Novembei-, the second in January." N'ot only is the natural song of this species especially sweet, but its imit.:itive facu'ty is considerable; my two males having picked up the song of the Canary and the I..innet respectively. In addition to its merits as a vocalist, the Alario Finch is a long liver and very hardy. I certainly lost my first T)air rather soon, the cock having, broken his skull by flying about recklessly in the dark, whilst the hen caught cold and died in about eighteen months. Hut a second cock bird, purchased when the first was yet living, was in my possession over eight years; and a third whicii was given to me also lived a good many years. Mules produced from an Alario cock bird with a hen Canary nearly resemble they- South African parent, the colouring of whose pluma^ie reminds one of a Three-coloured Mannikin in the arrangement of its colours. The name Mountain Canary adopted by Messrs. Stark and Sclater lis a translation of the Boer name (Berg- Canarie). We next come to the ROSE-FINCHES and their allies, which lead n:iturally to the true Bullfinches. St'ARLET Itu.sK-FlNCH (Cnrporiacus eri/t/iriniis). The prevailing colour of this beautiful bird in summer is crimson, most brilliant on the head, hinder parts of back and rump, throat, and breast; the feathers of the upper back and mantle and the wing-coverts with dusky centres ; the remaining wing-fsathers and tail- feathers dark brown with more or less rose-tinted mar- gins ; the abdomen is bright rose, fading to luiffish white on the under tail-coverts : beak and feet fleshy horn- brown ; irides hazel. Female generally brown, "darkest on tho crown, nape, wings, tail, throat, and breast ; feathers of the head with dark centres; back and rumu sli.ghtly olivaceous ; tips of wiing-coverts, margins of innermost secondaries and of throat and breast-feathers, with remainder of under surface paler. Habitat. Northern Europe and Siberia to Kamtschatka, wintering to the south, particularly in India and Burma. Acci- dental in Western Europe. Two examples of this species have been captured in England, but it is quite possible that they may have been escaped cage-birds. Jerdon ("Birds of India," Vol. II., p. 399) says: — " It visits the pla-ns during October, and leaves in A.oril. In March many are taken in fine breeding livery. In the extreme south I have chiefly seen it in bamboo jungle, feeding on the seeds of bamboo on several occa- sions, and so much is this its habit that the Telugu name signifies ' Baml)oo Sparrow.' In other parts of the country it frequents alike groves, gardens, and jungles, feeding on various seeds and grain ; also not nnfrequently on flower buds and young leaves. .Adains states that iii Cashmere it feeds much on the seeds of a cultivated vetch. Now and then it is seen in large flocks, but in general it associates in small parties. It breeds iu Northern Asia. It is frequently caught and cased, and has rather a pleasing song. Blyth says: 'The 7'»/i has a feeble twittering song, but soft and pleasing, being intermediate to that of the Go'dfinch. and that of the small Redpoll Linnet; the call-note resembling that of a C'anarv-bird.' " Seebohm says ("Hist. British Birds," Vol. II., p. 48) : "The food of this \>iYd consists of sjeds of various kinds, grain, and the buds of trees. In spring it eats insects, and in autumn, ben-ies and other fruit. " The rest of the Scarlet Rcse-Finch is built in the 110 FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. fork of a small bush, or amongst climbing plants not far from the ground. It bears little resemblance to the nest of a Finch, and might eatdly l«e mistaken for that of a Warbler. It is compo.^d of dry grass-stalks, and lined with horse-hair. It is rather deep, and very neatly and carefully made, although it is so slender as to he semi-transparent when held up to the light. The inside diameter is two inches and a. quarter. Five is the usual number of eggs, but sometimes only four are laid, and occasionally as many as si.\. They vary in length from .9 to .73, and in breadth from .63 to .55. The ground colour is greenish blue, not >o pale as that of the eggs of the Bullfinch ; the spots are also fewer, smaller, and blacker than in typical eggs of the latter spe<'ies. They are smaller than the eggs of the Bull- finch, and are not likely to be mistaken for the eggs of any other bird." My sister, the late Dr. Fanny Butler, brought me a fine male of this species from India, and I found it most confiding and gentle, but not especially attractive after its first moult in captivity as the whole of its rose- colouring was then replaced by dull yellow. I paired it to a hen Canary, but it was evidently not strone, as it never sang, and in the following winter it died. I Taney the most suitable seeds for the Rose-finches in captivity should be millet, canary, rice in the husk, and oats (and possibly sunflower-seed) ; also green food and small green caterpillars or blight. Sepoy Finch {Carpodacus sipani). Brilliant scarlet; wings and tail dark brown more or less margined with scarlet ; thighs deep brown ; under tail-coverts with black bases to the feathers ; beak yellow; feet flesh-brown, irides brown. Female, dark brown, the feathers with olive-yellow margins; rump liright yellow ; below pale olive-yellow, with dusky centres to feathers ; the throat somewliat ashy ; lower abdomen and under tail-covert-s ■white; tliighs dusky; flights duskv with ashy inner margins. Habitat, Central and Eastern Himalayas. Jerdon says of this species (" Bi.ds of India." Vol. TI. , p. 395) : — " It is by no means rare about Darjeeling, and haunts elevations from 5.000 to 10. COO feet, accord- ing to the sea.son. I have generally seen it in pairs. Tt frequents both forest and bushy-ground, feeds on fruits and seeds of various kinds, and has a loud whist- linff note." The above is all the information I have been able to discover respecting the wild life. The Zoological Societv of London .secaired a specimen of this Finch in .June, 1902. and I believe it has on one or two occasions l>een exhibited at shows. The fact that these Eose-finche'-- lose their beauty in captivity Tather militates against their frequent importation. Purple Rose-Finch {Carpodarvn purpvreux). Above vinous ; upper back and lesser wing-coverts with blackish centres ; lower l)ack and rump bright rose-red ; upper tail-coverts somewhat ashy ; wing dark- brnwn. the feathers mostly more or less marErined with rosy; the greater coverts and secondaries whitish at or near the tips; tail-fe;ithors similar to primaries; crown and nape bright crimson, paler at sides, faintly indi- cating an eyebrow streak ; lores and orbital feathers ashy; sides of face otherwise, throat and breast, crimson ; breast paler Iiecoming whit^- on the abdomen. Tint ro.sy on sides ; flanks also rosy with an ashy tinge an<' dark brown streaks; thighs greyish brown; under tail-coverts, under wing-coverts, and axillaries white washed with rose ; flights du.sky with ashy inner ■margins. Female above brown with darker streaks more or less edged with whitish ; wing-feathers mostly dark brown with paler margins; tail feathers dark brown with whitish margins; lores whitish; a narrow white eyebrow streak ; car-cxjverts with pale centre; cheek.'! and under-surface white spotted with brown, more streak-like on sides and flanks; under wing-coverts huffish white ; flights dusky with whitish inner edges. Habitat. "Eastern North America from the Atlantic coast to the plains, breeding from the Middle States northward" (Sharpe). J. G. Cooper (Geol. Surv. Calif., "Ornithology," Vol. I., p. 155) &.iys that the nest of "('. purpureus of the Eastern States is built in a low tree, composed of coari-e gra.-s, lined 'with root fibres, and the eggs, five in number, are of a ratlier pale green, with scattered dots and streaks of dark brown or dull purple. " Tlie song of this bird (the race C. californicus) is quite loud and varied, often resembling that of different birds, such as Vircos and Dendroicas, for which I have mistaken it. This would doubtless succeed as well in a cage as the other species, but I have not seen any in captivity, though the Eastern species is often sold in cages by the name of Linnets. Their fo-xl consists of all such seeds and berries as they can obtain, besides buds of trees in times of scarcity." An example of this Finch was sent to me in July, 1896, by Mr. James H. Fleming, of Ontario, in company witli some Pine Grosbeaks, by wliich large birds it had l>een so maltreated on the voyage, that it did not long survive its .reparation from them. Ril<^5 speaks of it as being irnported singly by Reiche and Mi.ss Hagenbeck, and being an admirable songs^ter and pleasing cage- bird, but he says that, unhappily, it has not hitherto been bred. Blood-st.mned Finch [Carpodacus mejiraiiiif). Above ashy brown ; the ccjitres of feathers of mantle, upper back, and upper tail-coverts duskj' ; forehead and a streak above ear-coverts, lower back and rump crim- son ; wing-feathers dark brown with sandy bufBsh margins ; t;iil-feathers dark brown with ■nliitr-brown margins; front of face, clieeks and throat crim.*on ; sides of neck ashy-brown ; imder surface of bndj' ashy streaked with dark brown, abdomen paler; sides and flanks sandy bufi streaked M'ith dusk\ ; under wing- coverts and axillaries buffish with a tinge of reddish ; flights belon- dusky with the inner margins ashy. Female browner, the margins of the wing and tail- feathers paje brown; no crimson in the plumage; the crown with dark mottling; sides of face ashv-whitith ; ear-coverts dark brown; under smface of body whiter than in tlie male, the abdonifn unifonn whiti.sb with the .sides and flanks Streaked like the brea.st; under tail- covei'ts fulvous with dusky centres ; imder winij-coverts and axillaries sandy buff; flights as in male. Habitat, Mexico (Shai-pe). As Professor Ridgway regards the species described by Cooper ,xs C. frontalis {" Orn. Cal. 1870," p. 156) as in part referable to this bird. I will quote what is there utated resjv^ting the habits of the Californi.in birtl : — " This lively and musical little bird abounds in nearly all the southern portions of Ciilifornia, and, according to NoHberry, throughout the valleys northward up to Oregon. It is everywhere the s|)ecies must peculiar to the valleys, while the other two frequent the forest-clad mountains. " I have found this species on the barren rocky hills near tlie Colorado, and in plains near the coast, where there is nn pKint higher than tlie wild mustard, nn tbe seeds of which it feeds. It fi-eqmnts grove-; also, and open forests on the summit of the co.ist ranges in BUILLFINCH AND GROSBEAK. Ill small numbers, in company with C. californicun, and at times feeds an buds of tre«s, and seeds of tlie cotton- ■wood and other plants. "It is principally abundant abpj».Ty on the crown, slightly olive-tinted on the back and more golden on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; hardly a trace of the mottling and tri.mgulai- marking of the cock bird ; imder ]xirt.s of a piilcr and less bluish ash-colour. Habitat, Northern Europe and America. A few examples of the Old World type of this species hiive been obtained in the Briti.sh Islands, but it js more than likely that they were all escap.d or liberated birds, since the firs-t moult m captivity replaces all the charming rosy-vinaceous colouring of the cock by a dull brassy butiish yellow. The following I quote from on article, illustrated by a beautiful ooloiu-ed plate of both sexes, which I publish-'! in the AviniUiiral Mayazine, 1st ser.. Vol. III., 1896, pp, 1.5: — "The nest of tha Pine Grosbeak is usually placed on a thick branch of spruce-fir, or birch, close to the main stem and at a distance of from ten to twelve feet from the ground ; it is somewhat like a large edition of that of the Bullfinch, the outer framework consisting of slender twigs of fir and the inside of fine grass bents, roots, and hair-lichen. The eggs number from three to four, of a pale turquoise blue colour, with deep pui-plish-brown oir blackish spots, and greyer brown shell-spots ; they vary much in the same manner as '.ggs of the Bullfinch. " During the winter months this ppecies is gregarious in its liabits. and is so t.ame that it is easily caught or shot, but in the summer the flle Finch, under tlie care of Mr. J. B. Wil- liams (Curator of the Montreal Natural History Society). I received this kind present on July 23rd ; all the biivls reaching me alive, though very dirty and a gcmd deal the wr rse for quarrelling during their fortnight of close con- finement. " I turned the Pine Grosbeaks out into my g.arden aviarj-.* giving them a seed-mi.xture. consisting of sun- flower, hemp. oats, canary and millet. I found that they ate these seeds in the order given above, beginning with tU« sunflower; they did' not seem to care about the * I only had one at that time, fund it vtkB much smaller than it now is. 112 lOREION BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. m'Uet. During the first two or three days they washed almost incessantly, so that whenever I looked at them I was sure to see one or two bediaggled-looking, seated ii.dividuals. ■ By the end of the first week my birds were clean, though ragged, and five of them aprpeared to be in excellent health. Seeini; them eating worms which nad ciawled from below their water-pan. I dug some up and offeivd tliem ; they sreaied miicli j)leased and quarrelled for them. I also fi.und that they were very glad to get caterpilbrs and spi<'ers. '■ Shortly afterwards, Mr. Williams called lipon me, and seemed gratified to find the Grosbeaks well and ccr.tented. In the course of conversation, he unfor- tunately told me tliat, in Canada, the favourite food of tl e Piiie Grosbeak con.sisted nf berries of the mountain ash. Next morning, I put a bunch of these berries into the avian,', and two of the birds immediately flew down aiid devoured them. By the evening both birds were staggering about as if frightfully drunk ; ivhen they Hew towards a perch they missed it and fell heavily to the ground. If I entered' the aviary they seemed scared almost out of their witis, although naturally they are th^ tamest and most gentle birds I ever had, utterly devoid of fear; now they dashed wildly and blindly against the wires, fell to the ground, staggered up and flew ofi' again madly; they had constant diarrhcea, were unable to see their seeanguino~ Irntiix, but is more ashy and has none of the tawny tinge on the lower back and rump which is seen on the last-named tp«ci6s ; the sides of the body and flanks are also brown, streaked with blackish brown, more coarsely than in U. saiu/uinolmfiii'. Total length 5.5 inches, culmen 0.35, wing 2.55, tail 2.65, tarsus 0.65. {Mtis. Pnrix)." — Sharpe. Habitat, China. The preceding description was made by Dr. Sharpe from the type specimens in the Paris Musemn, there being at the time no examples in the British M\iseum collection ; but it is just these rare birds that are some- times dropped upon in nunrbers by t-rappers, so that they become familiar objects in aviaries Iiefore they are even represented in many collections of skins; the Yellow-runiped Finch {Miinia Hari /iri/mnn) is an instance of this. Dr. Hartert evidently regards T^ragus lejyidux as a subspecies of f'. sihirinif. but I have not come across any notes on the wild life of either. A specimen reached the London Zoological Gardens in 1903. This concludes the typical Finches. I shall next pro- ceed to descrilje the imported species of Buntings. CHAPTER X. BUNTINGS {Emberizijun). In captivity the .species of thnbrriza should be fed in the same manner as the Chaffinches. The Grey-hkadkd Bunting (Emherha furala). General colour above deep red-brown streak*^! with black, excepting oir the nunp, which is uniform ; head and neck slate-grey ; upper tail-coverts pale brown centred with blackish ; wings and tail dark brown with bro,ad fawn cx>loureartly white on inner web; lores, eyelid, and a narrow ill and from the yellow throat; remainder of IxKly below white, tlie sides streaked with rust-reddish, more broadly on the flanks, which are streaked in the centre with black; flights below dusky, ashy whitish along inner web ; beak black ; feet flesh-coloured ; irides brown. Female smaller and much duller; the ashy colouring on hind-neck or lower back replaced by chestnut, streaked and bordered like the upper back ; crown also chestnut with black bases to the feathers ; ear-coverts darker; yellow encircling stripe on head, cheeks and throat less distinct, more orange in tint, and duller ; body below dull white, with ill-defined black gorget. Habitat, "possibly a resident in Japan, but to llanchuria and the valley of the Amoor it is only a summer visitor, vontering in China." (Seebohm.) Mr. F. W. Styan on "The Birds of the Lower Yangtse Basin " {The Ihis, 1891, p. 355) _ says, " Not tmcommon in vrinter on hillsides, frequenting barnboo- clumps and the rough brambly scrub around farm- clearings. A sweet songster. Breeds at Ichang on the Upper Yangtse." Seebohm {The Ibis, 1892, p. 94) says, "Mr. Hoist describes the irides as brown, the bill as dusky grey shading into greyish yellow towards the base of the under mandible, and the feet as reddish yellow." Surely this would be the winter colouring? Mr. F. W. Styan on "Birds from West China" {The Ibis, 1899, p. 297) observes that this species was " found by Pere David at Moupin. Seems to be a common breeder in Sechuen." Captain H. A. Walton {The Ibis, 1903, p. 28) says, "A few examples of this species were brought to me by a bird-oatcher aA the end of May. I did not see it wild myself." Mr. J. D. D. La Touche in his " Field-Notes on the Birds of Chinkiang" {The Ibis, 1906, p. 635) only tells us that this is "a common winter bird. It leaves" about the beginning of April." So, although this species is resident in Japan, breeds at Ichang, and is a common breeder in Sechuen, I have been unable to discover any published account of the nidification. Dr. Russ includes this species in his book, because it IS said to l)o a favourite cage-bird with the Japs on account of its song, and therefore he concludes that it will soon reach the European market; if, as I believe, the Yellow-browed Bunting (from Japan) in the Zoological Society's list is this species, it has appeared in our gardens more than once. QoLDEN-BRE.iSTED BirNTiNG {Embcriza Aavivenfris). Above nape, upper back, and scapulars chestnut-red ; lower back, rump, and upper tail coverts ash-grey; the last-mentioned edged with white; lesser wing- 114 FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. coverts also ash-grey; middle coverts white, black at base ; greater coverts black edged with grey and tippcn found it rather common (The Ibis. 1901, p. 546). Capt. H. A. Walton says (The Ibis, 1903, p. 28) that it arrived at Pekin " about the middle of May. It has a single loud call-note." Lieut. -Col. Bingham obtained it in the southern Shan States at from 1,000 to 6,000 ft. eleva- tion (The Ibis, 1903, p. 600). Mr. J. D. D. La Touche (The Ibis, 1906, p. 636), writing on the birds of Chin- kiang. observes that it passes in May and October. "On Ma.v 5, 1901, I saw great numbers on the hills." Russ says that the habits and nidification are similar to those of E. pilyornis. It reached the London Zoo- logical Gardens in 1873' and 1891. Masked Bunting (Emberiza personata). Above generally rusty red-brown with black streaks ; the feathers of~the mantle with paler somewhat ashv markings : lower back and rump olive brown with indi- cations of dusk.v centres to the feathers ; meiiian and greater coverts dusky, slightlv reddish, edged with pale olive-brown and tipped with white ; remainder of wing dusky brown, the feathers with pale edges ; upper tail- coverts and centre tail-feathers pale brown edged with buff, remainder blackish, similarly edged ; the outer- most feather with a large white patch and with base of outer web white ; penultimate feather with a smaller white patrh ; head, nape and sides of neck dull grey- green ; middle of head with fine blackish shaft-streaks ; ill defined eyebrow and broad moustachial stripes 116 FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. yellow ; face black, as also a row of spots separating tbe moustachial streak from the throat, and a s|X)t on the chin ; throat sulphur yellow linelv streaked with dusky ; remainder of body below clear vellow, yellowish- brown with dusky shaft streaks at the sides; beaJc brownish-grey, lower mandible reddish at base ; feet reddish-brown ; irides brown. Female browner and less str«aked, with less white on the tail ; head and neck less green, the sides of crown somewhat reddish ; lores and a well-detined eyebrow-striiJe dull yellow ; ear-coverts brown with yellow shaft-lines ; under parts yellow, throat and chest with an olive wash and triangular dusky spots ; breas-t and abdomen brighter ; browner and streaked with black on flanks. Habitat, Japan and China. Seebohni (The. IhU, 1895, p. 50) describes a maJe killed in the Ix)o-01inultimate feather white-edged and with a large white patch near end of inner web; outermost feather mostly white : a broad white eyebrow- stripe from base of beak to nape, a second broad white stripe below the eye ; sides of head otherwise black ; sides of neck blue-grey, whitish behind the ear-coverts; throat whiU> ; rtmainder of iKxly below more or less cinnamon; a black collar at baik of throat: breast, flanks and under tail-coverts paler than throat, and abdomen huffish ; under wing-coverts and axillaries white; flights below dusky, asliy along inner web; beak blni.'vh iiorn-cxdour ; feet brownish flesh-colour ; irides dark hazel. Female jwler and browner above with broader streaks on mantle and back ; crown aehy in centre ; ear-coverts chestnut instead of black ; cheek- stripe duller bla<-k ; under parts paler, the throat whitish. Habitat. J.ipan. According to SeeWhm this is the commonest of the Japar^ese Buntings. Jouy (Proc. ITnited States Nat. Mus., 1883, p. 298) states that it breeds in great abundajioe on Fujiyama, makiivg a nest on or near the ground of dried grass and leave*, lined with fine rooU»»ts. Seebohm (" Birds of the Japanese Empire," p. 132) says: — "Eggs in the Pryer collection closely resemble those of Emhtriza cia and those of Emberiza cioides, being scrawled all over the larger end with fine hair-like streaks." This bird was purcha.sed for the Ijondon Zoological Gardens in 1891, and doubtless must have been ira- )K>rted occasionally in consignments of Japanese birds ; but Ruse does little more than indicate the species in his big work. White-cbowned or Pine Bu.nting (Emberiza leurocephala). " Top of the head white in the male, greyish in the female ; upjier parts i-ufescent brown, with central dark brown ."rtreaks, nearly wanting on the back of the neck ; rump and upper tail-coverts cinnamon rufous, edged with l)ale brownish; wings and tail dusky bi^own, edged yel- lowish, and the two outer tail-feathers with a patch of white on the inner web, largest on the outer feathers ; btmeath the chin, tliroat, and a moustachial line are dark rufous, with pale edgings, and there is a triangular patch of white on the middle of the throat ; ear-coverts pale brown ; breast and sides of abdomen riifou i, with pale edgings, and the middle of abdomen, of vent, and the lower tail-coverts white, with a few streaks. Length 6in. to 6iin." — Jerdon. Habitat, Siberia, extending eastward to the N.W. Himalayas in winter ; occurs at Peking, and is accidental in Europe and Japan.* Severtzow says {The Ibis, 1883, p. 60) : " A specimen of the Pine-Bunting was obtained out of a small flock in the Kysil-art gorge, which had lost its way, in October." ""Pine-Bunting" is the name by which this species is known on the Continent, and Seebohm also uses it (The Ibis, 1889, p. 295). This Buinting has hybridised with E. citrinella (cf. Mem. Aoad. Imp. Scl., St. Petersb., ser. 7, XXXV., p. 5). One would think the hybrids must closely re- semble E. citrinella mohasoni [cf. The Ibis, 1901, PI. X.): Mr. H. L. Popham, in the article on "The Birds of the Yenisei River, which accomjianics this plate, observes of E. leurorephala: — "On this visit I was successful in procuring specimens of the Pine-Bunt- ing at Yeniseisk, and in finding one nest, which was ■well concealed under dead grass in the midst of a thick clump of small bushes ; it was composed of dry grass, lined with hor.se-hair. and contained four eggs on the point of hatching. The song is similar to that of E. citrinella." Capt. H. A. Walton saye {The Ibis, 1903, p. 28) in a pa|)er on " 'Hie Birds of Peking : — " I saw a few small flocks of the Pine-Bunting, and shot some specimens, during very severe weather, at the end of February." The habits of this Bunting are said closely to re- .^mble tho.so of the Yellowhammer ; the nest is fovmd at the edge of a-wood or thicket, always in an open spot, on the earth, in a little depression under a shrub, the trunk of a tree, on fallen branches, or under a piece of bark ; externally it is usually formed of coarse dead weeds, and internally is neatly lined witli fine prass and horsehair. Four to six eggs are laid towards the end of May, which clo.^ely resemble those of the Yellowhammer. but are sometimes more variegated. While the female incubates, the male sits near by on a dry bramh. and sings in a similar manner, but perhaps a trifle mure har,shly than the above-mentioned species. The female goes to nest a second time about the middle of June. The autumn migration in East Siberia takes pl.ace in Septemtier and October. The above facts were recorded many years ago by Dybowski, but at greater length. According to Russ, this is a familiar cage bird to * rf. Stejncger on Japimese Birds (Proc. U.S. Nftt. Mus. XIT., p. 489). BUNTINGS. 117 many Continental dealers trading in Siberian and Rus- sian birds. He gives a detailed account of a .s[)ecimen owned by Count viin Tschu.si, of \'ioiina, hIio states that its song had nothing Bunting-like about it, but much inoro nearly resembled that of a (ioldfincli or Robin ! As the songs of the two last-mentioned birds are about as much alike as those of the Chalfincli and Blackbird, I should prefer to credit the statements of travellers who have met with the species in it« wild state. The species of FringiUarin may be treated in cap- tivity in the same manner as the more typical Buntings of the genui Emberiza. Rock Bunting [Fringillaria lahapisi). Above red-brown or cinnamon reddish, with black centres to the feathers, more pronounced on mantle and •with ashy-grey tips. Habitat, Cape Colony, north- ward to Nyasaland and the Victoria Nyanza into Eiiiia- torial Africa, and on the West Coast to BengUela and Gaboon. Messrs. Stark and Sclater ("Birds of South .Africa," Vol. 1., p. 190) record Mr. Stark's observations on the habits as follows: — "I liave generally met with this Bunting on broken hillsides strewn with rooks and partly overgrown with low bushes. Like F. capenKis, it is of tame and familiar habits, and is fond of utter- ing its broken song from the summit of a, stone or low bueh, while at interval it opens and shut.s its wings. Itfi notes resemble these of the Cape Bunting to a cer- tain degree, but are at the same time easily distin- guished by the ear, although the difference is not readily pointed out in words. It feeds on small .sewer back ajid rump showing veiy little and the lesser w"ing-covert.s no blackish centres ; the prevalent colour therefore is of a. sandy or cinnamon hue; thj cro^^'n is veiy distinctly streaked; tlie sides of tlie head arc vei-y similar in colouring to those of F. tahapiai, but the white stripes are a little more ashy; tluxKit ashy white, becoming greyer on fore-ne:;k iiiid chest with broad black Ixisas to the featlurs; breast, thighs, and midcr tail-coverts sandy buff; flights below brown, with bread cinnamon inner borders ; upjK'r mandible brown, lower yellow; feet horn yellow; iridji hazel. Habitat, N.E. Africa eastward over Soutlieni Asia from Pak-stine to India. Von Heuglin, speaking of this species as observed by him in Nubia, tells us tluit he found it frequenting stony desert country interspersed with bushes and gra.ss. " They were shy, and preferred hiding amongst stones to taking wing; they had the moderate Bunting-liko note, not loud but lively." (Cf. Shelley, " Biids of Africa," Vol. III., p. 162.) Hume (" Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds," 2nd ed.. Vol. II., pp. 170-173) givci a vciy full account of the nidification of the species, from which I quote the following: — "The Striolated Bunting is a permanent resident of, and breeds in, all the baie stony hills of Rajpootana and Northern and Western Punjab. It is found, but rarely, in the hills dividing Sindh and Kln?lat, and veiy likely bicods there also. "I myself have only taktn the eggs near Ajmere, on the sloi)es of the Arav.alli ; and I can add nothing to my accjunt of their nidifitat.ion ^vTitten on the ."^pot, which has been already published and which I reproduce here : -^ " The breeding-season appears to be November and December. The natives f-ay that they also lay early in July, at the commencement of the rains; but as to that I can say nothing. The very first birds that 1 shot on the 2nd November, the day after I arrived here, proved on dissection to be breeding ; and out of the oviduct of a female shot en the 3rd I tcok a nearly perfect, though colomless, egg. For several days wi> hunted without success, finding many nests that I believed to belong to this species, and seeing everywhere females about, straws in mouth, but meeting witli no eggs. At last, on the 12th November, I myself accidentally stimiblod upon two nests. I was walking slowly and (if it umst be confessed) footsore and some- what despondent amongst the loose blocks and rocky shingles of the southern flanks of the Taragurh Hill, when a female suddenly sprang up and darted off from within two inches of my foot. I looked down, and there, on the slo|)inir hillside, half-overhung by .a, modeiate- si?elock of grevish quartz, was a little nest from which the bird had risen, and which I had been within an ace of stepping on. Clo^e at hand were two or three >-mall tufts of vellow withered grass, but these were several inches distant from the nest. This latter (which, laid on the hillside, was some 3 or 4 inches thick on the valley side and b:irely three-fourths of an inch, towards the hill) was composed at the base and everjTvliore exter- nally of small thorny acacia twigs and very coarse roots of grass. This, however, was a mere foundation and casing, on and in which the true nest was constructerdered with cinnarnDii ; head, nape, throat, and upper breast blue-grey stripeling thc>se little birds, for they are so extremely confiding and unsuspicious, a.nd I abstained from securing more specimers than were necessary for my oolkction. I was glad to find that the Ara^bs of Gafsa aird elsewhere do not trap this species, as they do so many others, ,and they pixjbably look upon the bird with feelings of respect, although not consider- ing it absolutely sacred. In some parts of Tunisia this species, indeed, gs by the name of the Maral>out. " In the towns and villages where it occurs the House- Bunting seems to be absolutely devoid of fear, and will enter the open door\vay of a house with the utmost self- assiu-ance and pick up any crumbs of bread or other BUNTINGS. 119 -scraps of food tliat are to be found om tlie floor. Tho birdvs I mot with in the open oounti^, howcvor, were inurli wilder; in fact they seenied to Iw decidedly shy and suspicious. This specios feed.s on insects u.nd seeds of various kinds, but, like our ciminion lloufe-Spairow, it subsists to a gi-eat oxt<"ni ujion anj- .scr.ijw which it n.xiy piik up in and iibout houses. The fonp of the male bin'l is low. .sufl ;ind (Hittfring, ;is a rule, Imt .it limtw poured forth brightly ajul coii amiifc, aiul although not very varied it is distinjctly jjleasing. 1 used often to stop and listen to one of these little songsters as it sit j)erched on top of a nrud wall, within a few feet of me, singing and preening its feathers alternately, its mate probably l«"ing on her ne..>it close by. The call notes of the male bird may he faiily rendered by the syllables 'zwcet, zweel-a-twee,' to which the female replies ' zeeiril.' " The nesting season of this species, as a rale, com- mences about the end of March and i.'? continued throughout the months of April and May, but in ieome vears, after a. fine, drj' winter, it begins e:irlier. Uiiring tiio fir-st fortnight of .April I liave found numeroiLs ne.sts at Gaf.>^, >omc with eggs and others with young birds in them, .and ... I have met witli fully-grown young birds on the wing, in the mountains n6;u- tlie (Hied Seldja, even before the middle of April. The nest, which is generally placed in a hole or crevice in 3, wall, ib small and verj' shallow, being composed of fine fibres and dry grasses, lightly lined with horse and goat hair, and occasionally with a litt.le wool. In tlio (!afsa mwqne, above alluded to, I found several nc-->ts plnced in sm.all indentures in the c;ipitols of the calunms of tlie building. The eggs are usually three or four in number, and resemble diminutive examples of those of the House- Sparrow, being of a pale bluish-white colour, speckled witli grey and brown, the spots often forming a zone .at the larger eiiecies vary a good deal in shape, but typically are rather broad ovals, somewhat obtuse at the small end; specimeps, however, often occur very pointed at this end. The ground-colour is a pale greenish-white in some, and pinkish or brownish white in others; and they are thickly speckled and spotted, and in some more or les^ freckled and mottled, with red, purple, and reddish Or purplish brown, the mark- ings of any one egg being usually unicolorous. They are always most dense atlthe large end, where in the majority of eggs they foriji a more or less conspicuous but ill-defined and irregularly mottled cap ; they have little or no gloss. The markings entirely want the bold jagged line character so characteristic of the eggs of many Buntings. In some eggs the markings are so closely set as to leave scarcely any of the ground-colour visible, and to give the whole egg a reddish-brown or dingy brown mottled appearance, while in a few the small end of the egg is almost entirely devoid of mark- ings. "In length these eggs vary from 0.68 to 0.86, and in breadth from 0.5 to 0.76 ; but the average of twenty-two eggs is 0.79 by 0.63 nearly." Russ says : — " In the year 1876 Mr. Gaetano Alpi, of Triest, sent me a male, and this mu.st surely have been the firs-t importation of the .species with us, though certiuinly a pair had already reached the Zoological Gardens in London in 1873. After I had laboured in vain to acquire a female, I pas.sed the above-mentioned male over to Councillor von Schlechtendal, whose mag- nificent collection included a considerable number of rare and interesting species in single .specimens. The above-named informed me later respecting the bird as follows: — 'When the Bunting came into my hands I placed it in a very roomy cage which had previously only been occupied by a pair of Sun birds. The latter delightful birds seemed t/> be much excited over their new companion but abstaaned from any hostility, and the timorous Bunting never dreamt of attempting any- thing of the kind on his side. Tlie Sun-birds received the usual soft food as well as some poppy seed, and occa- sionally some mealworms. In addition 1 gave him a mixture of rice-flour and crushed egg-bread in a some- what moistened condition. I prefer the latter food to moistened white bread, and give it dn addition, to seeds to all my small Pa.sserine birds. On the Bunting's behalf I added to these different kinds of food several varieties of millet, as well as rice and canary seeds ; he,, however, scorned the latter seeds, and confined himself almost exclusively to the white millet and soft food; he also ate with great gusto the mealworms which were offered to him. The somewhat delicate bird recovered, quickly, and also passe*! through his moult ra}«dly and successfully, so that he soon exhibited himself in his complete characteristic beauty. The graceful crest is depres.sed when the bird is resting or eating, but erected as soon as he begins to move about.' " I do not think I need quote the remainder of his observations, which are not exactly instructive or of general interest. L.\RK Bunting (CAondestcs grammica). Above pale ashy-brown, feathers of the mantle, upper back ana scapulars with black centres; upper tail- coverts with faint indications of dusky streaks ; lesser wing-coverts blackish, edged with ashy-brown ; mcdiaiu coverts blackish, tipped with white, the inner ones rufescent ; greater coverts blackish edged with browre alid tipped with white; flights blackish brown, with paler margins, those of the secondaries rufescent ; primaries with a pale cinnamon mark at base of outer web ; centre tail-feathers browTi with paler edges ; re- maining feather.s black increasingly tipped with white, the outermost feather being also white along the outer web; crown with a broad whitish central streak passing into ashy-brown on the nape and hounded on each side by a chestnut band %vhich is streaked with black at the sides of the crown ; lores, a broad eyebrow-stripe and centre of eyelid whitish; a black streak from base of beak through the eye to ear- coverts; the latter chest- nut ; a narrow white stripe below- the eye and another encircling the ear-coverts and passing into the white cheeks ; a black interrupted streak from below cheeks bounding the sides of throat; under surface whit*: a few black spot-s on fore-neck; sides, flanks, ,^nd thighs pale ashy-brown, under wing-coverts and axillaries the same ; those near edge of wing with bl.ackiish bases ; flights below dusky with a.shy inner edges ; beak horn- brown, bluish below; feet fleshy whitish; irides brown. The .sexes are said to be aldke, but so far as I can judge, the wings and tail are shorter in the female. Habitat, United States from the eastern edge of the prairies to the Pacific Statea, and southwards to Mexico and Guatemala. J. (}. Cooper (" Orn. Calif.," p. 193) observes : — " They reach the Columbia River east of the Cascade Mountains early on May, and breed in this state from nsar San Diego northward in the .sheltered valleys, and at Santa Barbara. I have not found their nests in this State, but have met with many of them fix)m Mis.souri w-est through Kan.sas and Nebra.ska, in May and June. They build on the ground, constructing their nests chiefly of grass; the eggs are white, with scattered hair lines ,and spots of brown near the large end, if I remember rightly." According to Ridgwa.v. this specnes inhabits sparsely wooded districts. Russ ob.serves : — " It is extremely rarely imported, yet this will occur more abundantly presently, as it is reckoned as one of the most widely distributed and abundant sriecies of North America. If it ever is abundantly imported it will be from Central, not Njrth -America." SONG-SPARKOWS. 121 White-shouldered Lark Bunting* (Calamcspiia hicolor). Above and below sooty black ; a broad band including the outermost row of lessor, and the median win^-covcrts white; outer margins of fli.^hts anil teil-feathers also white; beak pale bine, upper nuuidible dusky along ridge; feet reddish-brown. Female above brown with darKcr streaks ; ends of greiiter wing-eoverts broadly fulvous-white ; centre of crown more ashy ; outer tail- feathers with an increasing white spot on inner web ; below white sparsely spotted and streaked with black on the breast and sides; region round eye, a faint streak above it, and a crescent at back of ear -coverts, whitish ; centre of throat almost unspotted, but a mottled black streak at the sides separating it from the crescentic whitish streak. Habitat, interior plains of North America. J. G. Cooper (" Orn. CaJif.," p. 226) says :—" This interesting .species spends its time on the ground, a.s.««- ciating in large flocks, and, according to Nutt^ll, is one of the s"weetest songsters of the prairie. The nest is buiilt among the gras.^, and the eggs are of a beautiful blue, sometimes with a few red spot*;," The name ('. birnhir being very characteristic of the male, and having been generally used from 1837 to 1885, I see little use in aJtering it. Three e.\amples of this Bunting were acquired by the Ixjndon Zoological Gardens in 1901. We next come to the group of Buntings to which the nopular name of " Song Sparrow " has been applied (much to the di.igust of our American friends ; and ,yet if SpizcUa may be called " Chipping Sparrow," why may not Zonotrirhia be called "Song Sparrow '">. Our friends want us to use their jxvpular names. t Although not gorgeous in colouring, or even remark- able for their vocal acquirements, the Song-Sparrows are very pretty, easily tamed, and interesting from the fact that they scratch in the seed-pan after the manner of fowls. White-throated Song-Sp arrow (Zonotric/tia alhicflUis). Above chestnut streaked with black on neck and mantle, the latter with paler spots at end of outer webs ; lower back and rump ashy-brown ; iipper tail-coverts reddish-brown edged with ashy; lesser wing-coverts dull chestnut with ashy margins ; median and greater coverts blackish with reddish-brown edges and whitu tips, the innermost feathers chestnut with black centres ; flights .and tail-feathers dark brown with pale margins, the secondaries and central tail-feathers wdth chestnut borders ; crown with a central longitudinal white streak, bounded on each side by a broad black strioe ; a broad white eyebrow stripe, yellow above the lores, which are ashy, as also are the feathers below the eye and the ear-coverts ; the latter with white shaft lines, separated by a black line from the cheeks ; this line widens above the hinder ear-coverts, where there is a small whiti.sh spot ; cheeks and throat white : remainder of under parts grey fading into white on the abdomen ; sides of hreast streaked with chestnut, lower flanks brown with Indications of bl,-ickish streaks; thighs somewhat olivaceous; under tail-coverts buffi.sh, streaked with lirown and partly white-tipped ; axillaries and under wing-coverts whitish stained with greenish-yellow ; • Ridpway calls this species " Lark-Buntinp ," and ChondeRtfS he calls " Lark-Sparrow." but there can be no doubt that both are Buntings: he rejects the specific name bicolor as not of Liniijcus, ather paler and fringed with whitish towards the tip ; crown with a broad longitudinal central white streak, bounded on each side by a broad stripe of black meeting across the forehead; abro.ad white eyebrowstripe running to the nape, bounded below by a, narro^v black stripe running above the lores and from behind the eye to the nape; cheeks, ear-coverts and sides of neck ashy-grey; under surface ashy-grey, the chin and centre of abdomen whitish ; flanks brownish ; under tail-ooverts pale cinnamon huffish; thighs dusky at back; axillaries and under wing-coverts pale ashy with brownish txases; flights below dusky with ashy inner edges; beak reddish- orange, tipped brown ; feet pale brown ; irides reddish- broivn. Female "ui^^aJly with the median crown-stripe rather narrower and greyer, the occipital portion, and also the supra-auricular stripe, distinctly grey" (Ridgway). Habitat, North America, especially eastern, .and rather northerly ; west to the Rocky Mountains ; north to Greenland; south to Cape St. Lucas; winters in Mexico (Sharpe). J. G. Cooper (" Omith. Calif.." p. 197) says:— "This very close ally of Z. Gambelii is well known in the Eastern United States as a Southern migrant; in the spring bree,Mcal Gardens. In 1904 Mr. Seth-Smith was able to borrow a male of Z. leurophry.<. which he paired up with a femaio Z. pilenta; the birds went to nest in May and reared one young bird, -ii-ent to iiost again in June and reared thiee While in their nestling plmnage the young were not much to look at, but in their aJuU plumage were rather pleasing. Grey-headed Soxg-Sp.\hhovv (Zonotrichia caiiicapilla). AWe bro\ra ; the miontle, upper back and scapuhirs broadly streaked with black ; lower back and rump more ashy and without streaks; lesser wingccverts ash-grey; medjan and greater corerts black, rufescent extenially white tipped ; flights blackish, primaries edged with Aihitish. secondaries withches-tnut ; upper tail-coverts and tad-feathers blackish- brown, the margins more ashy; outer tail-feathers with whitish fringes ; head ash-grey, the forehead and eyebrow-stripe whiter; lores, feathers below eye, and ear-coverts blackii^h, the latter washed witli ashy and streaked with whitish, black along upper margin to sides of neck; the latter and collar at back of neck cheHnut. as well as the sides of the breast; a large white patch behind enr-coverts ; cheeks and throat white, the foi-mer and the chin dusky at base of feathers; a black iratch at back of throat; breast ashy; abdomen and under tail-c-overts yellowish-white; sides of breast and flanks more or less red-brown ; 'tbigh.s ashr with whitish tips to feathers; under wing-coverts whitish, du.sky at base ; axillaries pale yellowish brown ; flights dusky with ashy margins to the inner webs ; beak black or biown'sh flesh-coloured; feet light grey or brownish fleish-cnloured ; irides pale amber.* The female has not been differentiated, but is probably sliirhtlv duller. Habitat, Patagonia. " " Dr. E. Lounbcrg. in an acooumt of " Birds from N.W Argentina and the Boli\nan Chaco " {The 7fri.--. 1903, p. 451), .says of this species :—" Iris yellowish brown! Very common at Moreno, feeding on seeiains that the IMoroiio ^ecimens "ore to a certain extent intemtediafe between Z. pilrala and Z. cnnirapilla, having the coloration of the former and especially the black bands on the sides of the crr.wn ; but they are much larger than Z. pileala almost attaining the siz* of Z. rainrapiUa and I there- fore refer them to that .species." T should have thooight size Kss import,ant than colour ,and pattern. ^,9^ *'^^''''''' ^- '•""icapilla Mr. M. J. Nicoll says {The Ih,.':, 1904, p. 42):— "This Finch is ver^• common at Punta Arenas, where I found it among" tlie barbeiry bushes. Its call-rofce resembled that of our Yellow- hammer. On j;une 25th, 1897 (as recorded in Th« AviruUural Maoaz,,,,. Ui .ser.. Vol. III., ji. 197), a sjiecimen of this rare Patagonian bird was brought to me by Captain • r noted this crflour in the livin? bird.— A. G. B. Mr. M. .T Wicoi] speaks of them as "dark brown"; perhaps they vary Carvosso, on board of whose ship it flew when a hundred miles south of Cape Horn ; he brought it to me to dis- cover what it was and whence it came. I recognised it at orce as a near relative of Z. pileala, but differing in its unstriped crown and pale amber irides. Captain Carvosso kindly gave me the bird in order that I might have an opjKirtunity to study it in cap- tivity, but on condition that as soon as it died it should be given to the museum authorities. Although in good plumage, the bird seemed dull and listless, having evidently been fed upon unnatural food since its capture. I took it homa and turned it into a spacious flight-cage ; here it flew heavily, swallowed a little giiit and a few canary-seeds, but seemed very dull and stupid. The introduction of a few mealworms and cockroaches partly aroused it, .so that it erected its crest and hopped after one of the latter, but it evidently felt too ill to exert itself, and presently returned heavily to its iperch. In the morning it was dead, and I ha^ to take it back to town with me ; it was disappointing. Chingolo Song-Sp.\rro\v {Zonotrichia pileala). The male bird has the upper part of the head and nape and the cheeks ash-grey, boldly and longitudinally striped with black; superciliary area slightly whiter than the rest of the ground colour, sides and back of neck liver-reddish, back and wings ruddy brown, with bold black shaft-slripes to the feathers, lower back and tail smoky brown, the tail-feathers With paler borders, lesser wing-coverts ash-grey, darker towaids the base of the feathers, median and greater coverts dark brown, with paler margins anj white tips, under parts greyish- white, washed with brownish on the breast and abdo- men, and with brown on the flanks ; beak greyish brown, the lower mandible paler, feet dull flesh-brown, iris dark brown. The female is slightly larger than the male, but very similar in plumage. Habitat, Central America from Mexico to Panama, and throughout South America to South Brazil, Bolivia, and Child. Mr. Hudson says of this species (" Argent. Ornith.," Vol. I., pp. 58, 59) : — "The common, familiar, favourite Sparrow over a large portion of the South American continent is the Chingolo. Darwin says that " it prefers inhabited places, but has not attained the air of domes- tication of the Englisli Sparrow, which bird in habits and general anpearance it resembles." As it breeds in the fields on the ground, it can never be equally familiar with man. but in appearance it is like a refined copy of the burly English Sparrow — more delicately tinted, the throat being chestnut instead of black ; the head .smaller and better proportioned, and with the added distinction of a crest, which it lowers and elevates at aH angles to express the various feelings affecting its busy little mind. " On the treeless desert pamoas the Chingolo is rarely seen, but wherever man builds a house and plants a tree there it comes to keep him company, while in cultivated and thickly settled districts it is exces- sively abundant, and about Buenos Ayres it literally swarms on the holds and plantations. They are not, strictly .speaking, gregarious, but where food attracts them, "or the shelter of a hedge on a cold windy day, thousands are frequently .seen congregated in one place ; when disturbed, however, these accidental flocks imme- diately break up, the birds scattering abroad dn dif- ferent directions. " The Chingolo is a very constant singer, his song beginning with the dawn of day in spring and continuing until evening ; it is very short, beini composed of a chipping prelude and four long notes, three uttered in a clear thin voice, the last a trill. This song is repeated at brief intervals as the bird sits motionless, perched BUNTINGS. 123 on the disc of a Uiistle-flower, the summit of a stalk, or other elevation ; and where tlie Chingolos are very abundant the whole air on a bright spring iiiorninj; is alive with their delicate melody ; only one must pause and listen before he is aware of it, otlierwise it will escape him, owing to its thin ethereal cliaracter, the multitiuliiious notes not iringling, but floating away, as it wore, dctacluil and scattered, mere gossamer webs of sound that vci-y faintly impress the sen.«e. They also sin,? frequently at night, and in that dark silent time their little melody sounds strangely sweet and expres- sive. The Fong varies greatly in different districts; thus in Baliia 151an<:a it is without the long trill at the end, and in other localities I have found it vary in other ways. " The Chingolos pair about the end of September, and at that time their battles are frequent, as they are very jjugnarious. The nest is made under a thistle or tuft of grass, in a depression in the sf)il, so that the top of the nest is on a level with the surface of the ground. The nest is mostly made and lined with horsehair, the e;gs four or five, pale blue, and thickly spotted with dull lemon. Sometimes, tliough very rarely, a nest is found in a bush or a stump several feet above the ground. Two broods are reared in the season, the first in October, the second in Fel>ruary or March. I have known these birds to breed hi April and May, and these very lato nests escane the infliction of pai'asitical eggs. When the nest is approached or taken the Chingolos •utter no sound, but sit in dumb ,T,nxiet.y, with tail ex- panded and drooping wings." The song, describcid as a " delicate melody," is as follows : — " Tewhitti eeo, eeo ; chee." I have heard it dozens of times , and never knew it to vary. From what Dr. Russ says, he appears never to have pos.stssed tl;^s bird ; he, moreover, concludes his account of it thus: — "It has not yet besn bred, since hitherto nobody has taken the trouble to make experiments with this jil.uii-looking fiparrovr." It is ftrange that the quiet h"auty of this charming little bird should not have appealed to the great German breeder; it is far more artistically beautiful really than the gaudy Xonoareil. Apart from all questions of plumage, the scientific inte- rest; of breeding a dull-coloured bird is certainly quite as great as that of breeding tlie most brilliantly tinted species. Lastl.y, the term " Sparrow " as applied to this species is a misnomer, since the habits of the bird, as described by Mr. Hudson, more nearly resemble those of the Reed Bunting ; moreover, it is an undoubted Bunting. In 1907 ilr. W. E. Teschemaker bred this species in one of his aviaries, and has written an interesting account of his experience in The Arictdtvj-al Magazine for November of that year. The nests were built well away fi-om the earth. The ground-colour of the eggs laid by two hens was white or cream-coloured, not blue, but we know that in very many species which gencrallv lay pale blue eggs the cream-coloured form frequently occurs. (See my notes on the egjs laid by the Green Singing Finch as one instance.) Mr. Teschemaker very kindly cent me two of the young birds, which arrived on October 30th. The lovely members of the genus Ci/ann.ipi'za were always procurable nrcvious to about the year 1904 at the rate of alx)ut eight or nine shillings apiece. Now that no more are allowed to be shipped from the Unite:! States the only chance for the dealers is to obtain them from Central .Vmerici and the West Indies ; there- fore it is possible that these biixls may be considerably dearer. Like the species of Zonotrichia, they do well upon millet and canaJy, in addition to in.*ect focd. Nonpareil Buntino (Cyanospha ciris). The cock bird, which is a little smaller than a Chaffinch, but of a similar foim and somewhat the same arrangement of colours, has the upper part of the head, cheeks, and shoulders of an almost ultramarine blue, the baok golden green, shading into orange on the rump ; the Lail-coverts yellow, shading into golden green; the tail feathers duller green; the wing feathers greyish bronze; the lesser coverts being wholly bronze, whilst all the other wir.g feathers have the outer web ■Tolden green ; chin, throat, breast, belly, and imder tail-coverts bright vermilion red, which changes in confinement (excepting in a sunny outdoor aviary) to golden vellow, the fknks slightly tinged with green; beak and legs d;irk grey, eyelids crim.son ; ins of eye hnzel. The hen and young differ from the adult cock bird in having no blue on the head, the plate of this colour l)t;ng occupied by green; the other jjaats are yellow in.stead of vermilion ; all the tints are also slightly duller. Habitat, Southern States of North America, Cuba, the Bahainas, Cozumel, and neighbour- ing islands, and Central America to Panama. In its native land its favourite haunts are small thickets, whore the cock may be heard singing from th(/ highest branches of some shrub or bush ; the hen usually places her nest in orange hedges or the lower branches of trees, blackberries, or brambles, and when sitting becomes so tame that, it is stated, she can even be lilted fro.Ti the nest; the latter is formed of extremely dry grass, felted together with the silk of caterpillars, hair, and fine rootlets ; the eggs are pearly white, with blotches and dots of purplish and reddish brown. The Nonpareil, being somewhat combative, is usually trapped by means of a stuffed specimen set up on a platform o"f a trap-cage. In an aviary it should not be associated with its relative the Indigo Bunting, or it will occupy much of its leisure in chasing and disputing with this bird, to its no small annoyance. One of the chief chirms of the Nonnareil is the surprising readi- ness with which it learns to recognise its keeper and to take mealworms, flies, and other insects from his fingers ; the hen I find less tame and not so hardy as the cock. I have had a fair number of examples of this species, including two genuine hens, but have never known them to nest in captivity, although I feel cerUin that the male which I possessed in 1898-9, from his excitement and abnormal pugnacity, would have bred readily if confined in an aviary with a hen of his own soecies, and no disturbing elements; he paired with a Bramblmg, and she began to build, but laid no eggs. Tlie Non- pareil should always have insect-food of some kind in addition to seed ; ants' cocoons will answer the purpose. In The Ai'iculfural Magazine. 1st ser., Vol. V., p. 165, the Rev. C. D. Fan-ar published an account of his success in breeding the Nonpareil Bunting in cap- tivity. According to him, the eggs laid by his hen were sea-green, heavily blotihed at the large end with sienna-brown ; but it must not therefore be concluded that this is the normal colouring, and that recorded by Ameiican observers, who have taken many nests, is not the more frequent tyTe 5 eggs of most birds vary consi- derably. Indigo BrNTiN-o {Cijanospiza cyanea). The cock when in colour is bright cobalt blue tinged with ultramarine on the head, throat and middle of breast ; on the other parts there are traces of emerald green the chin partly black, the feathers of the wing browii, slightly bluish on their outer edges. The hen is brown above, tinged with blue on the shoulders, edges of larger feathers, and rump ; below whitish, 124 FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. indistinctly streaked with dull buff. The cock when out of colour, or when immature, is very like the hen, the beak is brownisli-black, bluish beneath, iris of eye brown, legs dark brown. The Indigo Bunting comes from the Eastern United States, whence its range extends southwards to Guate- mala, Panama, etc. This species breeds in gardens, orchards, or on the outskirts of woods, building its nest in bushes ; in the autumn, however it is said to frequent the open country in flocks, its favourite places for singing from are the top of a tree or chimney. The nest is constructed of coarse grasses and sedges, and is thickly lined with hair, the eggs are bluish or greenish ■white, sometimes gparingly spotted with red-brown at the larger end. This bird is of about the size of a Linnet, being 5 in. in length, and, as it is tolerably peaceable, it may safely be associated with these or any birds of about the same size ; indeed I do not believe it would injure even the smallest Waybills. I have at various times had several so-called " Indigo Finches," and have found them not only a great ornament to an aviary, but rather bright singers during the summer months ; the song is always the same, two rapid notes followed by three long-drawn ones and followed by a number of short notes; the commencement, which is also frequently sung after dark, may be expressed as " chichi, chee, chee, ch£e," the last note being more sustained than the others, and the short notes which follow being such as a Canary might produce. It used to b« asserted by the late Dr. Greene and others that it wa.s utterly impossible to produce hybrids between the Indigo Bunting and the Canary, it being supposed that Buntings and other largely insectivorous Finches did not feed their young from the crop ; this of course was a mistake. Some years ago Mr. W. E. D. Scott, then of Pl'incetown University. U.S.A., told me that he had bred hybrids between this species and the common Canary, and that they were green birds ; this confirmed the late Mr. Wiener's statement in Cassell's " Oage^birds," that " where young cross-breeds resulted, their colours were disappointing." I was not successful in obtaining the cross myself, but there is not any reason, beyond the excitable and restless nature of the Indigo Bunting, whv it should not be as readily obtainable as a Greenfinch-Canary hybrid. In each case birds of different sub-families are paired. The best chance for a successful result would be to turn, a male Indigo Finch and a female Canary into a spacious garden aviary planted with shrubs, and put no other birds with them. In a large flight cage the Indigo Bunting will not let the Canary alone for ten minutes from mom to night, and when she builds he pulls her nest over the eggs, so that they stand no chance of incubation. In 1896 I turned out this Bunting with a hen Canary into an outdoor aviary, but here (as previously in a flight-cage) the Bunting pulled out her nest as fast as she built it; eventually I turned in a cock Canary with them and ehe immediately deserted her foreign husband and reared two pure Canaries. Previous ]>airin,r with the Bunting did not affect the young birds, ilr. Farrar bred the Indigo Bunting in 1900. I>AZOLi Bunting (Cyanoapiza amana). Above blue with a greenish tinge, the mantle, upper back and lesser-coverts considerably darker ; median coverts white ; greater coverts very dark, blue on the edges and tipped with white ; remainder of wing and tail-feathers blackish, with blue outer margins ; upper tail-coverts rather duller blue than lower back and rump, the latter In-ing bright cobalt blue ; crown of head also bright blue ; loral region black, remainder of sides of head, throat and sides of breast bright blue; upper breast pale brownish chestnut, separated from the blue throat by an ill-defined white crescent; rest of umler surface white ; beak black, bluish below ; feet black, irides brown. Female above dull brown, greyer behind ; le.sscr coverts and margins of flights and tail- feather.s dull bluish; crown .somewhat bluish, the base of forehead, lores and eyelid whitish ; ear-coverts pale brown ; remainder of sides of head, throat, breast, sides, and flanks pale huffish ; remainder of body below whitish ; fligiits below dusky, ashy along inner web. Habitat, High Central Plains of X. America to the Pacific, ranging into Mexico. J. G. Cooper (" Ornith. Calif.," Vol. I., p. 234) says :— " During the summer there is scarcely a thicket or grove in the more open portions of the State^ uninhabited by one or more pairs of this beautifid species. The male is not very timid, and frequently sings his lively notes from the top of some bush or tree, continuing musical throughout summer, and in all weathers. The song is unvaried, and rather monotonous, closely resembling that of the Eastern C. cyanea. " Their nest is built in a bush not more than three o? four feet above the gjxmnd, formed of 'ibrous roots, strips of bark and grass, with a lining of plant-down or hairs, and securely bound to the surrounding branches. The eggs are four or five, white, faintly tinged with blue. At Santa Barbara I found them freshly laid on May 6th. " These birds are never very gregarious, though the males arrive in the spring in considerable flocks, travel- ling at night, and several days before tlie females. The latter are at all times very shy, and so plain in plumage that they are very difficult to obtain, unless on the nest. " They arrived at Santa Cruz in 1866 about April 12th, ten days earlier than observed at San Diego in 1852. A nest found May 7th, in a low bush close by the public road, and about three feet from the ground, was built very strongly, supported by a triple fork of the branch composed of grass blades firmly interwoven, the inside lined with much horsehair and cobwebs. The outside measured three inches in height, three and three-fourths in width ; inside it was two wide, one and three-fourths deep. The three eggs, partly hatched, were pale bluish- white, and measured 0.75 by 0.56 inch." Formerlv this was a common cage-bird in the Western States of \. America ; but as Dr. Ru.ss tells us. it was extremely rarely imported into Europe, and probably there will be less likelihood of our meeting with it in the trade now than formerly. Varied Nonpareil (C yanospiza versicolor). General colour above dull purplish red, tbe ."scapulars bluer; a narrow frontal line and the lores black; fore- head and front of crown, region above ear -coverts, back of nape, rump and upper tail-coverts pale lilacine or mauve-bluish ; the cheeks, ear-coverts and lesser wing- coverts deeper lilacine blue ; lower evelid and l>ack of upper eyelid, back of crown and upper part of nape .scarlet; median wing-coverts purpli.sh red, black at ba.se ; greater coverts blackish with purplish red edges and tips; remaining wing and tail feathers blackish, edged externally with dull blue ; the inner secondaries suffused with purplish red ; chin black ; throat and breast purplish maroon, the throat often redder; remainder of under surface deep purplish lavender, greyer on the fl.anks ; wings below dusky with dull greyish and purplish edges ; tail-feathers blackish with dull blue edge.s ; beak blackish above paler below (possibly greyish in life) ; feet black ; irides probably brown. Female alx)ve mouse-brown, greyer on rump and upper tail-coverts; middle and greater wine- coverts with paler edges and tips ; flights edged with SNOW-BIRDS. 125 bluish grey ; tail dusky, washed and edged with bluish ; under surface greyish-brown, the throat, abdomen and tips of under tail-coverts buffish white. Habiutt, " Te.xius ; Michigan rarely ; Lower California, breeding. Central Amenta : Mexico and Guatemala." — Shari)e. All that J. G. Cooper tells us (" Ornith. Calif.," Vol. I., p. 235), is : — "This l>oautiful bird is not rare at Cape St. Lucivs, where it breeds; the nest and eggs, and the habits of the bird itself, likewise, are probably much like those of C. amietia." Mr, IkH'be has given very little information about this species in his "Two Bird-lovers in Me.xico." He tells us, p. 350, that the male utters a rather sweet but simple .song, iuid at p. 394 (Appendix) : — " Connnon only along the edges of the barranca streams and on the Colima trail, in company with florks of Black-headiHl Cii'os- l>eaks." 1 do not know where more information can be obtained. I have looked through many volumes in vain. Dr. Ru.ss tells us that this "Western Nonpareil," "Varied Bunting," or whatever it is decided to call it, has clways been extremely rare in the European market. 1 can quite believe that, but there is always a chance that it nuiy come in some consigimient from Central America. American Snow-bird* (Junco hiemalis). "Head, neck, chest, upper breast, sides, flanks, and upper parts plain slate-colour, darker on head, where approaching slate-black on pileum, rather paler (ap- proaching slate-grey) on rump and sides ; lower brea.st, abdomen, anal region, and under tail-coverts white ; six middle tail-feathers .slate-blac-kish. edged with slate grej'ish ; two outenno.st tail-feathers white (the second sometimes du.sky at ba.se and e According to Gentry, this species appears in Pennsyl- vania in cold seasons as early as the middle of October, but usually in November. At first one notices it in meadows, fields, and the outskirts of woods, but with the fall of snow and increased cold it is driven by hunger to the vicinity of human habitations, when it l>ecomes confiding and even impudent and feeds on scraps in courtyards and gardens. In the autumn berries and seeds serve it for food ; in winter it eagerly devours the seeds of all kinds of weeds as well as the eggs and pup,!! of insects ; in the spring it feeds on the anthers and stalks of the flowers of various plants ; an examination of the crop revealed red ants, etc.. in addition to seeds and grit. The flight is low, nndulating, and fairly rapid. When feeding one usually sees it on the ground, and as a rule it does not perch high in a thicket, rarely at the tops of high trees. Though confiding and bold, it is frequently shy and • From their habits I should iudpre that the Snow-birds would benefit by a more Taried seed diet; I should offer thfm canary, millet. German rape, oats, and hemp. Insects should of course be given. nervous ; it lives in flocks, starts up with every unusual sound, but wheels round again to the same spot. The call-noU' is t.'