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PET BIRDS OF BENGAL
( SONG BIRDS )

Calcutta Oriental Series No. lo, E. 4

PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

Vol. I .. ^ M > I

BY

SATYA CHUKN LAW, M.A., B.L.

Fellow of the Zoological Society of London ;
Member of the British Ornithologists* Union

WITH A FOREWORD BY

Dr. GRAHAM RENSHAW, m.d., f.r.S.e.

Editor "Natureland*' ; Formerly Editor
"The Avicultural Magazine"

With Illustrations by N. Kushari.
CALCUTTA AND SIMLA

THACKER, SPINK & CO.

1923

Printed by Mr. Nalin Chandra Paul, b, a.
at the Calcutta Oriental Press, 107, Mechuabazar St,, Calcutta

■..i^— <^ S ^ >) ^ _ '\'.yy 'T

FOREWORD

One of the crying needs of aviculture
has been a pioneer, up-to-date and com-
prehensive volume on the wonderful bird-
fauna of India, written not merely for
the field naturalist but also for the lover
of pets, with a sympathetic insight into
the difficulties of a keeper of birds. The
present readable and reliable work suppli-
es this want.

Mr. Law needs no introduction to
the Zoological public. Himself a fine
naturalist and a keen observer, he has
the happy faculty of presenting to his
readers a vivid picture of the events that
he records from time to time in the
various natural history journals. As the
editor of the Naturelandy it has been
my privilege to be in special touch with
his ornithological studies. All the birds
dealt with in this volume have lived in

VI

Mr. Law's aviaries, and he has set forth
nothing that has not come under his
personal observation.

By a happy inspiration, the birds are
designated by their Indian names, their
English titles being given a subsidiary
place, thus rendering the work of local
as well as of general interest. Those of
us who are interested in Shamas and Dhya-
Is, in Bulbuls and Drongos, would, I am
sure, heartily welcome this work.

e I n/r 1 ^ Graham Renshaw,

Sale, Manchester

1923.

PREFACE

The conquest of Nature, that has been
-advancing apace with the spread of material
civilisation, has been putting difficulties in
the way of man's free communion with
Nature. The music that cheered him up
spontaneously in his rural or urban environ-
ments at a time when he did not assert
his independence of Nature, has now to be
enjoyed through special efforts for securing
and preserving it within reach. The truth
of this will be realised to some extent by
visits to a city like Calcutta or London
where the rattling of carriage-wheels and
the grunting of bus-horns make it diffi-
<3ult to even turn one's thought to a past
enjoyment of avine music amidst natural
scenery. Many of us feel this want caused
by the progress of our material civilisation
a,nd try to make up for it by periodical
'excursions into villages, marshes, jungles

via

and forests where Nature still has her
citadel unassailed or unaffected. Such
were the excursions made at times by
President Roosevelt who used to refresh
himself as also to satisfy his insatiable
curiosity about the avine community by
roaming about ill the prairies and jungles
of the United States or in the dense forests
©f far-off Africa ; it was also the prac-
tice of the distinguished British ex-minis-
ter Viscount Grey who, not content with
the stray song of a Robin at his window
or a Finch in his garden, ran away from
the cares of Whitehall into places where
birds sang in chorus or poured forth
floods of music in their unmolested natural
abodes. Many lovers of bird-music may
be of the habit which soothed the two
statesmen in their o^nawin^: cares, but
there are others who want to have the
remedy within easy reach. They will
have the pleasure of the distant hills and
dales as far as possible within the city
itself, in their own garden, or in the

IX

public grounds hard by. The pleasure m
derived of course through suggestion and
imitation on a small scale, like the
scenery reproduced on a stage to re-
present the actual scenery stretching for
miles. This offers scope for the application
of the highest human art and ingenuity j,
for there in the aviaries or on the open
e^round is to be made such a blendins; of
of Nature and Art that the latter may
hide its identity and be mistaken for the
former. This blendinsf of art and nature
is meant to delude not only the human
spectators visiting the place for pleasure,
but also its feathered inmates who must
feel there quite at home and take the
amenities of the artificial dales and wood-
lands to be the same as those in their former
rural or sylvan habitat. Flitting, roaming
or hopping from place to place or branch
to branch ; mating, nesting, and rearing,
their young ; chirruping, cooing, and carol-
linoj to their hearts' content • lovino; instead
of resenting the restraint on their freedom.

if they mind it at all, they would enjoy
their existence quite as much as the hu-
man visitors who take to these resorts
in their spare half-hours to watch the
habits and movements of their feathered
companions for delight and study. It is
here that the skill and experience of the
aviculturist become a necessity ; it is here
that the utility of ornithology as a branch
of human knowledge becomes patent. The
reproduction of conditions pleasant to the
birds, and suitable to their ways of living,
is possible only to a specialist who has
a deep and intimate knowledge of bird-
life. It is the application of this knowledge
that serves to keep alive the birds in the
artificial conditions of the aviary and enable
them to thrive there. It also supplies
the means by which the bounds of human
knowledge in regard to birds may be made
wider and wider ; for the aviaries are
the laboratories of the ornitholoorist and
it is through them that aviculture has
become a handmaid of ornithology. The

XI

study of bird-life in Nature is beset with
difficulties, and if we rely exclusively on
the jB.eld observations of the ornitholoorist,
we may have to wait long, and, in many
instances, in vain. The field observer can
not observe a particular bird the whole
year through, and has, therefore, to glean
facts in many cases from chance obser-
vations which may be misleading. The
aviculturist, on the other hand, gets an
opportunity of studying a bird for years
in a scientific way and, if he does so, he
can get at many truths regarding its nidi-
^^fication, courting, nesting etc., which are
of the greatest interest and importance not
only to a systematist for the purposes oi
classification, but also to a student of evolu-
tion. It is possible, therefore, through
aviculture, to have not merely immediate
pleasure and bits of knowledge of bird-life,
the utility of which is admitted even by
men with a practical turn of mind, but
also to pursue their highest ideals of ex-
tending knowledge for the sake of know-

xu

ledge, the immediate utility of which>-
though not so easily understood, is, never-
theless, very great on account of the fact
that it alone can create the conditions
throusch which discoveries of the hiojhest
importance become a possibility.

The practice of keeping birds in cap-
tivity dates in India from remote anti-
quity. The Vedic literature contains many
references to talking birds like Mynahs
and Parrots which were regarded as
common favourites at the time. Pigeons-
were regarded as household birds of good
omen. Accounts are available as to the
caging of parrots at the time of Alexander
the Great's invasion of India. This great
warrior took away from here a number
of ring-necked parrots which are known
to this day as Alexandrine Parrakeets.
^lian informs us that *'in India there
were many parrots which were held sacred
by the Brahmans because they could imi-
tate human speech, and which were there-
fore neither killed nor captured by the^

XUl

Indians.'* This statement is not wholly
correct, because the talking propensity of
the birds was discovered in captivity, and
there was no sentiment among the people
against the practice of caging them. The
keeping of birds in aviaries, instead of in
small cages, is noticed in the Mrichchha-
hatika^ a Sanskrit drama of about the
4th century A.D. The caging of talking
birds for the adornment of houses and for
pleasure was widely practised in ancient
India, but evidences are meagre as to the
caging of singing birds for the same pur-
poses. Bigger birds like Saruses (Cranes),
Peafowl, Raj-hans (Flamingoes) etc., were
also kept at large in lawns and gardens
in ancient India to heighten their beauty.
Bird-fights were liked by the Hindu
kings, while hawking was widely followed
as a pastime. There is a Sanskrit work
called Syainiha Sastra by one of the Hindu
princes, which gives a systematic study
of the subject, recording and describing
the habits and qualities of several species

XIV

of falcons, and the means by which they
were caught, tamed and trained. The an-
cient Hindus were keen observers of birds
and bird-life. It is my impression that
Sanskrit works on birds have mostly
been overtaken by the same fate that has
befallen works on other special subjects
of secular importance. The physical fea-
tures of many birds as also many of their
habits that escape the eye of ordinary
observers are delineated by the world-
renowned Sanskrit poet Kalidasa in his
works with a faithfulness which is really
admirable. Shortness of space prevents
me from dilating on the point, but de-
tailed information on it can be had from
a work of mine in Bengali called Pakhir
Katha. Suffice it to say that the evi-
dence at our disposal does not enable us
to have a full idea about the activities of
the ancient Hindu in regard to bird-
keeping; but there can be no doubt that
it was extensively practised, and birds
were kept in cages and open gardens not

XV

only as a source of pleasure and as a luxury
but also for diverse other purposes e.g.,.
carriage of message, prevention of dis-
eases by their presence (vide Kautiliya
Arthasastra ) etc.

The Muhammadan Emperors of India
were very fond of cage-birds. Some of
them were also fond of hawkins; and made
elaborate arrano-ements for housino; several
kinds of hawks. The Emperor Akbar
had several aviaries and bird-houses in
which he kept a very large number of birds
and pigeons. The first recorded attempt
at cross-hybridisation in India is probably
that of this monarch, who succeeded in
raising the Fantail variety, appreciated so
greatly by the Pigeon-fanciers of the present
day. The sportive or fighting capacities
of birds were greatly valued by the Muham-
madans. The common Grey Partridges
called Titar, Quails, Game Cocks and
Bulbuls are noted for such capacities. A
particular period of the year is still recog-
nised as the time for holding: such bird-

XVl

--contests for the satisfaction of the people
with a fancy for those spectacles.

Aviculture, as we understand it at
cipresent, is a very recent phase of bird-
•keeping. The term was first coined and
^■ased by the founders of the Avicultural
Society of London in the latter part of the
19th century. The object of the Society
as to encourao-e birds to live and thrive
in congenial conditions in captivity in
•order to study their habits and the bio-
logical or ornithological phenomena for
adding to the stock of our knowledge of
'bird-life. Foreign birds are to be exten-
sively imported and studied. Before the
■establishment of this Society, bird-keeping
in Europe followed a standard which was
^not exactly the present scientific one,
and was rightly designated 'fancy'. The
training of birds to imitate artificially
created trilling sounds resulted in the
nicely quavering song of the German Roller
Canaries. The fanciers were also bent on
anule-breeding and development and fixa-

XVll

tion of particular colour-marks in parts of
the body. Aviculture, on the other hand,
has for its province the scientific study
of birds as mentioned already. Most or-
nithologists in the past were ignorant of
the avicultural branch of their science, —
a state of things which the Avicultural
Society has helped a good deal to remove.
How far it has been successful in the reali-
sation of its objects may be gathered from
the fact that in 1900, it could assert its
claim so far as to have a special section
for aviculture in the International Congress
of Ornithology at Paris. The avicultural
study of Indian birds was first systematic-
ally taken up by those English scientists
who established a school of aviculturists
in England. The most prominent names
among them are those of Butler, Reginald
Phillips, Astley, Teschemaker, Meade-
Waldo, Seth-Smith, and Humphrys.

No comprehensive literature on Indian
cage-birds from the pen of modern or-
nithologists is available. Sporadic attempts

XVlll

at scientific caofino: and breedino^ of Indian
birds are on record. Modern vernacular
literature is utterly barren of books on
ornithology generally, not to speak of
a special branch of it regarding the cage-
birds.

The ideal and the methods of enquiry
of the European Aviculturists are almost
unknown to the Indians who, however,
appreciate the possibilities of many Indian
birds for growing into valuable cage pets
by virtue of their song, beauty and other
attractive features. Europeans have not
yet had ample opportunities for examining
them thoroughly but the conclusion that
would be reached by such an investigation
in regard to the song-birds, would not,
I think, be different from the opinion of
Douglas Dewar that "song-birds are nu-
merous in India... India possesses some
song-birds which can hold their own in
any company. If the shama, the magpie-
robin, the fan-tailed fly-catcher, the white-
eye, the purple sunbird, the orange-headed

XiX

ground thrush, and the bhimraj visited
England in the summer, they would soon
supplant in popular favour some of our
British song-birds."

As a laro^e number of Indian sonofs-
ters is found in Bengal, the present volume
is devoted to these song-birds, the sub-
sequent volumes being reserved for the
talkino:, fiofhtinof, and miscellaneous birds
kept for show etc. I have not, however,
confined myself wholly to the cage-habits
of these birds, and this volume should not
be regarded as a book exclusively on
aviculture. Several Indian cage-birds are
liked and caged by aviculturists in Europe,
who thus become acquainted with their
cage-life, but lack information about them
in their wild state. I have attempted to
deal in detail with this feature from direct
•field observation ; at the same time, I have
put in facts regarding cage-life supplemen-
ting my own experience by the results
of observations made by European avi-
culturists in their bird- rooms. All the

XX

birds touched in the volume are or were,
sometime or other, inmates of my aviaries ;
and I have said about them nothing which
did not come within my personal obser-
va.tion, or was not verified as correct.

In including the birds in this volume, I
have in view the limits of Bengal as they
stand at present. When the first edition
of Fauna (Birds) of British India appeared,
Bengal was a much bigger province than
it is now. It then included Bihar, Orissa
and Chota Nagpur within its boundaries
but those three divisions were sliced oft'
into a separate province in 1912. A map
of Bengal has been included in the volume,
showing the present and past limits to
enable the reader to understand the dis-
tribution of the birds treated of in the book.
There is, however, a host of cage-favourites
belonging to provinces other than Bengal,
They do not as a rule come within my
purview except in one or two cases in
which the bird is not unfrequently seen in
the fringe-areas of Bengal. The omission

XXI

of the king of songsters, the Nightingale,
in a volume on song-birds may need some
explanation, specially when it is so often
seen in Bengal as a caged pet. It is never
found in a wild state here. In fact, there
was, and perhaps still is, some doubt as to
its being an Indian bird ; but I find that
Mr. Stuart Baker has included it in his
Hand-list of Indian birds. Another cao-ed
pet, not treated of in this book, is the
Calandra Lark {Melanocori/pha maxima ),
known to Indians as the "Jal". It is
largely imported from China and is never
found in the plains of India. Though an
allied species of this Lark — Melanocorypha
himaculata — is a winter visitor to the
north-western parts of India, it is seldom
caught for the cage, people preferring the
Chinese bird. Among other birds not
noticed here are a few songsters like the
Fantail Fly-catcher ( Rliipidura alhifron-
tata) and the Purple Sun-bird {Arachne-
cJithra asiatica) which, though found
plentifully in Bengal, are unknown as pet

xxu

birds. They are very delicate and are
not likely to thrive on the regulation diet
provided by Indian bird-keepers.

1 have used freely in this volume the
vernacular names of the birds with the
object of familiarising the European
readers with the local nomenclature. As
regards the scientific names, 1 have follow-
ed Oates authoritative volume — the Fauna
of British India. The trinomial nomen-
clature which has been adopted in the
second edition of the Avi-fauna (now in
course of publication by Mr. Stuart
Baker) has necessitated some very im-
portant changes in classification. As the
published portion of the book reached me
after I had sent my manuscripts to the
press, I have no other alternative but to
add an appendix containing the names.
I have also appended some additional
aviary notes on several birds the habits
of which were observed during the period
the text was in the press.

Dr. Graham Kenshaw, m.d., f.r.s.e.,

XXlll

editor of the Natur eland, has laid me under
a deep obligation by contributing a fore-
word to this volume. I owe a deep debt
of gratitude to Professor Bipin Behari
Gupta, M.A., for his valuable suggestions,
and to my cousin Dr. Narendra Nath
Law, M.A., B.L., P.R.S., P.H.D., whose words
have always served as a stimulus to my
energy, and whose efforts have always
been directed to the prefection of the
results of my labours. Dr. Law has put
me under a fresh obligation by including
this volume in his Calcutta Oriental Series.
My thanks are due to Mr. Sudhindra
Lai Roy, m.a., for material assistance and
to Mr. N. Kushari for the artistic drawing
of the illustrations. I must also acknow-
ledge the help I have received from
Messrs. Nalin Chandra Paul and Raghu
Nath Sil while putting the manuscripts
through the press.

24, Sukeas Street, S. C. Law.

Calcutta,
Decembev^ 1923.

CONTENTS

Page

Foreword v

Preface vii

The Sham a i

The Dhayal ( Magpie-Robin) 19

The Piddah ( Common Pied Bush-chat) 35

Other Piddahs and their kindred 4^

Kher-Piddah ( Indian Bush-chat) 49

Kali Shama (Indian Robin) 5^

Husaini-Piddah ( Indian Blue-throat) ^7

Common Ruby-throat 73
The Gulab Chasm ( Yellow-eyed

Babbler) 77

The Harewa ( Gold-fronted Chloropsis) 92

The Fatik-jal (lora) no

The Bharat and its kindred (Lark) 127
The Dama (Orange-headed Ground

Thrush) 166
The Kastura (Ouzel and Whistling

Thrush) 187

The Bhimraj (Racket-tailed Drongo) 222

The Khanjan (Wagtail) 240

XXVI

Page

The Tuti (Scarlet Rose-Finch)

265

The Koel and its alHes

284

Appendix

323

Additional Aviary Notes

325

Glossary

341

Scientific Nomenclature

343

Index

349

MAP

"Bengal, past and present

Frontispiece

PLATES

Faci

ng- page

Shama, male and female

I

Shama

9

Dhayal, male and female

20

lora

119

Bush-Larks

129

Shama and nest

32s

Shama feeding youngl
Shama nestling J

330

ILLUSTRATIONS

Paoe

Magpie-Robiw 34

Pied Bush-chat 38

Pied Bush-chat feeding young 43

Indian Bush-chat 49

Indian Bush-chat 51

Brown-backed Indian Robin, male and female 56

XXVlll

Page

Brown-backed Indian Robin with insect

60

Indian Blue-throat

67

Indian Blue-throat and nest

69

Common Ruby-throat, male

73

Common Ruby-throat, female

75

Indian Yellow-eyed Babbler

80

Indian Yellow-eyed Babbler, feedir

ig

Z2

Indian Yellow-eyed Babbler, male and female

H

Gold-fronted Chloropsis, catching

spider

96

Gold-fronted Chloropsis, hanging

head

downwards

98

Orange-bellied Chloropsis

108

lora

112

lora, family party

116

Indian Sky-Lark (mock-combat)

135.

Indian Sky Lark

141

Bengal Bush-Lark

143

Singing Bush-Lark

144

Crested Lark

147

Bush-Lark and nest

150

Crested Lark

164

Orange-headed Ground Thrush

166

Orange-headed Ground Thrush, courting

180

Himalayan Whistling Thrush

193

Grey-winged Blackbird

208

Grey-winged Blackbird

2ia

XXIX

Page

Grey-winged Blackbird, female and nest 213

Racket-tailed Drongo in flight 229

Racket-tailed Drongo 236

Large Pied Wagtail on housetop 247

Large Pied Wagtail on ground 252

Hodgson's Rose-Finch 273

Koel 284

Hawk-Cuckoo 291

Indian Cuckoo 304

Pied Crested Cuckoo 305

PET BIRDS OF BENGAL
(SONG BIRDS)

PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

THE SHAMA

(CITTOCINCLA MACRURA)

The Shama, as a songster, is entitled to
the first place in the whole feathered com-
mnnity of India, and for the matter of that,
in Bengal. Eor a competitor to whom it
yields in song, we have to look to regions
which are, strictly speaking, outside India,
to that unassuming bird which, despite its
homely beauty, has been rendered immortal
by its- vocal chaims — the Nightingale.
Though the Shama is overstepped by this

2 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

prince of songsters by a long distance, yet
the sweetness of its song is highly remark-
able for its variety, depth, impetuousness,
and modulation, which have made it the
darling of both the high and the low throu-
ghout the length and breadth of India. This
bird was familiar to our ancestors in the long-
past. The name Shama signifies *glossy
dark' — a predominant colour of the bird.
The name has another fascination for the
Hindus, whose love and reverence for the
goddess of that name are so well-known.
The bird has yet another charm. It is very
docile in captivity, though so bold and fear-
less in demeanour. This, added to its
beauty and its wonderful capacity for imita-
ting human voices and calls of other birds
and animals, has greatly enhanced its value
as a caged pet. The attention which it can
thus command from its master is no less
remarkable. It is commonly kej)t in a
lovely cage of superior workmanship, always
wrapped up with a piece of clean linen,
and taken out every evening for an airing.

THE SHAMA 6

Those who can afford, engage servants
specially for this purpose, and it is not an
unusual sight in many an Indian city to
see several such cages taken out to a muni-
cipal park or open ground for the airing.
A covered cage is always looked upon by
the Indians as essential to keeping a bird in
health and song. The 1)elief has taken such
a firm hold on the mind of the masses that
no amount of reasoning can dissuade them
from this practice which is obviously con-
trary to all hygienic rules ; for, in fact, birds
in open cages, enjoying air and light, do not
sing the less or fare the worse in health.
In spite of this drawback in caging, the
caged Shama can be pronounced to be an
avicultural success, for the bird grows robust
and lives long in confinement, and, except
for the short moulting period, it sings
throughout the year. And, since the bird
is often caged when young, it gets accus-
tomed to human intrusion, and acquires a
non-chalant air about it, singing away its
days quite oblivious of the presence of man.

4 PET BIRDS or BENGAL

The Sliama, in freedom, is not a familiar
sight to us. It is a denizen of thick jungles
and dense forests, keeping generally to the
underwood. It loves to frequent thickets in

glades and valleys located in the
/^ ^ ^' midst of hills or mountains. It is,

therefore, absent in the districts
devoid of these natural features. In Bengal,
which is one of the most thickly populated
provinces, this bird confines itself to those
jungly districts where human habitation is
scarce. Por this reason, it rarely makes the
Deltaic portion of Bengal its place of abode,
but is often a dweller of the western skirts
of the districts of Midnapore and Birbhum.
Eastwards from the Padma in the verdant
hills of Cachar, Assam, and Tipperah, it is
very numerous. In other parts of India, its
most important ranges are the Terai districts
of the Sub-Himalayan regions from Nepal to
Dibrugarh in Assam. It is also represented
in the well-wooded hills and forests of
Central India, Orissa, Chotanagpur, and the
Bajmahal Hills. In Southern India, it is

THE SHAMA O

a permanent resident of the hill-ranges of
the West as far north as Khandalla in tlie
Sahyadri. Its range extends beyond the
Palk Straits into Ceylon, where it is very
abundant. In the eastern parts of the
Deccan, it is seen in Malabar. It is abso-
lutely a stranger in the provinces west of
the Ganges, and in Rajputana. It is widely
and abundantly found all over Burma.

It is invariably a resident bird in the
localities to which its range is confined, but
in the hill-tracts of Cachar, it has been ob-
served to be a winter visitant. It seldom
ascends the hills to any great

heio^ht, nor is it ever seen in culti-

Notes ^

vated tracts, however well- wooded.
The hills and forests, the jungles around
streams, and woods in valleys and dales
which the bird frequents are hardly con-
sidered by it as its safest retreats ; and so,
by way of further precaution, this wary
bird betakes itself to the most impervious
thickets, underwood, and clumpy bushes,
where it is able to escape the most searching

6 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

observations. Almost everywhere within
its range, the bird shows a preference for
l)articular spots, over which it holds sway
and even seems to stick to these favoured
haunts in spite of devastations by occasional
fires, which break out in the forests.

The Sliama thus chooses for its habita-
tion places where Nature is luxuriant and
arrayed in its varied glories. In the morn-
ings and evenings, from the midst of a
bush or a bamboo-sci-ub — for which it seems
to have a partiality — it mingles its im-
petuous melody with the music of rustling
leaves and murmuring rills. And, while
rapt in its own song, the least sound will
send it scurrying through the air — so shy
and easily alarmed it is ! But its flight is
never long ; and re-alighting at a short
distance, it vanishes into leafy cover, whence
it renews its song with as much visrour.
When the usual notes are thus suddenlv
interrupted, the bird gives out a sort of
monosyllabic sound, which Legge says
resembles chur7^ churr. But to me it hears

THE SHAMA

more like t'chat Vchat, This peculiar
sound is accompanied by a jerking up of the
tail.

It never soars high into the air, nor is it
ever seen perched on the topmost branches
of trees ; but it makes it a point to keep
as near the ground as possible, generally
selecting low branches for perching. Prom
such a position, it is always on the look-out
for any insect which may stray into view.
As soon as it notices its prey, it comes down
to pick it up ; and if, in the act of swallow-
ing the worm, it happens to spot another,
it hops up to bag this one also. It is chiefly
insectivorous, its menu consisting of grass-
hoppers, small beetles, ants, flies and their
congeners.

Solitary in its habits, it aggressively
drives away any member of its own commu-
nity, and on the approach of one, it will at
once attack the latter, fighting fiercely till
one gives ground. The unsociability of this
bii»d falsifies the proverb that birds of a
feather flock together. This peevish

8 PKT BIRDS OF BENGAL

temper makes it shun even the proximity

of its unobtrusive mate, who wisely keeps

aloof, and from a distance, takes silent pride

in the vocal attainments of her enchanter.

If, by inadvertence, she comes too near her

lord, he forgets all codes of chivalry and

does not even hesitate to give her a sound

chastisement.

The only season, when the Shama does

not dislike the company of its mate, is when

instinct obtains mastery over its temper in

the mating period. It mates during April

and June, and the female rears

up the brood. Hollows in trees
Eggs ^

or stumps from two to twenty

feet from the ground are selected by it for
nesting, and sometimes she takes advantage
of holes made by other birds. She stuffs up
the hollow with dry leaves about three in-
ches thick, and makes upon this bed of
leaves a loose nest of twigs and grass. The
eggs laid by her are usually four in num-
ber, rather small in size, and ovate in
shape. The ground colour is dull greenish,

te

SHAMA

THE SHAMA 9

very often a pale sea-green. Tlie whole is
densely freckled with rich brown, thickly
mingled with dull purplish.

If there is any bird which repays the care
bestowed on it, it is the Shama. Its rich
coloration, bold and vivacious movements,
powerful and melodious voice and unlimited

power of mimicry — all combine
Cage-life to make it the most desirable

subject for the cage or the aviary.
Though in India this bird has received the
attention of bird- lovers from time imme-
morial, no one seems to have studied it from
an avicultural view-point. We know little
of its wild life ; and we, in India, knew as
little about its life in the cage till Europeans
took up the study.

The Shama is one of those birds which
in a free state shun all intimacy with man.
But once caged, it seems to forget all anti-
pathy towards him and becomes the most
lovable pet. It never pines for its loss of
liberty ; and its easy and cheerful life indi-
cates that it fully appreciates the love and

10 PET BIRDS OF BEN GAL

Care of its protector. If hearty cheerfulness
conduces to long life, it is no wonder that
the Shama stands a life of bondage so well
and so long.

When accommodating the Shama, it
should be remembered that it is very rest-
less. It is always frisking about with its
tail working up and down. It should have
sufficient space inside the cage ; otherwise
its continual tail-play will injure that
beautiful appendage of its graceful person.
While introducing it into the aviary, it
should be kept in mind that this bird, how-
ever tame it may be, has a wonderful com-
bative temperament. The presence of
another Shama serves as a red rag to a bull.
It never condescends to accept others of its
kind as chums, and seems to think that the
latter are there to be its uncomplaining fags.
When in a warlike mood, its healthy opti-
mism would even lead it to give battle to
its keeper, if the latter were to enter
the aviary without the conciliatory dish
of mealworms. It carries its aloofness

THE SHAMA 11

to such an extent that it would at first
refuse to chum up with a female Shama if
introduced into its dwelling'. The male does
not seem to be at all anxious for a feminine
companion. You can never thrust a female
Shama near a male without a lengthy intro-
duction. The female, knowing well the
tyrannical temper of the male, will at first
shrink in fear. Both should at first be kept
in different cages inside the same aviary.
Occasionally, they may be let loose. At
first there is sure to be trouble, but the
male will begin to tolerate the female gra-
dually, and may even mate in the long run.
Indian experience has seldom recorded
any instance of the Shama breeding in cap-
tivity. A couple of years back I noticed a
pair trying to build a nest in the hollow of
a stump inside an aviary of the Calcutta
Zoological Gardens, but nothing came of it.
A pair of Shamas, in the aviary of Mr. G. C.
Mandal of Calcutta, built a nest and hatched
their young which, however, did not survive
long. But we find mention of several instan-

12 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

ces of the Shama ha^ ing bred in captivity
in England. In tliis direction, the observa-
tions of Mr. Reginald Phillips are of great
value. The female Shama seems to
take the initiative in ])nilding a nest. The
male never responds to the female's
silent appeal until the former is thoroughly
satisfied as to the latter's earnestness. In
selecting materials for the nest, the female
shows much discrimination. In one instance,
it carried dead leaves of Ivy and Euonymus
while it studiedly rejected those of Ehodo-
dendrons. It chose straw and the finest
hay for the inner lining of the nest but
never looked at moss and hair. The period
of incubation seems to last for about eleven
or twelve days. It is only when the nest-
lings come out that the keeper will feel
the greatest difficulty as to food. While in
ordinary times the Shama would take to
all sorts of artificial food, it refuses to eat
anything but in^^.cts at this time. The
keeper will thus be hard put to in maintain-
ing a sufficient supply of live grubs both

THE SHAMA 13

for the chicks and the parents. A regular
supply of mealworms and cock-roaches
should be kept up at this time. The meal-
worms need not be cut up into pieces. The
Capacious throat of the young- bird can
receive whole cock-roaches without the least
danger of suffocation. In India we hand-
rear captive nestlings with satoo made into
soft paste with water, and a few grasshop-
pers. It is interesting to note how the
parent-birds try to keep the fact of its nest
a secret. In your presence it will never go
straight to its nest but will make a show of
stopping at different places before finally
entering it. The Shama is very careful about
sanitation, and the male may often be seen
carrying the excreta, and dropping them at
places far from the nest. When the young
are considered able to fly, the mother-bird
gives them a preliminary course of training
by supporting them from beneath, after
shoving them off a perch. As soon as the
aviary-bred nesthngs 'attain their adult
plumage, the question iUaturally arises as to

14 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

the propriety of in-breeding and even trying
any experiment of cross-breeding a Shama
with an English bird Uke the Robin.

In this country it thrives well on satoo
prepared with boiled ghee, grass-hoppers,
and a few maggots. In England it is given
cock-roaches, mealworms, gentles, ants' eggs
and the yolk of hard-boiled eggs. Pieces
of raw meat are also given, but this should
be sparingly used, for too much of this food
may bring on diarrhoea. Ordinarily the
Shama does not require any great attention.
But at the time of moulting, careful watch-
ing and feeding are necessary, for then it
is susceptible to a kind of warty growth on
the legs and feet and the space immediately
above the eyes. It should be carefully
guarded against cold and draughts during
the period.

Its song loses none of its charm in con-
finement. Besides its usual song, it has a
habit of uttering a few set phrases over and
over again, pausing after each utterance.
These repetitions are rendered in the verna-

THE SHAMA 15

cular as ''Gopeejee rojee bhejo' (Send us
our daily bread, 0 ! Gopeejee). These
sounds are repeated a great number of times
and then suddenly changed. Its imitative
faculty knows no bounds. It can mock any
bird to perfection and can faithfully render
the voices of cocks, crows, and kites. Even
the female Shama is not altogether devoid
of song. My own specimen sings as beauti-
fully as the male and repeats the above-
mentioned set phrahjes. It is no wonder
therefore that in some countries, the bird
is called '' Sundred-TonguedJ*

In India the Shama is housed in a cage
which is generally kept covered. But the
aviary with plenty of space, air, and light
is the best place for keeping it. It may
be rough in its dealings with its own
kind, but it seldom gives trouble to others
of the avian community. If you care for
its cheerfulness, you should always provide
for the luxury of a bath, for this bird is
inordinately fond of , a dip in water. It is
curious that if there be two male Shamas in

16' PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

the same aviary, none would even bathe.
Because a bath means wet plumage which
means damaged armour to a bird, and a wet
bird succumbs easily if attacked. In one
case it cost a Shama its life for bathing in
an aviary where it had a pugnacious
companion.

The Shama is easily available for pur-
chase all over the country. Birds caught
young in the Terai are brought down in
numbers to Grorakhpur and Monghyr to be
hand-reared. These birds take to cage-life
easily ; but those from Midnapore, generally
Caught while adult, very often pine away
in captivity.

The Shama' s outward appearance is

beautiful and striking, if not gaudy. The

head, back, and throat with the

Coloration neck and breast are black with a

splendid gloss throughout. * All

the underparts are a rich bright chestnut

* I have, however, noticed Shamas with chestnut
streaks just above both the eyes — a thin straight line
elongated bothways towards the nape and the mandible
but not reaching those parts.

THE SHAMA 17

except the thighs which are white. The
rump and the upper tail-coverts are white ;
and durins: excitement when the hird
puffs up its whole plumage, the downs on
these two parts show conspicuously in two
fluffy patches of snowy whiteness. The
wings are dark brown, and the primaries
eda^ed with lisrhter brown. The tail of the
Shama is a very important part of its
anatomy inasmuch as the length of the
tail gives to this extremely graceful bird
much of its grace. The central tail-feathers
are the longest while the lateral are muck
graduated, which means that they gradually
become shorter on both sides. The t^Yo
pairs of central tail-feathers are completely
black, while the others are white at the end,
the white increasing gradually on the outer
feathers. The l)asal end is always black.
The line of demarcation between the black
and the white is drawn in an irregularly
slanting direction.

This pleasing coloration is denied to tlie
less assuming female Shama, in which black

18 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

is replaced by slaty brown and chestnut by
rufous. The female birds of Tenasserim are
often darker than their Indian cousins.

The bill of the Shama is slender, com-
pressed and black, its legs are of pale
flesh-colour, its claws light horn and eyes
deepest brown.

The bal)v Shama is dark brown in its
upper parts with reddish edges to wing-
coverts; underneath, it is pale rufous with
brown mottlings on tlie throat and breast.
Its colour, however, varies a good deal.
A full-fledged young does not take lons^ to
assume full adult plumage.

The usual length of the Shama is eleven
inches, the female being smaller by an inch
in the tail.

THE DHAYAL

( COPSYCHUS SAULARIS )

If there is a bird, very familiar in an
Indian village, and has a voice exquisitely
sweet, it is the Dhayal. The black and
white markings of its body correspond so
nearly to those of the Magpie, that it is
known as the Magpie-Robin. The bird re-
sembles the English Robin in many of its
habits. Constantly jerking up its tail, it
loves, like the Robin, to frequent places close
to human habitation. Bold and vivacious,
it steps into our verandahs, and nests in the
holes and crannies of human dwellings. As
a songster it has no rival in the plains of
India, the Shama. being a bird of the forest
depths. Its notes are clear and varied.
They greet our ears the very first thing in

20 PET BIEDS OF BENGAL

the morning, and when all nature is silent
in the evening, their cheerful music ring.^
out a farewell to the departing day.

The Dliayal is indeed a superb singer.
With its presence in the gardens, orchards,
barnsides, and the backyards of houses, it i-^
one of the attractions of our rural surroun-
dinofs. The semi-domestic nature of the
bird has left it in comparative liberty, and
though it is often caged, people have not
the same rage for it as they have for the
more unfamiliar Shama. Legge says that,
like the latter, the Dhayal is a mimic ; it
can roll its tongue in imitation of other
birds. Layard also records that its power
of mimicry manifests itself in its wild life as
well. This, if true, is singular, as it is unlike
other birds that have similar habits. Even
the parrots do not show this trait while at
large. The Dhayals in my own aviary,
however, do not "degrade" their voice, a.s
has been observed also by Gould, ''l^y apish
tricks of imitation." The Dhayal'.s pugna-
cious instinct makes it a special favourite

' \

h/.-.:.h!

Male

Female

DHAYAL

THE DHAYAL 21

with the rich in Nepal where it is kept like
gamecocks for fighting.

It is one of the most widely distributed
birds in India and is found everywhere
except in the extreme North-west beyond
the Punjab. In Rajputana and westwards,
the desert tracts are too arid for its
habitation. It is, however, found
in Kathiawar, Sind, and in and
around Karachi, whence it departs in April
with the advent of summer. Eastwards it
is abundant and is an inevitable feature of
bird life everywhere — both in the Sub-Hima-
layan regions from Mussoorie eastwards, and
the hills and plains of Aryavarta. In Ben-
gal, no place is unrepresented up to the very
base of the Himalayas, where it is not seen
liigher up than the Terais. Thence its range
extends up to Burma. Though not so
abundant in the Deccan, it is pretty
numerous along the Hills in the West, and
in the lowlands of the Madras Presidency
in the East. It is distributed throughout
the whole island of Ceylon.

22 PET BIRDS or BENGAL

The characteristic difference hetween the
Shaina and the Dhayal is that while the
former confines itself solely to the most
secluded depths of forests, the latter, though
not unknown in the solitude of
woods, seldom strays very far from
the vicinity of man. Its graceful
form is always in evidence around us. Early
at dawn, before other members of the fledged
tribes are astir, it pours forth its music in
a continuous stream from the foliage. At
noon it is generally busy, silently foraging
for food in the chequered shades of gardens
and orchards. While thus engaged, the
approach of man does not seem to ruffle its
composure, and except bestowing a half-
amusing quizzical look, it cares no more for
your presence than for that of any other
living thing. At the same time, it will not
allow you to take any undue liberty with it.
If it notices that you are trying to come very
near, it will fly away a few yards, and per-
ching on the branch of a tree, regard your
discomfiture with a sublime complacency or

THE DHATAL 2B

defy you by a musical rebuke for thought-
lessly disturbing it at its midday meal. In
the evening when the day's labour is over,
it resumes its rapturous strain of music till
late at dusk.

This habit of keeping early and late
hours is true also of the more retired Shama.
In fact, we observe many traits common to
both these birds. The Dhayal is as vora-
cious an insect-feeder as the Shama. It
seeks its prey near the ground and generally
selects the low branches of trees for perch-
ing, though it is not uncommon to find it
seated on the top of some large tree or other
elevated spots. In pugnacity, it is almost
a cousin-Q:erman to the Shama. Like all
pugnacious birds, the Dhayal is unsociable
to a degree, staying alone throughout the
greater part of the year, and only occasion-
ally in the company of its mate.

Sometimes one may notice a deviation
from this habit of exclusiveness on the part
of the Dhayal. But this is seasonal only.
Prompted by a freshly roused combative

1:4 PET BIEDS or BENGAL

instinct, the bird suddenly develops a
irregarious impulse during the mating
jieriod. It is not unusual to observe a
lUimber of Dhayals congregating in an open
^ )ace in a garden or a grove to fight out
<luels like the knights of mediaeval Europe.
As each bird comes out a winner, its success
is received with such an uproar of applause
that the uninitiated may easily mistake it
for some disaster in the avine world.
Amidst such din and commotion, each com-
petitor engages in combat till one is left the
^sole champion of the field. Then, mighty
pleased with themselves and their perfor-
mances, the birds retire to their roosts,
chattering the while and discussing perhaps
the merits of different competitors. The
Dhayal's bullying tendency very often ])e-
trays it into bondage. Bird-catchers take
advantage of this propensity and employ
tame birds to entrap it. .. Among the various
devices which are resorted to, one is to bring
a caged Dhayal to the place where wild ones
abound. Small sticks smeared with bird-

THE DHAYAL 2o

lime are attached to the cage. As soon as
the captive bird begins to sing, the wild
Dhayals while coming down to challenge the
newcomer perch upon the sticks and get
fastened to the bird-lime. Sometimes the
tame bird is taken out of the cage and tied
to a long piece of string. While combating
its wild antagonist, it holds the latter in such
a firm grip with its beak and claw that the
catcher has no difficulty in securing the
bird.

The Dhayal is full of activity. Watch it
feeding on the ground in the alleys and by-
lanes of our countryside, you cannot fail to
notice its quick and animated movements.
With its wing half open or almost drooping,
it hops about in search of its prey, and at
each hop, stops with a jerk of its tail instant-
ly spread out and turned to the sky. If
cattle pass by at the moment, it flies up to
a low twig and keeps a sharp eye on any
insect or grub that may chance to be
brought to light. The moment it is noticed,
it comes down to snatch it up and after

26 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

beating it to death, returns with it to its
former perch. Always in motion, it raises
and depresses its body accompanied by
a flirtation of its tail. This tail-play is
most in evidence durin^j the matins: season
and specially at the time when several of
Dhayals are engaged in fighting out their
duels. The display consists in expanding the
tail like a fan so as to show the white outer
feathers, and continually jerking it up and
down. Although far from shy, the bird
likes the security of a thicket and revels in
the shade. While warily working its \\'ay
along the hedge, it betrays its presence by
uttering its shrill note every now and then.
It seldom sings in full view of man whose
sudden intrusion would check its flow of
vocal music ; and when thus interrupted,
it assumes a still attitude, fixing its cold
look upon him. If you advance nearer, it
will fly up to a higher perch or a more
distant twig. When flushed, it is seen to
fly directly from its perch in the cover of
the thicket to a more remote hiding place.

V

THE DHAYAL 27

The hen bn^d is not slow to follow her
mate's example, but if she flies, she keeps
aloof from her lord and loses herself amidst
dense cover. While at ordinary times the
Dhayal seldom indulges in protracted flights,
it has been observed to develop a tendency
for sustained serial gyrations in the mating
season. The female Dhayal is far less
obtrusive than the male, and as she has a
less striking appearance, she easily eludes
detection. In conformity with the etiquette
of pugnacious birds, she knows what distance
to keep between herself and her lord. This
explains why the males appear singly so
often, but if you take a little pain to watch
carefully, you are likely to detect its retiring
partner not very far off. The Dhayal is
conscious of its right to its territory and
tenaciously keeps to its hunting ground.
It is not timid. Pond of insects as it is, it
may be easily encouraged to closer familia-
rity with man, if we care to put now and
then a few grubs or disabled worms in its
way, or fix up in some safe place close to

28 PET IJIRBS OF BENGAL

our habitation little boxes or even earthen
pots which will be readily aceeptable to the
hird as its nestino' site. It is a beneficial
bird as far as its insect-feeding habit goes ;
and so, the more it is left to its liberty and
allowed to multiply, the better.

The Dhayal does not appear to sing in
the same way all the year round. It has
been observed to be in fall choral activity
chiefly during the mating period viz., in
April and May. The bird seems at that
time to be possessed with a musical mania,
warbling forth its amorous notes, which by
reason of their volume, depth, variety, and.
sweetness sound perfect to the human ear.
From Au^rnsfc, its sons; be2:ias to los3 much
of its sweetness until in mid-winter it ceases
to fascinate us as before. iVnd lo ! when
February comes, its voice begins again to
get into form and emerge once more into
full-throated melody towards the close of
March.

The Dhayal takes to house-keeping at this
period and for nearly four months it is busy

THE DIIAYAL 29

rearing up its family. The bird seems tii
have a remarkably monogamous instinct.

Observations of its habits in the
_ "^ aviary substantiate the fact that a

cock-bird which has lost its heic
refuses to chum up with any other female,
and feels so much enraged as to kill all
subsequent wives submitted for its approval.
The Dhayal breeds throughout the plains of
India ; but many birds resort to the Dhoons
and Terais of the Himalayas during the
nesting season. Holes in trees, walls, banks,
corners of the under-roof or the eaves of a
verandah are tbe places generally selected
for nesting. The nest is invariably placed
in a secure and sheltered position and is
made up of roots, grass, fibres, feathers — in
fact anything that is to hand is utilized for
the purpose. In the hills, the nest is a
shallow loosely-built cup of moss, small
twigs, and dry leaves. The Dhayal develops
a great fondness for particular places.
Hov^^ever far it may stray from its abode iu -
otiier seasons, it will come back year after

30 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

year to the same spot as soon as the nesting
season arrives, and build its nest in exactly
the same place. Five is the usual comple-
ment of eo-o's, which are oval, neither broad
nor very narrow, somewhat elongated, with
a moderately glossy surface. The ground
colour is sometimes greenish or greenish
white, and sometimes greenish-blue with
rusty blotches.

In the cage, the Dhayal is no less attract-
ive than the Shama. It becomes tame and
docile, and appears A'ery happy, seeming to
realise that ''iron lavs do not a prison make'\
and sings away its time as sweetly
Cage-life as when at liberty. Young, hand-
reared birds grow up very hardy
and make very nice pets, but adult birds seem
to feel their loss of liberty very keenly just
after capture. The provision of a bath in
the cage delights it immensely, for it enjoys
a dip in water as much as the Shama. Its
treatment in captivity is almost similar to
that of the latter. The food prepared for
the one is well suited to the other. Only a

THE DHAYAL 31

little more insect-food is necessary in order
to keep it in health. This discourages many
people from caging it. Apart from this ques-
tion of its insect -food, there are good o-rounds
for leaving it at liherty. The bird is so much
attached to the vicinities of human habita-
tion that it seems not to be a gain to deprive
it of its freedom. The growth of civiliza-
tion with the concomitants of modern
town-planning is working such a havoc on
bird-life that even many of the commonest
birds have chosen to leave our company for
ever. It is not advisable, therefore, to make
life unbearable even for those few that still
adhere to us. In Beno^al such a laro^e num-
ber of nestlings of this bird is caught during
the nesting season that the law meant to
prevent it by declaring the season a closed
period for bird-catchers utterly fails in its
object. One effect of this indiscriminate
Capture is that in Calcutta what was once a
familiar garden-bird a few years back is now
a vara avis.

It is not very difficult to get the DLayal

32 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

to breed in captivity. Any small wooden
box comes handy to it for nesting. It is
known to have done so successfully in Eng-
land. In a few instances, however, the
nestlings were killed by the cock-bird, which
had to be separated from the hen soon after
she had laid eggs. When it is housed in
an aviary with other birds, care should be
taken to eliminate the smaller and weaker
birds, as the latter are likely to be worried
by the bad-tempered Dhayal.

The bird is very well-proportioned, has a
graceful form, and looks very bold for its
tail which is almost always carried erect.
The upper part of its body is black with

a blue metallic gloss, the white
Coloration wing-coverts forming a broad band.

The under-surface is white fron;
the chest downwards. The two median pair,>
of tail-feathers are black, the others white:
the fourth pair is either white with a smaF.
black tip, or white with a greater or less
amount of black. The bill is black, iri>
hazel-brown, and the legs dark plumbeous.

THE DHAYAL 33

la the female, the upper part of the
body is uniformly dark-brown glossed with
blue. In the wings and tail, the white is
distributed as in the male. Chin, throaty
breast, and sides of the neck are grey ;
forehead and cheeks mottled with white
and grey ; sides of the body, vent, under
tail-coverts pale fulvescent, and middle of
the abdomen whitish.

In the young, the upper plumage is dark
brown streaked with rufous ; the white in the
wings being as that in the adult ; the tail
brown with similar white patches. Throat
and breast greyitih brown streaked with
rufous. The rest of the lower body is white.
The young assume adult plumage as soon
as they are fully fledged.

The Dhayal is considerably smaller in size
than the Shama, being only about eight
inches from the tip of its bill to the end of
its tail. But if we leave the tail in both
cases out of account, the Dhayal becomes
laro^er than the Shama, the reason ])eino;
that the latter has a lono-er tail. The

34

PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

Dhayal's tail which is iimeh shorter equals

its wings in length. In

bo th t he Dhay al and

the Shama, the two central

pairs of tail-feathers are

black.

THE PIDDAH

( PRATINCOLA CAPRATA )

The Piddah, otherwise known as Fratin-
cola caprata, is a very wee, Httle bird. Its
popularity is in an inverse ratio to its dimi-
nutive size. It is not an unworthy minstrel
of the Indian countryside. Considering its
tiny body, the sweet and pleasant warble
produced by its subtle mechanism is a marvel
which makes it highly esteemed as a cage-
bird. Though its song has not the power,
volume, and compass of either the Shama or
the Dhayal, it is still beautifully sweet.
Foreigners, too, have not been chary in their
praise of its song. Blyth states that *4ts
song approaches to that of the English
Robin, but is more uniformly plaintive".
Its sprightly movements and courageous
demeanour are no less its attractions. It is

36 PET BIRDS OF BENGA.L

very confiding and readily adapts itself to
cage-life, — a trait which does not fail to
please the bird-lover.

The Piddah is far from ugly and its beau-
tiful appearance and vigorous actions bring
to our countryside a spirit of brisk animation.
As in the Dhayal, black and white are the
only colours in the general appearance of the
Piddah, which is, strictly speaking, clothed
principally in black, the white colour being
confined to the parts near the lower abdomen
and the rump, and a conspicuous longitudinal
bar on the wing.

The Piddah, otherwise called Kalapiddah,
(black piddah) from its colour, is a perma-
nent resident in Burma and all over India
except the extreme South where, as also in
Ceylon, it is replaced by a species
istri u- ^vhich in habits and appearance is
identical with the Indian variety,
but the latter is smaller by an inch or two.
In Bengal, it is not so common in the Deltaic
portion as in the region to the West of the
Hooghly, and in Northern Bengal, through

THE PIDDAH .^7

which its range extends to Assam and
Burma.

The Piddah is commonly found in con-
genial localities almost throughout India.
But in its natural haunts it is not so well-
known to the people of India as the Dhayal.
It is not that it lives, like the

Shama, in deep forests which, in
Notes

fact, it avoids studiously like the

Dhayal, or is seen like the latter foraging
boldly in village lanes, and behind our
bungalows ; nor is it that it loves like
the Ply-catcher, to flit about the top-most
branches of trees in our gardens and or-
chards. But we shall have to seek it in
the slightly rocky districts where jungles
are open and bushy, and the outskirts of
towns and villages where there is sparse
and dwarf vegetation. There we may
chance on it in the bushes or shrubs, or
sitting jauntily on a big piece of stone,
chirruping and warbling with perfect self-
possession. A fence, a post, a grass-stem
or a mound of earth are also places where

38

PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

the Picldah may be seen indulging in gay
flutterings in the most self-approved man-
ner. It does not probably altogether shun

human proximity. For, once driving-
through one of the suburban lanes of
Allahabad, I noticed on the low branches
of wayside trees several Piddahs which did
not seem at all ruffled by the rattling of

THE PIDDAH 39

my Ekka, It has, however, the stereotyped
habit of using the top-most twigs of a bush
or the summit of a large boulder as its perch
and observatory, from where it constantly
sallies out to pick up passing insects from
the ground. These insects are generally
carried to its perch to be finished off, but
sometimes they are swallowed when caught
on the ground. The bird is entirely insecti-
vorous and has a special fondness for cater-
pillars, black-ants and beetles. Flies and
midges, too, are not discarded.

Shyness is alien to the character of this
little bird. It does not care for your pre-
sence until you are too uncomfortably near ;
and, even then, it avoids you only by a short
flight to a neighbouring bush, whence with
a defiant up-jerk of the tail, it watches
your further movements. If, instead of
pursuing it, you leave it alone and care to,
watch the bird, your patience will be fully
rewarded. Por it is one of the boldest,
springiest and most elegant of our birds and
its movements are extremely graceful. It

40 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

is never at rest. From one perch it will
fly down to the ground, pick up an insect
and at once carry it to the same or another
perch — all done in a flash. There the insect
is swallowed; next, the tail is jerked up as a
sign of self-satisfaction and, lastly, a strain
of pleasant chirrups is sent forth. Then
after looking round in the mo>st self-asser-
tive manner with one or more tail-move-
ments, it sallies forth again. The extremely
mobile tail of the Piddah is a remarkable
feature of its anatomy and seems to have
spring-adjustments from the way it is con-
tinually worked up and down. But this
movement is not altoo^ether mechanical.
Every up-jerk of the tail is expressive of an
emotion — pleasure or displeasure. The tail-
play is most frequent during its meals, the
tail indicating with barometrical precision
its pleasure at every morsel of food acquired.
The tail-jerks again, accompanied by angry
fchat, fchat sounds, are expressive of anger
when intruded upon by man or beast, or
when foiled in an attempt to catch a parti-

THE PIDDAH 41

cularly tasty insect. No one should suppose
that this little bird is incapable of giving
expression to its displeasure. Not being
over much fond of company, it dislikes
close proximity of birds of the same feather.
On such occasions and in the breeding season
it not only expresses its indignation by
angry up-jerks of the tail, but also becomes
irascible and pugnacious. In a big feeding
ground several of these birds may be seen
but each keeps within its own range and
seldom intrudes on the other.

I have already said that this bird amply
repays observation. Though small, its body
is stout and strongly built. Its legs are
strong and in all its movements there is an
elegant buoyancy. Even its melodies are
expressive of the bird's buoyant and intrepid
nature. There is no constraint in its vocal
outpourings, which very often consist of notes
that are generally unmusical chatterings.
But in between them, the bird gives out
short warbles which are distinctly sweet
and melodious. Towards evening, when

42 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

after the day's labour it is about to retire
to rest, its chatterings increase which are
always accompanied by its Dhayal-like tail-
play. But occasionally it rises above this
vulo;ar demonstration of its feelino^s and, in
the mornings specially, no early riser will
miss its joyous melodies poured forth with
great ardour usually from a bush.

The Piddah builds its nest in the most
unlikely places and never minds the proxi-
mity of man. It builds in a hole in the
ground, *'the foot-print of a bullock serving
the purpose very frequently,"

^ as Gates says. Sometimes the

Eggs . "^

nest is placed on the ground

under the shelter of a tuft of grass. Holes
in banks close to frequented roads, or even
in a well, are not rejected by it as un-
suitable. It is not at all punctilious in the
choice of materials for its nest which is a
shabby pad of soft grass lined with fine
roots, vegetable fibres, horse or even human
hair, cotton, wool — in fact anything that
it lights upon. Its breeding season is from

THE PIDDAH

43

March to June, In the phi ins, however, it
lays mostly in March and April, but in the
hills in May and later.
The ego-,s, four or five in
number, are broad ovals,
somewhat pointed towards
one end and fairly glossy.
They are pale bluish green
mottled and streaked with
dull reddish
hrown.

44 "^ PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

The caged Piddah is out and out a hand-
reared nestling, numbers of which are
brought down for sale to the Calcutta bazaar
every rainy season from the north-western
parts of the country. Their
Cage-life value is easily guessed, for a hand-
reared bird makes a nice pet, and a
bold and long-lived cage-bird. Although on
account of its diminutive size, it can be kept
in the smallest cages, an aviary is its fitting
accommodation ; for this bird which is
always full of activity wants sufficient space
for its sprightly movements. As a matter
of fact, the Piddah receives scant treat-
ment from its Indian keepers — a very small
cage with a dirty air-blocking wrapper is
all that is considered material for its exis-
tence. And the poor bird has such a lusty
and robust constitution, and an affable
temper that it readily reconciles itself to
its lot ! But to speak the truth, the dingy
cage is a veritable hell for the bird, which
loves open life and demands ample scope
for its unceasing activities. Like the

THE PIDDAH 45

Dhayal and the Shama, the Piddah is pugna-
cious to a degree, fighting not only with its
own kind, but its distant relatives and some-
times other birds which are much bigger
than itself. Self-assertion, which is a cons-
picuous trait in its character, betrays it
into frequent quarrels with the Robins
(Thamnolias) and Red-starts {Huticillas).
So the housing of Piddahs in an aviary
requires a little attention, as it is not un-
attended with dangers. Broadly speaking
its treatment in captivity should be similar
to that of the Shama and the Dhayal, and
the diet which is appropriate for the two,
will suit the tiny Piddah admirably.

Nothino^ is known about its breedinof
habits in captivity, and the people who have
a mind to try the experiment feel handi-
capped for want of female birds which are
not at all available for purchase in the
Indian markets. The reason lies in the fact
that the male Piddah is alone valued as
a song-bird and consequently caught and
caged while quite a nestling ; and as the male

46 PET BIRDS OE BENGAL

develops the distinctive white wing-patch
while it is quite a chick, it is easily recog-
nised and picked out by bird-catchers.

The Piddah is one of those birds in which

the sexes differ in colour and the

Coloration seasonal changes of plumage are

quite marked.

The male is clothed in black except the

rump, the vental portions and a bar on the

wing which are white.

In the female grey with reddish-brown
streaks replaces the black and the white
is replaced by wood-brown ; the tail is
black.

In autumn after the completion of its
seasonal moult, the bird puts on a new garb.
This happens when its new feathers which
overlap like the scales of a fish show their
edges only ; and as the colour of these edges
is brown in the case of the male bird, and
greyish in the female, the effect is to give its
owner either a brown or a greyish appear-
ance. But the edges wear away gradually,
so that, as the hidden portions of the feathers

THE PIDDAH 47

begin to re-appear, the original colouring of
the bird is restored.

The young birds are tawny brown with
dusky mottlings. The male chick becomes
easily recognisable from the earliest period
by the white wing-patch.

The iris of the Piddah is brown ; its bill,
ieo^s and claws are black. The bill is broad
at the base and well notched. In size the
bird does not exceed five inches and a half.

OTHER PIDDAHS AND THEIR KINDRED

The word "Piddah'' seems to be a generic
term Tfith the Indians. The bird we have
just descrilied — Pratlncola caprata — is the
real Piddah, Kalapiddah being its more
specific name. There are a few other Chats
and Robins which are also loosely called
Piddahs and are therefore likely to be con-
founded with the real Piddah. Some
writers have indentified the Piddah with
the genus Thamnohia which includes the
Indian Pohins. The mistake is perhaps due
to their almost identical habits. All these
so-called Piddahs are almost alike in their
dapper outlines and perky attitudes. They
are sexually dimorphic and essentially in-
sect-feeders, spending most of their time
on or near the ground. The flick of the tail
and a little sweetness of voice are also their
common traits. Wo notice below a few of
the Piddahs of this latter class.

THE KHER=PIDDAH

( PRATINCOLA MAURA )

V'

^^^

Very closely related to the real Piddah
is the Kher-Piddah or the Indian Bushchat,
bearing the classical name of Fratincola
Quaura, It is as sweet a singer and has almost

50 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

the same characteristics as the other bird,
though less known as a cage-favourite. It is
dressed in a parti-coloured attire — a lovely
black cap with a ruddy chestnut waistcoat,
set off by its immaculate white collar —
which gives it a distinctly handsome appear-
ance and makes it a conspicuous figure
amidst its furzy surroundings. But all this
splendour of its gay plumage is lost to
mankind, as unlike the Dhayal, it is too shy
to visit our gardens and orchards. It gives
a wide berth to human surround-

ino-s but avoids forests as well like

Notes ^

the.Piddah. It prefers the open,
keeping to tracts covered with small furzy
bushes, or to cultivated fields, specially
€orn, maize and millet fields, and sugar-cane
plantations, where they destroy the insects.
It perches on a clod of earth, a post or a
swaying stem in search for insects, and flies
down to the ground for just sufficient time
to catch its prey. It is prodigiously active.
The opening and jerking up of the tail at

THE KHER-PIDDAH

s h o r*'t
intervals is
a frequent
habit with
this Piddah.
This bird is com-
monly believed to
be a winter visitor,

migrating to Siberia

in summer. But it is

doubtful if such small

birds, that never associate

in flocks, undertake such

ong and arduous journeys.

They are very probably local

migrants. So many birds

breed in the Himalayas and

52 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

in the hill-ranges of the Punjab and the N.
W. Frontier Province that Oates is inclined
to differentiate it from the Siberian species
which differs in the depth of its black and
red colours. At all events, during winter,
birds of this species populate the whole of
Northern India as far south as Belgaum.
Further south, its existence has not been
noted, but Hume says it has been
Distnbu- reported common in south-west
Mysore. It is commonly met
with in Bengal in winter. Two of the
birds in my aviary were caught within a few
miles from Calcutta. In summer the Kher-
Piddah is found throughout the Himalayas
from Afghanistan to Assam up to an
elevation of 5,500 feet. It nests also in
the Salt-Ranges, the Suleiman hills, in
the plains skirting these hills, and in the
valleys of the Sutlej and the Beas.

It breeds in April and May and has
probably more than one brood in the year.
The situation of the nest varies according
to locality. It may be found in some low

THE KHER-PIDDAH 53

thick bush or shrub, or dense tuft of grass,

on or near the ground. Some-
Nests and , . , 1 . T -n

times the crevices on hills near

bggs

the fields serve the purpose. Its
nursery is generally a cup of coarse grass
mingled with moss, lined with fine grass,
fur, cattle-hair, or feathers. Nests placed
in holes in walls are mere shapeless pads.
The eggs are four or five in number, pale-
green with brownish- red spots.

The reason why in India it is scarce as
a cage-bird is not difficult to detect. It
evades the gaze of bird-fanciers on account
of its retiring nature and its song can hardly
compare with that of the Dhayal
Cage-life and the Shama, which are there-
fore so much liked as cagepets.
But the Kher-Piddah is undoubtedly a
more handsome Inrd than the pied Bush-
chat, and to those who are fastidious about
size and colour, its value can hardly be over-
looked. As compared with the Piddah, its
behaviour in an aviary is exemplary. It is
neither rough nor irascible in its dealings

54 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

with its mess-mates, though it does not
forget now and then to show its temper
towards its own kind. It is undoubtedly
the more delicate of the two and therfore it
is not safe to leave it in the company of any
pugnacious birds. Sheer dread of company
is enough to kill it. Insect is its favourite
dish, hut the invaluable satoo meal cannot
be despensed with. Bath and sunrays are
also indispensible to keeping it in health
and spirits.

Like the Piddah, it undergoes a seasonal
change of plumage, hut in it the change is
more marked. In summer, the whole upper
body of the male is black except a wing-
patch, rump, upper tail-coverts,
Coloration and a large spot on each side of
the neck, all of which are white.
The breast and lower parts are bright-red — a
colour which is entirely absent in the Pied
Bush-chat. The red is deep on the breast
and pales lower down. The female is a
reddish-brown bird without the white collar
on the neck. In summer it looks a little

THE KHER-PIDDAH 55

paler. The yoang is a brown bird with,
mottling s on the breast.

In winter the black feathers of the male
are edged with reddish-brown so that the
cumulative effect is to give it a reddish-brown
appearance instead of black. The bird at
this time so closely resembles the female
that but for the white collar in the neck
the sexes are well-nigh indistinguishable.
Except when they are in full dress in the
mating season, it is difficult to come
across two birds which are exactly alike in
colour. This is due to the fact that the
young birds are gradually assuming adult
plumage, while the feathers of the old are
undergoing a process of continual abrasion.

Our Kher-Piddah is a cousin of the
English Stone-chat which "one may often
note by a furzy wayside, perched on a bush."
The English bird has a "nice little song and
breeds early in spring, lays five eggs of dull
pale sea-green with reddish spots". In
coloration, too, they are similar, except that
the white portions in the English bird are
broader than in the Indian.

THE Kali shama

(THAMNOBIA CAMBAIENSIS)

As graceful and well-built as the Dhayal,
thouHi smaller than it in size but lare^er than
the Piddah by about an inch, this bird lends
a charm to the Indian countryside by its agile
movements and smart tail-play. It is called
the Indian Robin by the English residents of

THE KALI SHAMA 57

this country. The Indian name of the bird
— Kali Shama — is apparently a product of
association of ideas. Any one who sees it
will at once be reminded of the Shama, — so
close do the two birds come as regards their
movements and tail-play. It is the absence
of the chestnut colour from the breast of
the Indian Robin ( where it is replaced by
black ) which distinguishes it from the
Shama and bestows on it the distinctive
vernacular name. The chestnut, however,
is shifted down to its seat of trousers,
where it becomes visible whenever its tail is
thrown far up over its back. The darker
tone of the general body-colour of the Indian
Robin sup-o-ests a likeness to the Piddah
{Fratincola caprata) with which it is found
often in similar surroundings. The chief
point of its resemblance to the Piddah is in
its habit of nesting in holes and capturing
its quarry on the ground, but in this latter
habit, we notice some difference. Instead of
quietly waiting like the Piddah for the
approach of insects, the Robin hops and

58 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

runs about on the ground for catching them.
The chief difference is that while the Piddah
is shy and avoids the vicinity of man, the
Indian Robin is quite the reverse.

This bird belongs to the genus Thamnobia

which contains two Indian species with

distinct ranges of distribution — the species

cambaiensis ( the brown-backed Indian

Robin ) belongs to Northern

India while the species fulicata

tion ■•- ^ .

( the black-backed Indian Robin )

is confined to southern India. The latitude

of Bombay seems to be the geographical

borderland of these two species. In the tract

of the country from Ahmadnagar to the

mouth of the Godavari, both the birds are

found, and, durino- the moultins^ season, it

becomes difficult to discriminate between the

two species. Both the species are resident.

The Northern species is locally known as the

Kah Shama. It is not common in Bengal

except in the region west of the Hooghly.

It is not a bird of the plains and lives in

rocky, rugged districts where the climate is

THE KALI SHAMA 59

extreme. ^^Their idea of an earthly paradise,'^
says Dewar /'is a flat, rocky, barren, arid
piece of land".

Just as the Dhayal by its bold and

springy movements and vigorous tail-play

enlivens the countryside in Bengal, the

Indian Eobin imparts a homely charm to

the rufifsred districts of Behar and

^^ the United Provinces. In Summer,

Notes

when the blazing sun has burnt up

all the grass, leaving the whole country an

uneven stretch of burning, brown land — the

presence of the Thamnohia helps to dispel

the frowning looks of Nature. It may be seen

sitting on a big boulder with its tail upraised

in order to show off its bright colouring to

advantage. The tail is sometimes flung up

so far as to come over the head, making an

acute angle with the back. Sometimes the

bird may be seen issuing from a small

prickly shrub. Then looking round, it

observes an insect, after which it runs with

great agility without the least clumsiness in

its movements.

60

PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

It pursues and catches
several insects at a run
and returning with them
in its beak to a boulder,
a shrub, or a neigh-
bouring tree, as the case
may be, eats them leisure-
ly. Small shrubs, plants
like those of prickly pear
and wild berries or the
leafless Palas ( Butea
froudosa ) groves are
its fcwourite haunts.
In Behar and the
United Provinces,
it is truly a house-
hold bird, and like

THE KALI SHAMA 61

the English Robin, j)erches on walls,
window-sills, housetops, and verandahs, and
sometimes, even enters houses. It is a very
familiar bird there, and is always to be
found in gardens, and old temples and build-
ings, seldom straying far from human habi-
tation. The sight of man does not ruffle it
in the least. In this respect it is a more self-
possessed bird than the Dhayal. The latter
bird has its own ideas about the safe distance
from which it will allow you to observe
its graceful movements. But the Indian
Robin is not so sensitive. If you stand
three or four cubits away, your presence
will not frighten it at all. It will, on the
other hand, proudly show off its beauty of
form and movement, and even display before
you its red trouser-patch by continually
sending up its tail over the back. It has a
very pleasant warble. ''Although not the
peer of its English cousin, it is not a mean
singer." In summer its song is vigorous.
In winter its performance has little charm.
It is not gregarious and lives with its mate,

62 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

though just after the breeding season it is
sometimes seen in small parties, for the
fledgelings stay a pretty long time with
the parents.

The Indian Robin mates from March to
August, and builds its nest in all sorts of
queer places. Spaces in stacks of bricks,
holes in the ground or buildings and window-
sills are given great preference.
Nests and j^ig-^-^gg^ i^^^.^y^ ^^^g^^ railway cutt-
Eggs

ings, roots of trees, old watering

pots in a shrub, or even pieces of cloth hang-
ing in a tree — serve well for its nest-building.
The nest is a mere pad of grass roots, vege-
table fibres, and a host of heterogeneous
materials, lined with feathers, human or
horse-hair, and often fragments of snake -
skin. Khus-khus and onion peels have
been found in the nests. The eggs are four
in number. Their sfround-colour is white
faintly tinged with either green, pink, pale
brown or oream-colour, green being the
most common. The markings are speckles
of different shades of reddish brown, but

THE KALI SHAMA 63

they vary greatly in their character, extent
and intensity.

Spruce and neat in attire, jaunty and
gallant in movements, the Kali Shama will
afford pleasure to its keeper if properly
housed. A nimble runner and an inhabitant

not of the close confines of woods
Cage-life but of open countries where the

landscape reaches up to the hori-
zon— this bird would feel better in the
comparative spaciousness of an outdoor
aviary than in the cramping closeness of
a cage. If it can get the opportunity of
daily baths — both a water-bath and a sun-
bath — it will bear its life of captivity with
admirable grace. It is a bird of a sunny
country — rather too much sunny according
to its human inhabitants — and it vastly
enjoys the burning rays of the sun. To
keep it in health, it should be allovs^ed to
enjoy the sunshine for a considerable
part of the day. Give it full meals of
insects, because that is its proper food. But
it will keep as well on satoo and ghee with

64 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

a few grass-hoppers and maggots. I have
seen it partake of bread and milk with
evident relish. Like the Shama and the
Dhayal, it is devoid of commimal fellow-
feeling, but it is not as peevish and fretful
as they are.

To be seen at its best, the Indian Kobin
requires elevated places inside the aviary.
Though not incapable of perching on twigs
and trees, it frequents, in nature, rugged
and elevated earth and rocky places which
are also its resting sites during sun-bath.
In the aviary the rockeries can amply serve
this purpose. It will skip in and out of the
holes as it does in its natural surroundings.
And as it silently runs about, its tail rises
up with mechanical precision. In the case
of this bird, the tail-movement appears to
have little or no connection with its emo-
tions as in the Piddah, or with its voice, as
in the Shama and the Blue-Jay.

Confiding and courageous, it disdains to
fight shy of human intrusion. While enjoy-
ing the sun, of which it is inordinately fond^

THE KALI SHAMA 65

it forgets all fear of man and allows him to
come very near. If its keeper, watching in
front of the aviary window, stands in the
path of the sun s rays, it steps up within
a few inches of his feet to get the sun and
warble its sweet, merry note.

Though not dressed in gay plumage,
the Indian Robin arrests our attention.
One peculiarity about its colora-
Coloration tion is that the deeper hue is
on the lower parts of its body.
Ordinarily we find that, in birds which are
not uniformly coloured, the colour of the
upper body is deeper than that of the
lower. Here, however, the colour-setting
is reversed. The exception in this case
cannot be without reason. The colour of
its upper body is brown. Does not this
colour, together with the fact that it lives
ill rocky districts where the landscape is
also of the same colour for the greater part
of the year, suggest protective coloration ?
And as the bird is mostly terrestrial in
habits, the deeper tint of its lower body
becomes less prominent.

66 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

In the Northern species, sides of the
head, neck, chin, throat, breast, the upper
part of the abdomen, and sides of the body
are deep glossy black. This black portion
appears bluish in sunlight. The whole of
the upper plumage is sandy brown except
a white band, as in the Dhayal and
the Piddah, on the wings. The white
of the Piddah in the lower part of the
body is replaced by chestnut in the Tham-
nobia. The Southern bird is wholly glossy
black in the upper part and has the same
white wing-patch and the same chestnut
vent. The males of the two species are not
difficult to distinguish but the females are
very close to each other. The female is
a sandy-brown bird with the vental portions
chestnut like the male. The young look
like their mother except for reddish edges
to the wino^s. The chestnut in the under-
parts is pale.

THE HUSAINI PIDDAH

(CYANECULA SUECICA)

Another Robin, known as tlie Husaini
Piddah or Nilkanthi, is Cyanccnla suecica —
the Indian Blue-throat.

68 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

This bird is a winter visitant all over
India and leaves for the far North at the

end of the cold season. Return-
*^^ ing in September, it spreads

over the whole of India as far
south as Ceylon. It is extremely common
in Lower Bengal. It prefers, as its foraging
ground, thick grass-jungle near water
and, more specially, reedy places like sugar-
cane plantations, and fields with corn or
lono: o^rass. In Lower Benojal, it lives on
the edges of jheels and in damp paddy
fields, where it is usually seen moving
about under the shelter of grass growing
on the himds between the fields. It is
terrestrial in its habits, seldom perches
but remains mostly on the ground, and with
an upraised tail runs about very fast, like
a wagtail, with alternate steps, stopping
now and then to pick up an insect. But,
occasionally, it is seen to hawk flies in the
air. It is very shy and when seen, dis-
appears into low cover. Though its tail-
play is not as frequent as the birds already

THE HUSAINI PIDDAH

69

described, it spreads the tail wide at times
like a fan and gives it an upward jerk in
the characteristic Robin-like fashion.

Certain travellers have spoken very
highly of the excellence of its song. It
is said to be a very good mimic and, in its
wild haunts, it mocks other birds. Seated
in a bush with distended throat and, with
its bill working rapidly, it gives out a
strain of blended notes which may easily

ws^"

70 PKT BIRD^^ OF BENGAL

mislead one to imagine that the whole bird-
world is engaged in a musical concert. Its
vocal performance reaches the acme of
])erfection durino- the matino- season. It then
indulges in a *' song -flight", pouring forth its
piercing music not only while it flies upwards
Avith its wings and tail outspread, but sings
also while descending. Unhappily for India,
the bird hies for its Northern resort before
its nuptial display begins. The glints of
the many colours which adorn its breast and
l)ody can only be seen at their best during
this ^song-flight' ; they are meaningless
when in India the bird cowers, in its fear of
man, in a thick cover.

This bird is caged very seldom. It has
a sweet voice, and in company with wag-
tails, it can, I think, add to the beauty of
aviaries. It is certainly difllcult to reconcile
the Husaini Piddah to cage-life. On several

occasions, I tried to accustom
€age-life it to captivity and I was not

unsuccessful. When first caught,
it should never be introduced into an

THE HUSAINI PIDDAH 71

aviary, for, in that case it goes on hunger-
strike till it dies of sheer exhaustion.
It should be lodged in a rectangular cage
of split bamboos with compartments in it.
A tame bird, preferably a wag-tail, should
be introduced in each of the compartments
on its immediate right and left, so that
the free and easy manners of the tame
birds will make the new bird shake off its
fright due to new surroundings. The
feeding cups of the new captive should be
placed adjacent to those of its neighbours ;
so that, when it will see the other birds
taking food of their own accord, it will
gradually follow suit. It should be fed
forcibly by hand at first, for it refuses
absolutely to take any food except insects
for the first few days.

The whole of the upper body in the

male is brown ; the tail is chestnut on the
basal half ; the chin and throat

Coloration are bright sky-blue with a
chestnut patch in the middle.

Bordering this blue is a narrow black band.

72 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

underneatli which is a broader band of
chestnut. The rest of the lower plumage
is huffish white. But the bird is seldom
to be found in full costume. The quantity
of blue and chestnut in the throat varies
a good deal and sometimes a few blue
feathers are the only distinguishing marks
of a male. The females are of a dull colour
but the chestnut on the tail is always
present. The young are blackish with
tawny streaks.

THE COMMON RUBY=THROAT

( CALLIOPE CAMTSCHATKENSIS )

The Indian Blue-throat rennnds us of
another bh'd — the Common Ruby-throat —
which closely agrees with the former in
habits. It is also a winter visitor to the

74 PET BIRDS OP BENGAL

eastern portions of India, being very

common in Beno;al durino^ the cold weather.

Gates sa3^s that its range extends only as

far south as the latitude of Raipur in the

Central Provinces.

It is shy and silent, but not devoid of

pugnacity. Thickets and underwoods are

its favourite resorts. In the
Field . .

^ Deltaic portion oi Bengal, rank

grass-jungles, sugar-canes or

reeds are selected by it as its hunting

ground. It passes most of its time on the

ground where it hunts up insects by

runnino' after them with remarkable adroit-

hess. Extreme cautiousness, however, sends

it into cover at the least sound and so it

seldom '^meets the eye". Its notes have

been characterised by Mr. P. W. Munn as

''a plaintive whistling noise". I would not

call it a *^noise" — -it is far superior to that.

It is a very pretty bird. In the male the

upper-plumage is olive-brown. A white line

from the base of the upper bill passes over

the eye, and another white streak, broader

THE COMMON RUBY-THROAT

75

thfin the last, is below the eye. The
interniedicite space is black.
Throat and fore-neck are ruby-red

with silvery edges to the feathers. The

Coloration

s e n c e
of the

76 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

patch on the throat which is dull white.
The Avhite streaks on the face are buffy
white above, and olive-brown below. The
young are mottled and assume full adult
plumage in the very first winter after their
birth. A full-grown bird is seldom larger
than six inches.

The Ruby-throat is not generally caged
in this country, but, in my opinion, it deser-
ves attention. If we cultivate its acquain-
tance, we will not be disappointed inasmuch
as it is a handsome bird possessing a char-
ming note. I had a pair of these birds i n
my aviary. In company with the Chats,
they lived happily enough, w^arbling merrily
their pleasant little tune, requiring little
special attention except during the moult-
ing season.

THE GULAB=CHASM

( PYCTORHIS SINENSIS )

As a bird pet, Pi/ctorhis sinensis
possesHes special attraction for the bircl-
lover. It is gifted neither with any musical
skill of a superior order like the Shama, nor
with the Dhayal's pugnacious vivacity or
predilection for the neighbourhood of man,
but it possesses the virtues of a covfidante,
appreciating caresses from its master and
reciprocating them by song and dance and
a free use of its beak upon his body and
attire. Far from sulky, it readily courts
intimacy with its keeper, to whom it un-
reservedly babbles forth its affection and
gratitude. The amiability of its disposition,
its confiding song and dance, make it a
darling to its human friends. It is a perky
little bird, smaller than our domestic spar-
row, with a pretty long tail. Its livery of
rufous brown is not without its grace, tho-
ugh not striking in colours. This, together

78 PET BIRDS OP BENGAL

with the orange of its iris and eyelids, is a
potent attraction for the Indian bird-lover,
who hastens to bestow on it the endearing
but well-merited appellation of "Gulab-
ehasm" ( Pink-eyed ). In wild life, it evinces
traits which run counter to its behaviour
ill captivity. Extremely shy and nimble,
it dislikes open and elevated places, and
leads its life under cover of thickets, rank
grass, reeds, and low bushes. It is seldom
fbund on tree-tops. What it considers to
be its vantage-ground is generally the top
of a lono; stem of liTass, from which it
looks round before utterins: its animated
calls. The fact that these calls are often
answered from amidst a neighbouring clump
of reeds indicates that the bird is to some
extent o;re^arious in its habits. But its
following is never large, which scarcely
exceeds three. Nor is it a ]:>arty whoso
fussiness might easily lead to its detec-
tion. Wary and alert, it ^shrinks from man's
intrusion and at once disappears in tho
tai-gle of thick vegetation. No sooner i>s

THE GULAB-CHASM 79

the Gulab-chasm caged than does it
display a wonderful capacity for adapting
itself to its altered surroundings. It sha-
kes off skulkiness and jauntily stands at
attention at its master's approach, and,
confident of a dainty morsel, allows itself
to be tickled by him. In captivity, it
loses none of the charm and enthusiasm
of its notes, nor its sprightly habits.

This bird is seen in suitable localities
everywhere in the plains, but its range
in the hills appears to be confined to the
elevation of 5,000 ft and below. It is
found in Burma, though un-
, . represented in Tennaserim, south

of Moulmein. It is less common
in the south of the Deccan. The speci-
men found in Ceylon, though classed as
a different species called P. nasalis is
almost identical with the continental
type.

For a glimpse of this golden-eyed
Babbler amid natural surroundings, we
must turn to places overgrown with thick

80

PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

2f r a S S,
labyrinths
of tall
reeds and

tussocky
wastes
w h i c h
abou-
nd near
dried-up
tanks or

marshes and are sometimes found in the
borders of cultivated fields. Such
fields, if they be covered thickly
with close stalky plantations, are
not disliked by this secretive bird, which
is therefore sometimes in evidence in
sugar-cane plots and fields of raliar —
a kind of Indian cereal. But these can

Field

Notes

THE GULAB-CHASM 81

afford shelter only so long as they do
not yield to the reaper's sickle. While its
lioine is ruthlessly laid bare — and it often
fiappens that many a grassy jungle is
Imrnt down periodically or cut by grass-
cutters — it fixes its abode in a suitable
place in the neighbourhood, — thickets,
hedge-rows, furzy bushes, or low jungles.
Cautious and elusive, it displays a tendency
to wander about like typical Babblers in
search of localities favourable to its habits.
But notwithstanding its shyness and
extreme dislike of human observation, it
never retires to the depths of forests. In the
sun-bathed countryside through the long
grass or tangled reeds, so quickly and
cleverly does it frisk about in search of
insects that not a single moving blade
betrays its presence — only its recurring
chatter indicates its whereabouts. These
sharp and frequent ehatterings are its call-
notes, while its song consists of a whistle
with a double note, which is not without
volume and sweetness.

8:

PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

Though the Gulab-chasm is a Babbler,
it differs from the typical birds of that group
in the facts that it does not feed on the
ground and possesses a stronger flight.
While in search of food, it scrutinizes
every leaf with a thoroughness surpassing
even the vigilance of a party of Lai-
jmgrees raiding a suspected quarter. Every
time its

search is -^ li'&^^O^/y

rewarded

with an
insect, it
leaves cov-
er and flies^
up to the'
top of a

THE GULAB-CHASM 83

stem to give out a strain of happy warble.
Its food consists of insects, and it takes its
meal in a way of its own. It does not
swallow its prey in one gulp as is usual with
most birds. It places one foot on
the insect and pecks at it with its bill,
taking off morsels from its body like the
birds of prey.

The bird is always full of animation. In
the breeding season, it becomes livelier and
more energetic. It is then in full song,
and discarding its usual caution, perches
frequently on the top of a nodding reed
to warble forth its mid-day serenades.
Company takes away nothing from its
joyous ardour ; for, not unusually, one or
two of its kindred can be detected close
at hand. It is not an exclusiva bird like
the Dhayal or the Shama ; nor, on the
other hand, is it as gregarious as the
Seven Sisters. Whatever may be the de-
gree of gregariousness of this bird, I can
vouch for a remarkable degree of fellow-
feeling and esprit de corps possessed by it.

84

PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

Once at Benares,
a catcher brought
me three of these
birds caught by
means of bird-
lime. As the y
were being extri-
cated, one bird

THE GULAB-CHASM 85

escaped and flew to a guava tree in the
compound of my house, which, I might
mention, was in a populous quarter. One
would have expected the bird to fiy straight
away to its natural haunt leaving the city
and its dangers behind. But the bird
clung to the guava tree calling out to
its companions, who were not slow to res-
pond to its call. Not content with only
calling to its companions, this shy and
timid bird became bold enough to come
to the varandah where its companions had
been safely lodged in a cage. It, however,
eluded our attempts to re-capture it and
disappeared after a couple of days.

While singing blithely from a pronjl-
nent position in the most happy-go-lucky
fashion, as if inviting the whole world to
listen to its music, it never fails to keep
a watchful eye all round. If its song draws
you towards the spot where it is singing,
you are not likely to see it ; for, before
you guess its location, it slips down into
cover. Even if it happens to he visible,

86 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

hunting for food on the skirts of a reedy
field, it will not remain long in sight.
Go near and it will vanish in a moment.
And though you may wait patienth' for
ever so lono:, it will never come out as
long as you are there.

The breeding season for this Yellow-eyed
Babbler extends from May to Septem-
ber. Living amid grassy surroundings, its
ambition for housing its family seldom
goes beyond grass-blades, three or four
of which are usually considered
sufficient to support its nest;
sometimes only a single reed
serves the purpose. But whenever it goes
out of its way to a tree to build its nest, the
fork of a lime-bush, or at most, a young
manofoe-tree is all that more than suffices
to satisfy its taste.

The nest is an ingeniously built cone
with the apex downwards. It is always
very strong and compact, never slovenly
done, which bespeaks volumes about the
bird's artistic ability. Broad blades of

THE GULAB-CHASM 87

grass are interwoven with long strips of
tine fibrous bark, the inside being up-
holstered with extremely thin grass-stalks
and fine roots. When the nest is wedo-ed
into the fork of a tree, the two adjacent
twigs are enclosed as the inner walls of
the nest. A closely woven outer filigree
of cobwebs invariably forms the plaster-
work which makes the attachments firmer,
and fixes it securely to the sprigs or stems,
as the case may be.

The hen comes out with a clutch of
three eggs usually, though as many as iiYe
have been found in the same nest. It is
rather difficult to hit off a general descrip-
tion of the eo^ojs, for two clutches from two
different nests are seldom similar. They
are mostly broad ovals, while some are
elongated. The surface has often a fine
gloss. The eggs keep a uniform ground-
colour of pinkish -white. The blotches and
streaks of bright deep-red brick-dust are
so thick in some that the ground-colour
itself shows like mottling. In others, the

88 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

blotches take the f^ini of hierogly{>hie
streaks ^ sparingly cast over the wlio1e
surface.

Though in its wild state, the bir.1
observes strict pur da Ji in its relation to nmn,
it completely shakes off its shyness when
once captured and l>rought under his in-
fluence. .From its conduct in t]i<^
Cage-life cage, it is impossible to imagine
that this bird, while at large,
declines all advances made by man to court
its friendship. In captivity, it tries to
establish the closest possible intimacy witli
its owner. It is immensely pleased if taken
up by hand, and expresses its appreciation
by beginning at once a thorough search oi
your person. Perhaps it expects to find
grubs in all the unlikely corners of your
attire. In the aviary it is as sprightly
as ever. There also it does not forget its
old habit of prying into the leaves of
shrubs for insects. If 3^ou enter the aviary
with food, this brave and impatient little
bird will fly u]) to ;\ /n and snatch away one

THE GULAB- CHASM 89

or two insects from your hand. It is a
bird with plenty of go in it, and while in a
cheerful mood, it indulges in a dance which
is indeed a treat to see. If two birds in
two separate cages are placed near each
other, they always respond to each other's
call. With the first streaks of light at
dawn, when one of the birds would break
into soft music before the other ])ird is astir,
the latter at once takes up the strain,
and the two sing a duet for a considerable
time.

The habit of responding to the calls
of its kindred betrays the Yellow-eyed
Babbler into bondage. As it retires into
dense cover on the approach of man, it
becomes difficult to locate its position.
Indian bird-catchers take a caged bird to
places frequented by these birds, and when
the former calls out, the wild one cannot
resist the temptation to respond. As soon
as the catcher has ascertained its position,
he uses his long poles smeared with bird-
lime. At times, wh n a bird is lucky

7

90 PET BIRDS OP BENGAL

enough to disengage itself from the Hme-
covered pole, it escapes into cover by
running with extreme fleetness.

In its wild home it is an out-and-out
insect-feeder, hut in bondage, it is not so
nice about its food and takes the soft food
mixtures with relish. Insects should, ot
course, be provided and an occasional
rationing of kidney and liver keeps it in
good humour. To keep it in continued good
health, a periodical supply of cockroaches
and grass-hoppers is also necessary.

Too nmch reliance should not be placed
on the sociable instinct of these birds ; for,
when housed together, they sometimes
evince a quarrelsome temper and work
mischief in the aviary.

The livery of the bird is neat and decent,
if not gorgeous. The whole upper plumage,
ear-coverts and sides of the neck are red-
dish brown, changino- to cinnamon
Coloration on the wings. Lores, a short eye-
brow, chin, throat, and breast are
pure white shading into pale fulvous on the

THE GULAB-CHASM . 91

al)domeii and under tail-coverts. It has a
very short deep bill without a notch, and
a long and much graduated tail. The bill is
black, the legs and iris pale orange-yellow,
claws pinkisli and the mouth yellow in
winter, black in summer. Its length is about
seven inches.

THE HAREWA

(CHLOROPSIS AURIFRONS)

Nothing more conforms to an Indian's
standard of a cag^e- bird than that it should
be tiny enough to suit a small, easily
portable wicker-cage, and have a sweet
voice. [f these qualities be accompanied
with beauty of plumage, the bird passes
the highest test that is demanded of a
caged pet. The Harewa, or the Gold-fronted
Green Bulbul, is just the bird of this sort.
Its dimension hardly exceeds that of an
ordinary Bulbul. It has a varied song, witli
continual notes, which though not equal
in sweetness and intensity to that of the
Shama or the Dhayal, is yet pretty and
cheerful. Its attempts at mimicry are
laudable and, an untiring chorister as it is,
it is put to the necessity of culling and
borrowing notes from the store-houses of
other birds. Its leaf-green plumage is indeed
a thing of pride to its owner, and serves

THE HAREWA 93

as a splendid 'protective' livery. Thus
equipped with the quahties of a valued
pet, it richly deserves the encomiums
bestowed on it by Indian bird-lovers.
It lives long in captivity and its behaviour
in the cage is amiable.

The appellation of *Green Bulbui' is a
misnomer, for unlike the earlier writers,
modern systematists see nothing common
between it and the Bulbui except their
short tarsus, which is too slender a feature
to establish their affinity. Consequently,
the Harewas are placed in a distinct group,
scientifically known as Chloropsis.

It has quite a wide range through the
Sub-Himalayan regions from Garhwal to

Dibrugarh. In the forests oi

Distribu- , . r. ^

^.^^ the hilly regions of Central

India and Chotanagpur, from

Sirguja through Lohardugga and Manbhum

to the Rajmahal Hills, this bird is very

largely represented. In West Bengal,

only the out-lying district of Midnapur is

inhabited. It abounds more largely in

94 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

East Bengal, the Khasi hills, Manipur and
the neighbouring States through which
its ranofe extends to Burma. There is a
different species inhabiting the Deccan from
Khandalla southwards up -to Travancore
and Ceylon.

Removed though it is from the Bulbul

by a wide l3erth, the Harewa is as fussy

and active as the former in its

arboreal haunts. Like the Bul-

notes

bul, it is a familiar bird in the
localities to which its ran2:e extends, fre-
quenting gardens, orchards, and compounds.
It is not uncommon in the forests and
wooded districts, and its continual chirrup-
ins: is not unrecoo'nised alonir the roads
which pass through heavy jungles, yielding
ample relaxation to the nerves of the
weary traveller tramping tedious miles
without a companion. Though the

continual notes of the bird betray its where-
abouts, it is not easy to spcjt it when
it is assiduously foraging among the leaves
of lofty trees or flitting aljout among

THE HAREWA 95

the sprigs in search of insects. For so
closely does its body-colour resemble the
foliage amidst which it lives, that it may
be said to be a typical example of colour
protection in Nature. How justly does
its appellation of 'Leaf-Bird' lit in with
its nature ! It is essentially a leaf-hunter
and affects the topmost branches of trees.
It is seldom found on or near the ground,
and when clinging tenaciously to its leafy
surroundings, it keeps its eye not only on
the insects that remain hidden among the
leaves but also on fruits and nectar-yielding
flowers. For they are greatly relished
by the bird whose long and curved bill
and protruding tongue are of great help
to it in sucking up the liquid from inside
those flowers, and as the latter attract
various insects, the Harewa shows a
preference for all large trees bearing sweet-
scented flowers. Its fondness for spiders
may be easily guessed by its habit of
frequenting those prickly shrubs that are
usually covered w^ith a network of cobwebs.

96

PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

Its insect -eating
habit makes it a
beneficial bird in
tea - plantations,
tVn' when the
tea slirubs are in
tiovver, they are
menaced by

insects which fall
victims to the
Harewa. Its love for
fruits might sometimes lead it to injure
orchard-produces, but the damage is not

THE HAREWA 97

i;'reat as it appears to select only those
fruits that burst open in riping.

A near relative of the Harewa [C.
jerdoiii) has been observed to frequent the
heads of cocoanut palms which abound in
many parts of Southern India. But the'
Gold-fronted Harewa has no such predi-
lection, and shows its attachment generally
to all fairly big trees and shrubs, though
it roosts by preference in dense secondary
scrub or even in long sun- or elephant-grass.
There its activity knows no bounds. Watch
it hop amidst luxuriant fronds or flit
about among^ slender twio-s, or clino-
to moving leaves like a Tit or catch insects
on the wing like a Bee-eater, — -the bird is
always at its best. ''At one moment it
will hover like a Sun-bird in front of a
flower, at another it clambers along the
lower surface of a thin branch and some-
times it will swing itself round and round
in somersaults." It looks extremely
graceful as it slips with ease through the
foliage in pursuit of moths and termites,

7

98

PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

halting occasionally to hunt up likely
places for hidden insects^ or cobwebs for
spiders, or chasing swifter insects on the
wing. The smallness of its Bulbul-like

feet is no
obstacle to
its agility
in coping
with diffi-
cult, nay,
almost

•n V ^- ^^i
impossible situations, mfp

While hunting among
the leaves, the male
bird o'ives vent to its
satisfaction in conti-
nual chirp-
ings^ and a
number of
varied
w h i s 1 1 e s.

THE HAREWA 99

Its serious attempts at song, however,
end in the reproduction of a few Dronjo-
like notes in softer keys. Tiiese are
probably its amorous calls to its mate. It
is, however, a mimic par excellence, and
can imitate the notes of almoso every small
bird around it.

Restless and vociferous, it is extremaly

shy and intolerant of company, and any

intrusion by its kindred upon its feeding

area is strongly resented and actively

repelled. But it is always considerate

towards its mate, so that a female Harewa

proceeding at the heels of its partner is

not an unusual si2:ht. It has been observed

sometimes to go out of its way to offer

violence to other birds who happen to

trespass on its hunting ground. Thus

scuffles between the Hare was and Parrots

occur not infrequently during the fruiting

season of the prickly shrubs like flacourtla

ramontclii that bear sweet berries. These

shrubs, inasmuch as they harbour spiders,

are specially attractive to the Green Bulbuls,

100 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

while the green parrots are drawn towards
them on account of tlieh' fruits. In the
second edition of the Avifauna of British
India, Mr. Stuart Baker says, "The Gold-
fronted Chloropsis is found in small parties,
four to a dozen or so, throughout the non-
hreeding season". This observation appears
to be completely different from that in the
first edition where Gates stated that it lived
in pairs or alone. Finn ascribes it a savage
temper and says, "in the wild stage Mr.
Baker has seen two of these birds fight to
death." On the other hand, Legge says of
Jerdon's Chloropsis (C. jerdoni) that the
females collect in little flocks when not
breeding. May it not be that, like the latter,
the hens of the Gold-fronted Chloropsis also
collect in flocks during the non breeding season
and were observed by Mr. Stuart Baker ?
Little seems to be generally known

regarding the nidification of this

Nests and i . i -t-» . oj i -o i

bud. But Stuart Baker orives
Eggs

a very full account c>t its house-
building operations which last from May

THE HAREAVA 101

to August. The nest is placed in a semi-
pendant position in a horizontal fork of
one of the outer branches of a tree
or sapling. It is suspended like a hammock
by very thin fibres which are firmly fixed
to the sprigs of the fork, and these fibres
support the nest more strongly by passing
under the nest. Unlike the nest of its
relative, C. jerdoni, this bird has not
been observed to place its nest on the upper
surface of a large bough. Its nursery is
a shallow cup made of fine twigs, grass-
stems, moss-roots, and fern-stalks. As the
nest is a small one, it is very hard to locate
it. The eo'o-s are two in number and differ in
shape and intensity of colour. They vary
from pale pink, so faint as to appear white,
to a rather warm pink. Most eggs are
marked with small specks and spots of a
deep reddish brown, and also with irregular
lines and streaks of the same colour but dark.
In shape, they are long but some are
regular ovals, while others are decidedly
pointed.

102 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

If there is any bird which can give the
lie direct to the adage — Fwe feathers do

not make a fine lircl — it is the
Cage-life Harewa. Whether or not the

Green Bulbul makes any preten-
sions to a monopoly of fine feathers (the hue
of its livery being detectable in a few others
of the avine community ), there is scarcely
any other bird whose plumage can
transcend in mao^nificence the view- of the
Chloropsis as revealed in its natural netting.
Indeed so majestic a sight justly deserves
the appellation of the ^Ornament of the
forest' bestowed on it by the people of the
Deccan. But the *fine feathers' of the
Harewa are the least of its qualities for
marking it out as a popular cage-favourite.
Pre-eminent amoni^ its merits are its
loquacity, and a remarkable power of
mimicry which has earned for it the
designation of *a veritable gramophone'.
Sanguine and vivacious, it has none of the
morbid scruples which torment many a
bird in captivity. It has a robust cons-

THE HAREWA lOS

titutioii which makes it quite a hardy and
long-Uved specimen for the cage. Its
appetite is in conformity with its sturdy
physique, allowing it no time to be fastidi-
ous about its food, as is often the case with
the over-punctilious. It therefore admits
of easy management in captivity, and it»
keeper is hardly put to any trouble or
anxiety except that which sometimes
verges on the ludicrous and which is due
to the vulgar misuse of its vocal chord in
mimicking cries of distress. Little wonder,
then, that it will be appreciated by bird-
lovers highly enough to make its price
commensurate with its worth. And its
value extorts from its keeper greater and
more generous care than is generally
bestowed on birds in this country. It is
not kept in the traditionally small, crampy
cao-es, but is accommodated like the
Shama in bigger and more roomy ones.
So great is its popularity among the
people of India that its demand is hardly
met by its supply in the local markets.

104 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

It may occasionally be obtained in the
Calcutta market, where a few are annually
brought down from Midnapore and some
other districts. But the principal mart
where many of these birds are annually
offered for sale is the Sonepur fair in
Tirhut, — the largest in India. The Hare-
wa's fame has also crossed the seas and
"in London and on the continent" writes
Butler, ^'it has always commanded toler-
ably high prices on account of its beauty
and clear, cheerful notes."

As in India, the majority of Engiisli
aviculturists are in favour of the cao^e as
a domicile for this bird. In the aviary,
it is prone to create trouble by poking
its nose into the affairs of others ; and the
way in which it attacks other birds is
quite vicious, though this sort of bellicose
disposition sometimes proves fatal to it-
self Still, the aviary, if antagonistic
influences are eliminated, would be a more
desirable place where it can be billetted,
because, brisk and restless as it is by

THE HAREWA 105

nature, it hankers for space to give freer
play to its exuberant energies. If a cage
is decided on, it should be large, otherwise
its soft feathers will break and come of! by
brushino' ao^ainst the bars. The cao'e
should be provided with a number of
perches, as it will stick to its arboreal
habit and seldom alio*ht on the caoje-floor.
It will keep in better trim if the luxury
of a bath be provided. Its manner of
enjoying a bath is curious. Instead of
splashing the water about by flapping the
wings, as is the habit of many a bird, the
Harewa makes a dash into the water, not
a straight dive from above like the fisher,
but in at one side and out at the other.
Its soft plumage is quickly soaked, and
though unable to fly, gets on to a perch
to preen and dry itself, but remains on
no account on the floor.

It should be allowed plenty of light,
otherwise not only would it lose its usual
gaiety but also its bright plumage. It
has been observed that in a bird-room,

106 PET BIRD.^ OF BENGAL

the Ilarewa would always seek tlie inost
lighted corners.

We have already said that its food
presents little difficulty. It is a hardy
bird with sound liver and adapts itself to
any ration. Formerly aviculturists in
Europe used to treat it, as regards its food,
much like the honey-suckers because their
contemporary ornithologists had wrongly
classed it as such. So that it was fed on
a sweetened diet. This is now considered
unnecessary. Being principally an insect-
eater, it will keep fit on plenty of insects
and larvae — ants' eggs, grasshoppers, etc.—
and fruits, of which banana is greatly re-
lished. Eich diet like the yolk of eggs
or minced meat should be sparingly used ;
otherwise it will bring on fits of hysterics.
It would accept without the least grumbl-
ing any soft food, satoo made into a pulp,
or bread and milk. It will also shift for
itself by capturing flies which may stray
too near the cage-bars.

It is not generally subject to any

THE HAREWA 107

malady. According to the late Mr. Sanyal
a former Superintendent of the Calcutta
Zoological gardens, newly caught birds
have been known to suffer from a kind of
horny growth on the tip of the tongue, due
to. he su2f2:ests, chanoje of food. The o-rowth
should be gently scaled away, and some
non-irritating bland oil applied. My own
experience has been that in summer
they are generally susceptible to fits of
hysterics, to which many of my specimens
succumbed.

It may not be out of place to mention
another Chloropsis which has a name in
avicultural circles, I mean Chloropsis
hardwichii. It is a more beautiful bird,
and takes to the cage easily. It is as good
a mimic but its natural voice does not
come up to that of its more favoured
cousin. It is a bird of the hills and does
not seek the plains like the Harewa.

Chloropsis aurifrons keeps a constant

plumage throughout the year. Its general

body colour is bright grass-green, a

108

PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

little paler on the lower,
and front of the crown
b r i g h t

Forehead

golden ur

orange

i-\\:: fmp,

THE HAREWA • 109

cheeks, and upper-throat bkie ; a faint
yellow zone surrounds the fore-
^.^^^ neck and passes round the black

of the throat forming a collar.
The lesser wing-coverts are blue and
there is a patch of the same colour
under the wings, which is only seen when
the bird spreads them out. The bill is
black, slender and curved, the tip being
bent and notched. The tail is short and
square, and the wings are rounded. The
feet are leaden, iris brown, and claws
horn-coloured.

The female is generally less brilliant
in colour than the male. The yellow of
the forehead is paler, and the black of the
neck is of smaller extent. The young
are entirely green, with a faint bluish tinge
on the winors and tail. In size this bird
is slightly over seven inches.

THE FATIK-JAL

( AEGITHINA TiPHIA )

The'^'Fatik-jal" or lora, as it is known
to the Europeans, is a beautiful little
bird with a sweet though melancholy note.
Its plaintive cry just before the rains is so
pathetic that popular imagination inter-
prets it as an appeal to Heaven for water.
This bird is happy only in Nature's bosom
and becomes so morbid in the cage that
it seldom lives Ions:. Insect-feedino: birds
seldom thrive in captivity unless they take
to artificial food. The Fatik-jal is so
thorough-going an insect-feeder that it ap-
pears to derive very little nourishmen
from the prepared food supplied by man.
Not that captivity tells upon its temper
and makes it refuse food altogether. On
the contrary, it greedily devours the food
offered, unlike many insectivorous birds.
It lano^uishes, notwithstandino- for inex^oli-
cable reasons.

THE FATIK-JAL 111

It is greatly sought after by bird-lovers
who bestow on it much tender care, The
reason is two-fold. It is, in the first place,
a bird of beautiful plumage^ — an attribute
not found in all song-birds. Its green, set
off by yellow, makes it very attractive.
Secondly, there is an irresistible charm
in the appealing sweetness of its voice
which ranges from a loud and clear fluty
octave to a very low, tender, almost melan-
choly wdiistle.

The Fatik-jal is a resident bird all over

India except Sind, Kajputana, and the

Punjab. In Southern India it

, . is numerous in the plains as also

bution ^

in the hills all alono; the We-
stern Ghats except Southern Travancore.
It does not generally ascend the hills
to more than 3,000 ft., but it has been
recorded in Ootacamund. Eastwards from
the Northern frin2:es of the Y/estern
Ghats, it is found in the Central Provinces,
Chotanagpur extending to Oudh, and the
low^er ranges of the Himalayas up to Assam
in the East. It is a common bird all over

112

PET BIRDS OIT BENGAL

Bengal but it is
rare in the im-
mediate vicinity
of Calcutta. To
the West it is
found in the
Ajmere district

up to Mt. Abu.
Here there is a
break in the
continuity of the distribution, for immediately
east of Abu and up to Bundelkhand, the
country is inhabited by another species of
I or a.

Every orchard and garden give shel-
ter to this active and restless bird.
Amidst the thick foliage of the
spreading mango, tamarind,
and clumps of tall and nodd-

hours

Field
Notes

ing bamboos, the lora keeps foi

THE FATIK-JAL 113

searching minutely every leaf and twig
for insects. It does not, however, show
any partiality for particular trees. Any
leafy tree, affording plenty of shade and
cover, may be its hunting ground.
Gardens and orchards are not the only
places where we find this bird. The
edges of jungles, and trees around cultivated
fields are its haunts as well, and I have
noticed them also amidst roadside foliage
in Deoghur. It is not easily detected
amidst its haunts in spite of its bright
plumage. As it selects the most leafy and
luxuriant trees, which afford it the most
effective cover, its green colour and small
body help admirably to defy detection.
Snugly concealed, it proclaims its presence
only by its incessant vocal efforts. *'A
voice and nothing but a voice" is the apfcest
description that may be applied to it.

The male keeps up a continual strain
of music, sometimes nielodious, sometimes
querulous, at others merely chatterinor —
but each note different from the other.

8

114 PET BIRDS OP BENGAL

Just before the rains, its cry becomes
appealingly plaintive, quite powerful, and
very much flute-like. Now it is raised to
the highest — almost a shrill — -pitch, and
then suddenly it falls to a soft, mellow,
and plaintive note. This last note has a
sad sweetness in it which makes it the more
charming. The distinguished *'Eha" while
admitting the sweetness and variety of
the lora's notes, says, *'It has no song."
To this Dewar retorts with this happy,
if sarcastic, reply, ''it continually makes a
joyful noise", and says that "it is a good
songster".

The cry of the birc^ sounds like 'torfee-
ha! or, as rendered in Bengal, Fa-iee-ka
(whence its name), the second syllable
being deep, long and loud. Layard des-
cribes this note as a "clear bell-like whistle
which can be imitated on an octave flute."
Legge renders it as *chee-tooo'. The
people of Upper India interpret it as 'Shou-
higa which to Dewar hears like 'So-he-ye'.
The people of Bengal identify this bird

THE FATIK-JAL 115

with the ''^ChataW of Sanskrit literature,
wherein it is described as a thirsty bird,
always invoking the cloud-gods in a plain-
tive voice for drops of heavenly water,
as it refuses to quench its thirst with water
from the earth. European Orientalists
believe that the Chatak is a different bird
— Coccystes jacobimiSy which has a ''rather
plaintive, not unmelodious call."

It hops about the leaves with marvellous
dexterity and searches them in the fashion
of White-eyes. Sometimes, it may be
seen hanging on, like a tit, to a slender
twior scrutinizinsr the surroundinsc foliao-e.
It seldom leaves a tree unless it has been
thoroughly searched and then makes a
rapid flight to another, where also it
remains for hours. x\.s it hops from twig
to twig, it may be noticed that every time
it utters its low whistle, there is a soft
echo from the same or another tree. This
is its sweet-heart which is always near or
around its gallant. Sometimes two hens
and a cock may be seen together ; and

116

PET BIRDS OP BENGAL

THE FATIK-JAL 117

or four birds in the same tree enjoying a joy-
ful dinner. This is not a social gathering but
a purely family group. The one or the other
of the foad parents generally looks after and,
perhaps, educates the children by practi-
cally demonstrating to them how to fly
and hunt — even when they are grown up
and ready to take the chances of life in-
dependently. After the day's incessant
hunt for food, when the bird retires to
roost at dusk, it rolls itself up into a ball
and tucking its head and bill under the
feathers goes snugly to sleep.

The flight of this bird, though rapid,
can scarcely be said to be graceful. It is
a combination of quick flappings of the
wings and dipping of the body, which
produces a strange sound. The lora catches its
prey on the wing sometimes, but comes down
to a branch or to the ground to swallow
it. Larvae, spiders, caterpillars, and small
insects chiefly form its food. From an
economic point of view, it is distinctly
beneficial, as it feeds on injurious insects.

118 . PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

In the nesting season, the male becomes
exceedingly lively. It is supposed by
many that the lora mates for life, "till
death do them part". But unlike many
a human husband, the lora's love for its
lady never wanes. Every season, the cock
bird tries its best to please its partner
by showing off its physical charm and vocal
attainments. It would indulge in short
fluttering flights from tree to tree with
its black tail spread out and the white
plumes of the flanks puffed up. Sometimes,
it rises up into the air, and when descend-
ing, it comes spinning round and round,
its small body looking more like a fluffy
ball of down than a bird. All the time
it descends, it utters a strange protracted
sibilant sound. At other times, it darts
out from one tree with a moth or butter-
fly in its beak and vanishes amid the
foliage of another. " "When their nests
are meddled wil^", says Munn, *'the old
birds are most vociferous, crying and
fluttering about quite close, and often

lOPA

. "* THE PATIK-JAL 119

making a curious buzzing noise with their
wings."

The mating period of this bird extends

from May to September according to

locality. In our province, June-

T?^^o July seems to be the height of

Eggs ■^ ^ „ . .

the breeding season for this bird.
The rains commence in those months, and
the bird is also in the splendour of its song
at that time. The nest is generally built
at a height of from ten to twenty-five feet
from the ground. It is placed on the
upper surface of a horizontal branch. Some-
times, a slanting bough is selected when
the nest assumes somewhat of a pocket-
shape. Occasionally, it is built between
three or four slender twisfs forminsf an
upright fork. The nests are deep, and
neat little thin- walled cups — an **after-
dinner coffee-cup" as Eha puts it — made up
of fibres, grass and hair, thickly coated
externally with cobwebs by which it ia
firmly attached to the branch on which it
is placed, and also to any little twig spring-

120 PET BIRI>S OF BENGAL

ing out of that branch that may adjoin
the nest.

Three is the usual number of a clutch
of eggs, which are broad ovals slightly
pointed at one end. The eggs, however,
vary a good deal in shape and colour. Their
ground-colour is grey or dirty white, but
some have a creamy tinge, with large brown
or reddish -brown streaky blotches more
numerous at the thick-end.

Many an honest attempt has been made
to familiarise it with the cacre but all
attempts have so far been dis-
Cage-life appointing. When first caught,
the lora shows little shyness,
utters its characteristic call, and readily
takes insect and artificial food unlike many
newly-caught birds that disdain prepared
food. But the food apparently fails to
suit the bird which pines away soon. I
made several attempts to reconcile the lora
to captivity. Only a few lived appre-
ciably long, the majority perished within
a short time. Amonsr those that lived

THE FATIK-JAL 121

for sometime was only one adult which
survived for two months. The others of
this group were nestlings. I noticed that
adult birds would show distinct signs of
misery in the cage. When the bird-
catcher brings one to you, it is already
stripped of half its feathers, and is a piti-
able object, bare and clumsy. Nevertheless,
it would take its food and drink water, as
if mechanically, then go to a perch where,
rolling itself into its sleeping posture, it
would remain quiet for hours moving down
again only when impelled by hunger. In
this most doleful state, it lingers for a day
or two and dies a victim to the bird-
catcher's thousfhtless handlino: of a soft-
feathered bird. The lora's feathers are
so soft that they come off easily by the
least rough handling. In my opinion, we
should begin with nestlings in our attempts
to cage the lora.

A neighbour of mine had a hand-reared
lora for a long time ; the bird was evident-
ly happy, for it used to sing very blithely.

122 PET BIRDS OP BENGAL

Its cage was kept covered with a
piece of clean linen just as the Shama is
treated in this country. Finn relates his
experience of this bird as follows — ''A
tame bird I kept recalled in its actions

Chloropsis and Leothrix ; it grasped

food in one foot like the latter or a Shrike.
It was shy at first, but soon got tame.
I was told adults could not be kept, and

mine was a hand-reared one I did

not see it show any sociability, and it
seemed able to take care of itself with
other birds".

Early Ornithologists classified the lora
with Chloropsis^ while others grouped it
as a Bulbul. Legge names it the ^'Bush-
bulbul". But if, on account of its -supposed
resemblance, we treat an lora as a
Bulbul, we shall not get satisfactory re-
sults. For the lora is not like the latter
a fruit-eater. Oates says that the lora
shows affinities with the SyJviidae as it
has two moults a year. I believe that
if we treat the captive lora as to its food

THE PATIK-JAL 123

like the warblers, we are likely to get better
results. ^

An intersting habit of one of my loras
is worth mentioning. It used to drink
water in a peculiar way. When the plants
of the aviary were sprayed with w^ater,
the bird used to drink the small dew-like
drops that remained on the leaves. Does
this support the Fatik-jaPs identity with
the classical Chataka which quenches
its thirst by catching the rain-drops as
they fall from the sky ?

In summer plumage, the male has a
very handsome appearance, its black upper
body contrasting with the vivid
Coloration yellow breast. The whole upper
body — forehead, crown, back,
upper tail-coverts, and tail — is black, except
a streak of white on the wings, and a
greenish yellow rump. Chin, throat,
breast, and neck kre deep intense yellow ;
abdomen, sides, and vent are greenish
yellow. In some birds the yellow bases
of the feathers on the head peep through

124 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

the black. In winter the bird loses all
or most of the black on the upper body
and becomes yellowish green except on
the tail. In Southern India and Ceylon,
these birds retain, more or less, the black on
the upper plumage in winter. ''Through-
out its great range" say Gates, ''the
Common lora is subject to variations
in its plumage which appear to be due
chiefly, if not entirely, to climatic in-
fluences".

The black plumage is generally supposed
to be the mating attire. But, "in the
breeding season" observes Munn, "the
males have very little black on the upper
parts, being chiefly yellowish green on the
head and back, and differing but very
little from the winter plumage". My
observations also happen to corroborate this.
Legge says that he has seen the black
plumage at all seasons of the year. The
safest hypothesis, in his opinion, is that
some breed in the green and some
in the black stage. "It may be," he adds,

THE FATIK-JAL 125

''that black plumage is, to some extent,
a sign of age rather than a seasonal dress."
In the new edition of Avi-fauna of Bri-
tish India Mr. E. C. Stuart Baker divi-
des Aegithina tiphia into three sub-spec-
ies, all of which become more or less
black on the upper body in the breeding
season. His description of the breeding
plumage of the male Aegithina tiphia
tiphia is — "Lores, forehead, crown, back,
upper tail-coverts and tail black". But
further down he adds, ''The description
of the male given above is quite exceptional,
more green and much less black being
the rule and many breeding males have
practically no black on the upper parts
other than the wings and tail". This is
rather puzzling as it shakes the very founda-
tion of his "Key to subspecies A",* where

* Key to Subspecies
Upper parts greenish, more
or less marked with
black from crown to
rump, the bases of the
feathers showing through
as greenish ^. tiphia tiphia, J breeding.

12G PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

black seems to be a sine qua non for a breed-
ingr male. Is it not worth while to find
out if these ''many breeding males" are
sufficiently many in number to warrant their
inclusion into a fourth subspecies in
which the male, whether breeding or not,
has no black on the upper parts other
than its wings and tail ?

The female is at all seasons green above,
the sides of head and the whole lower
plumage being yellow.

The young birds do not assume the
full adult plumage in the first spring.

The lora is a fluffy-plumaged bird,
with a short and straight bill, and roun-
ded wings. Iris yellowish white ; lower
mandible and the margins of the upper
part, almost up to the tip, blue, the
remainder being black ; legs and feet weak ;
tarsus lengthened and covered with smooth
scales ; toes sharp.

It is quite a diminutive bird, smaller
than a sparrow, being a little above five
inches in total length.

THE BHARAT AND ITS KINDRED

The bird, that inspired a great poet of
England to break out into "harmonious mad-
ness", is not a strange figure in the sun-lit,
clear, blue sky of India. The overflowing
music of this mystic minstrel of the air —
the Sky-Lark — comes floating down the
sun-beams on a winter day. This particular
Sky-Lark fAlauda arvendsj, beloved of
the English Muse, does not, however, come
within the scope of this treatise, for it is
only a temporary sojourner in our climes.
But it has a first-cousin in the Indian Sky-
Lark (^A. gulgulaj the vocal attainments
of which are hardly inferior. Our Sky-
Lark is the latter bird, which has, by the
sweetness of its impetuous music, won the
admiration of princes and peasants alike.
It is known in this country as the 'Bharat\

128 PET BIKDS OF BENGAL

and we find eulogistic mention of it in our
ancient Sanskrit literature under the name
^Bharadwaf.

Besides the *Bharat', the other cage-
favourites, among the forty species of
Larks found in India, are the following —
the ''Aggin" or *Aggia' comprising the
singing Bush-Lark, the Bengal Bush-Lark
and the Madras Bush-Lark ; tlie 'Chendool'
or the Crested Indian Lark ; and the 'Retal'
or the Ganges Sand-Lark. The Chendool,
though not a native bird of Bengal proper,
is yet a bird of many charms, and ranks
very high in Bengal as a cage-favourite.

From the avicultural point of view the
Lark has much to recommend it. Its
greatest attraction is its gift of song. It
is extremely hardy, easily adaptable to the
cage and, being a seed-eatmg bird, its food
offers little trouble to its keeper. It be-
comes remarkably tame and attached to its
m?ister. No wonder, then that it is so
widely popular in this country.

It has been urged that to cage a lark

THE liHARAT AND ITS KINDRED 129

which spends so much time on the wing
is the acme of cruelty". I should like to
point out that we generally treat these
birds from nestlings, which, being ignorant of
the happiness of a free life, cannot have the
morbid longing for freedom of an adult
wild bird. "Acme of cruelty" is therefore
not the expression for it. On such an
assumption, aviculture itself would be
inhuman. Our experience shows that the
Lark thrives well in captivity, sings as
vigorously as in freedom, and the percentage
of premature deaths in captivity is negli-
gible, proving that the bird itself does not
feel its captivity as a positive pain.

The Bharat or the Indian Sky-Lark

fAlauda gulgulaj is to be found everywhere

in the Indian Empire including Ceylon and

is abundant in our province. It

bution ^^ ^'^^^ ^^ ^^ ^^^® ^^ ^'^^ middle

ranges of the Himalayas. In
winter, when the European Sky-Lark {A.
arvensis) comes down to the plains of the
north-western portions of India, both the
9

130 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

species are found to associate together in
those parts of the country.

Of the other Larks mentioned above,
Bengal is inhabited by the Aggia known
to Europeans as the Bengal Bush-Lark
{Mirafra assamica). It is to be met with
in the district around Calcutta. It inhabits
the north-eastern portions of India and
extends through Assam southwards to
Bhamo and Arrakan. Jerdon remarks that
this bird is rarely met with on the table-
land of South India. The Aggin or the
Singing Bush-lark {M. cantillans) is locally
distributed all over Northern India. It is
found in the Punjab, Rajputana, United
Provinces, and Behar. Its eastern limits
extend up to a longitude six degrees to the
west of Calcutta. Stray birds may, how-
ever, be obtained in the outlying western
districts like Midnapore and Bankura. In
the works of older writers like Ball, Blyth,
and Oates, we find western Bengal
mentioned as its range. But in those days
Behar was included in the Bengal Presi-

THE BHA.RAT AND ITS KINDRK.D 131

dency. Since Behar has been separated
to form an independant province, we can
no longer with accuracy call it a Bengal
bird. Its southern limits extend to the
latitude of Madras. Northwards, it has
been noticed as far as the Sutlej valley in
the Himalayas. Bengal is the home of
another Bush -Lark — the Red- winged one —
{M, erifthroptera), the eastern limits of
its range rea(3hing the longtitude of Cal-
cutta. The Madras Bush-Lark (Jf. affinis)
lives in Southern India and Ceylon, its
northern limit running into Midnapore in
Benoral.

The Chendool {Galerita cristata) or the
Crested Lark is a bird of Northern India.
Eastwards, it is not found beyond the longti-
tude of Madras. As it affects dry places,
the damp climate of Bengal is unsuitable
for it. It is therefore found in the hot,
dry localities of Upper India. The latitude
of the Tropic of Cancer may roughly be
said to be its southern limit in this country.
Occasionally, though rarely, it may be found

132 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

further south. The majority of Indian
Chendools seems to migrate to Central Asia
with the advent of summer, but a consider-
able number is resident and breeds here.
Dewar notes that "it is found in Lahore
all the yea)* round, but is far more plenti-
ful in winter than in summer, which is the
only time it is seen in England". This
species is, therefore, a migratory one.
Beyond India, the Crested Lark has an
immense range — from Spain to northern
China, from south Sweden and Central
Asia to Senegal in Africa. Its preference
is for bare and barren countries — even for
deserts — and it is found in large numbers
iia the warmest parts of its range.

Last on our list comes a Sand-Lark,
Its vernacular name is Retal which has
evidently been accepted by scientists who
call it Alaudula raytal. "It is found", to
quote Gates, "on the sand-banks of all the
large rivers of the north-western provin-
ces, the Nepal Terai, Oudh, Behar, and
Bengal. This Lark is also found along the

THE BHARAT AND ITS KINDRED 133

banks of the Brahmaputra". '*It abounds
on the white sand-dunes, where the stream,
unchecked by the tide, deposits only fine
sand, and the alluvial country round (from
this cause) is everywhere light and are-
naceous".

Though so many species of Larks are
the intimate pets of a very large number

of bird-lovers, very few of these

Field 1 J. ' '

Notes people, except a microscopic

minority of scientists, can claim
to posses first-hand information of the habits
of these birds in a wild state, inspite of
the fact that they do not inhabit un-
approachable and unfrequented depths of
forests as, for example, the Shama does.
Even the great Eha pleads ignorance about
its song and says, *'I should be ashamed
if I had not noticed that Jerdon and Barnes
and Gates all seem to avoid saying any-
thing definite on the subject, from which
I infer that they knew no more than T do.
The fact is that when the Lark is singing,
it is generally out of sight, or too high

]34 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

lip to be distinguished clearly. So it is not
easy to be sure which species it is'*. This
last remark, however, puts too much dis-
count on the powers of a trained observer,
though it is to be admitted that first-hand
information is meao-re. But the identifica-
tion of the species may not. be so difficult
if we take note of the maimer of ascent
and descent, and the environments. Indeed,
if we can take a day's outing to watch the
Lark amidst its native environments, a
most wonderful chapter of l)ir(l-life ihcI}' be
unfolded to us. In the uiatiiiii' season
specially, besides its song, the vigorous
habits of this bird manifest themselves in
manifold activities, its courtship being a
?nost delicate, artistic, and elaborate affair.
The Lark is a stepping and not a hopping
})ird, and a hop is quite foreign to its
disposition. But when courting, the male
seems to regard hopping as an attractive
sort of gait and advances towards the
female with wings drooped, crest and tail
raised and with a series of impressive hops.

THE BHARAT AND ITS KINDRED

135

At this time, a very common sight is what,
from a distance looks like a fight between

two birds. Selous seems to scout the

136 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

suggestion that these birds are given to
regular fights with beak and talons. He
says, "Larks have what, at the worst, seem
to be delicate little mock -combats in the
air, carried on in a way which suggests
sport and dalliance between the sexes.
Sometimes, rising together they keep
approaching and retiring from each other.
Then in one Ml they sink to the ground
in the grass. Or, they will keep mounting
above and above each other to some height
and descend in something the same way,
bat more sweepingly — ^seeming to make
with their bodies the soft links of a feather-
ed chain. In each case, they make all the
time little kissipecks, rather than ^lecks,
at each other."

Its sono: and vio-our, its dalliance and
sportive habits, do not exhaust all the attri-
butes of the Lark. It is a bird of immense
adaptability. Climatic conditions are a
matter of indifference to it. Speaking of
the Ganges Sand-Lark, Hume wonders
how the bird exists in summer on the bare

THE BHARAT AND ITS KINDRED 137

white sand during the heat of the day.
About the European Sky-Lark, Finn says,
*'It bears extremes of heat and cold,
drought and damp". This is true of the
resident Larks of India as well, because
the whole of Northern India (except the
Lower Gangetic Plain) and many places
on the Deccan Table-land have extreme
climates. It is a great pity that these
songsters fall victims to the epicurean wants
of mankind. In Calcutta and other large
towns, numbers of these birds are killed
and sold as 'Ortolans'. This sort of whole-
sale slaughter is to be deprecated for
reasons more than one.

European writers are of opinion that
the Indian Sky-Lark {Almida gulgula ) is
scarcely distinguishable from the
The Sky- English bird {A. arvensis) in
Bharat colour and is not distinguish-

able in habit or song. Legge,
however, is of opinion that *4t sings quite
as sweetly as the European Lark but not
so loudly, and its song is not so long-sus-

138 PET EIEDS OF BENGAL

tained. Neither does it mount so higfh
in the air". But Oates gives a note from
Brooks who says, *'It is quite equal to the
EngHsh Sky-Lark, I think, and the song is
sweeter."

Its song and manner of delivery will
always remain a source of admiration to
everybody. It is always poured forth
while the bird is on the wing. The ascent
is perpendicular, the bird veering now to
the right, now to the left, rising in spiral
circles, till a height of a thousand feet is
reached. Sometimes, it hovers with a
continued fluttering of the wings. Right
through the ascent— as well as the descent
— its sweet and soothing music is kept on—
"singing still dost soar and soaring ever
singesf. The strain is maintained for a
very long time and, at least in regard to
the European bird, a continuous song of
half an hour's duration has been record-
ed. When the descent begins, there is a
perceptible change of tune. The bird goes
down with its wings kepD outspread and

THE BHARAT AND ITS KINDRED 139

without beats ; sometimes it closes its
wings, a movement which causes it to dip
into the air ; but suddenly it spreads them
out, and by several vigorous strokes, rises
again. Thus, by a series of such sudden
drops and hovering after each new level
is reached, as it draws near to earth, the
song ceases and the minstrel drops like
a stone within a few feet of the ground.
Before, however, finally reaching terra
firma, it either again shoots upwards at
once or sweeps away with an almost
horizontal course for a few yards, and
alighting on the ground disappears in the
herbage. The European Sky-Lark has
been noticed ^-at times to sing on the
ojround or from a fence-rail or bush".
Having similar habits, it is very probable
that the Indian bird also does so. Though
the Bharat frequently mounts up to an
invisible height in its flight sky- wards,
there is no rec ord of the altitude to which
it ascends. The European bird has been
seen at a height of 6,000 feet from the

140 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

ground. The Indian bird is — -as tlio

evidence goes — -a less aspiring bird.

Both its song and its flight testify to
its exuberance of spirit. Watching it
"soaring" upwards, one cannot fail to notice
that its wings are never still ; they seem
to be beating time to its music, which is
all the while being poured forth. In true
soaring, as in accipitrine birds, the wings
are scarcely ever moved. Day in and day
out, and all through the year, it is the
same lusty singer. The song never seems
to wane, though it attains its maximum
power during the mating season. I do
not know if it sings when it is angry as
the Shama does, but it seems to sing under
excitement, even under the influence of fear.

The Bharat frequents the same locali-
ties as its European congener — -pasture-
lands, stubble-fields and bare commons.
It is found in well- cultivated districts
oifering arable land and meadows, but it
avoids towns, groves, and gardens. It pre-
fers, as a favourite resort, the grassy sides of

THE BHAKAT AND ITS KINDRED

141

tanks and also
the bunds of rice
fields, on which
it often breeds.
Its degree
of sociabi-

lity varies with the change of season.
In spring and summer, it lives in pairs for
breeding purposes. Towards the end of
summer and during the rains, it may be
found in small groups, which are probably
family parties, as the young birds continue
to live with their parents even after they
are able to fend for themselves. As autumn
advances, the bird becomes gregarious
and large flocks keep together all through
the winter. The Bharat roosts on the fjround

142 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

and is rarely seen to perch. It is very fond
of a dust-bath, but when it is raininor, it mav
be noticed wallowinoj in the ground.

The Bush-Lark, as its name inipHes,
evinces a partiality for perching on bushes,
and is, to some extent, arboreal in its habits.
It mounts up to the topmost
The Bush- branch of a bush or a dead tree,
Aggin ^t^d from there, hurls itself up

into space. It never gets up to
a height greater than thirty or forty feet,
nor does it romain there long. It drops
down again with upturned wiugs, legs
hanging down and singing with all its
might. It would invariably descend on
the perch it bad left, and as soon as it comes
down, its song is hushed. But not for long.
A stray insect or a small grain is picked
up and the flight again begins. Repeating
this process, it keeps to one bush for an
hour or longer, after which it moves on to
another. Getting up early in the morning,
sometimes even before the dawn, it makes,
all through the day, thousands of musical
sallies into the air without the least sisfn of

THE BHARAT AND ITS KINDRRD

143

fatisrue and weariness. In contrast with
the Sky-Lark which prefers the open, it
loves grassy plots sparsely studded with
trees and bushes, stony ground, ploughed
land, and scrubby enclosures surrounded by

^■^k^V

trees. It is also found in the heart of the
jungle, and round the borders of tanks, salt-
water lagoons, and estuaries.

Its song is sweet and plaintive, specially
that of the Singing Bush-Lark, which is
not only a songster, but also a good mimic.
The Bencral bird has a sweet little tweeting:
melody consisting of about eight notes, the
first six uttered very quickly and the last

two drawn out slowly, thus — twee twee

144

PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

twee twee twee twee tweee tweee. The
Madras bird has a prolonged "sibilant
whistle — tseee-tseee-tseee''.

The Bush-Lark evinces neither con-
vivial sociability nor peevish aloofness.

Durino; the matin t>: -z
season, it lives in
pairs on account
>f the peculiar
demands of Nature.

THE BHARAT AND ITS KINDRED 145

Though the Bush-Lark passes much oi
its time on trees and bushes, it seeks its
food on the ground where it is as nimble and
active as the Wagtail. When approached,
it quickly hides itself by creeping under any
available cover. The Madras species has
been observed to come boldly on to the
roads in search of food. If approached, it
runs for a short distance, then squats close
to the ground and flies away only when
directly and very closely approached. The
Bengal species, however, is a heavy and
less sprightly bird.

The Chendools meet us in large numbers
in winter on every bare plain and stubble-
field throughout the drier and
Ths CrGS"
ted Lark better-cultivated portiona of the

or the smilino; plains of northern India

Chendool , n , , , ,

and on most oi the sana-banK.s

in the rivers. It is astir with the break of
day, shoots up at once into the air with
a torrent of melody, and when a certain
height has been reached, it begins its de-
scent, trailing a flood of music behind. It
10

146 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

seems rather to be thrown upwards than to
fly, and as it flings itself up perpendicularly
into the air, its resemblance with the light
swinojinoj motion of a shuttle-cock is for-
ced on the mind. Its return earthwards
is as rapid as its volley upwards and,
unlike the Bush-Larks, it comes down
to the o;round after each "song^-filled fliofht."
While carolling up and down between the
earth and sky, it is fully alive to the
problems of hunger, but the search for
food seems to take up little of its time.

Its long, pointed crest imparts to it
a o'race lackino- in the other Larks. But
its greatest attraction is its song, which
ranks it as a song-bird. Its call notes are
sweet and melodious, 'not unlike the
(English) Wood-Larks' but less flute-like
and broken into short phrases'. The song
is uttered both on winoj and from oround.
Besides its ordinary song, which is not
more remarkable than other Larks', it
possesses an unrivalled gift of mimicry.
*'Its song" as observed by an aviculturist,

THE BHARAT AND ITS KINDRED

147

"would commence with
a plaintive warbling, soft
and sweet as the breath
of spring ; then the pitch
would rise, and one would
distinctly detect the
sil very
notes of
a Black-
cap,then
it would
fall and

single

148 PET BIRDS OP BENGAL

instant to the bubbling strain of a
Starlincr".

The Cliendool is not fond of company
and is therefore not seen sratherincr in flocks
like the other Larks. It, however, does
not keep severely to itself. A number of
birds may be seen in the same locality,
foraging each for itself in company with
its mate, without gathering together on
social terms. Its food is composed principally
of seeds of grass, corn etc, and insects.
The young are fed on insects and larvae.

The Sand-Lark is common, as its name

implies, on the large sandy churs of all the

big rivers, and Nature gives its

1 he Sand- plumasce a colour approximating"
Lark or T ? . tx i

Retal ^^^ environments. It runs along

the edges of the sand-banks very

swiftly, feeding on the minute insects which

lie at the water's edge. Gates remarks, "it

runs very quickly, and in poling up tlic^

river in a boat they seem to like to keep

with one — I fancy to pick up insects which

are disturbed by the falling sand." Its

THE BHARAT AND ITS KINDRED 149

aerial flights are not as frequent or as high
as the other Larks, nor is soaring one of its
characteristics.

Gates has dismissed this bird with the
remark that it has a poor song, though in
one place he says ''I do not remember to
have heard it sing." Indians, however, find
some charm in its notes and do not discard it
as unworthy of attention, Blyth says "it
ventures short snatches of sono;."

All the Larks described above are, more
or less, addicted to the same sort of food.
They seem to be omnivorous, consuming
small insects, herbage, and seeds. The staple
food appears to be the seeds of various
weeds. The seed is swallowed whole, the
husk beino^ broken in the ojizzard. Earth-
worms and insects are eaten, the young
being fed on small moths, small grubs, and
caterpillars. In winter, when the Larks
congregate in flocks, they may do some
amount of damage to sprouting corn. But
they undoubtedly consume an enormous
quantity of pernicious weeds and injurious

150

PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

larvae and are, therefore, most beneficial to
agriculture.

Terrestrial in habits, the Larks are
terrestrial also in their nidification. Even
the Bush-Lark has not been
able to rise above the custom
of its tribe and places its
cradle on

the g r o u n d.
The prevailing
type of nest

Nests and

Eggs

is a slight, open, cup-shaped one, but
exceptionally, we find domed style of archi-
tecture.

The breeding season of the Indian Sky-

THE BHARAT AND ITS KINDRED 151

Lark lasts from the middle of April to
nearly the end of June. Legge extends
the breeding season in Ceylon up to
August. They build twice in a year, some-
times beginning as early as February and
continuing till May. Then again from
August to October and even later. The
nest is always placed in a shallow depression
scratched by the birds themselves, slightly
concealed from view, under the shelter of
some clod of earth, large stone, tuft of grass
or other herbao:e, or dense stunted bush.
The material they use is entirely fine grass
twisted round and round the hole nearly an
inch thick. Three is the usual complement
of eggs, the maximum number recorded
being five. Sky-Larks never lay eggs twice
in the same nest but always build a new one
for every brood. Both parents share the
pleasures of building, hatching, and feeding
the young. Even long after the latter leave
the nest, they are fed and watched by their
parents, and return at evening, for a week
or so, to sleep in the nest.

152 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

Some of the eggs are of greyish or yel-
lowish-white ground-colour ; some have a
cream colour, while others a pure white
ground. ''AH are densely speckled, spotted
freckled and even blotched with pale yel-
lowish and purplish brown or very pale inky
purple." Most eggs are more or less glossy.

The Bush-Larks build domed nests.
Their nesting operations last from March
to August. The Bengal species lays from
the middle of May to the middle of June,
as also does the South Indian bird. As
all the Mirqfras have two broods in the
year, Gates suspects that it is for the
second brood, when rain is apprehended,
that the dome is put up with the entrance at
the top or sometimes at the side. The nest
is composed of fine dry grass and grass-roots
with or without lining. It is usually placed
in a depression, well-concealed and overhung
by tufts of grass. During the rains, it is
placed on heaps of Jcankar on roadsides or
the permanent way between the railway
lines. The eggs of the Mirqfras have grey-

THE BHARAT AND ITS KINDRED 153

ish, yellowish-white, or stone-cloured ground,
very thickly freckled and spotted, and some-
times finely streaked with yellowish or pale
purplish brown. The young are able to fly
in about a fortnight after hatching. Their
parents have the habit of trying to draw off
intruders from their nest by feigning in-
jury and inability to fly by running along
the ground with drooping wings.

Though the majority of the Crested
Larks are migratory, a certain number
remains to breed in India. Their nests are
to be found mostly in the Punjab and United
Provinces, specially in the Salt Range and
about the Sambhur Lake. They place their
nests, like other Larks, in hollows in the
soil under the cover of some bush, a tuft of
grass or an over-hanging stone. The exterior
of the nest differs little from that of other
Larks but the interior has a lining of fine
grass, cotton, wool, hair or feathers. This
lining marks out the nest of the Chendool
from that of other Larks, The number of
es^gs in a clutch varies from three to five.

154 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

They have a strong family resemblance to
the Larks' eg^gs already described but are
larger than most of them. The markings
also are larger and more conspicuous. The
ground-colour is the usual greenish or yel-
lowish-white, and the specks, spots and
blotches are yellowish or greenish brown and
pale purple.

The Ganges Sand-Lark breeds along the
sandy dunes that fringe this great river and
its affluents. A broad and tranquil stream
with wide bare banks of sand is what it loves
and there, amid a few stunted strao^orlinor
shoots of tamarisk, it builds its nest. It lays
in March, April and May, making a tiny
circular nest in some little hollow under a
tuft of grass or tamarisk or beside and
partly under a stranded log, the fragments of
some old boat, or a large stone. The nests
are small pads composed of fine grass or
tamarisk leaflets. Two is the normal number
of eggs. The ground-colour is greyish or
yellowish white and very minutely speckled
all over with yellowish brown.

THE BHARAT AND ITS KINDRED 155

It would seem at first that a bird, which
seldom sings unless when soaring, will
refuse to sing if confined within
Cage-life the uncomfortable limits of a
small cage. It is undeniable that
a cage is a pitiable substitute for the open
fields and meadows. But the experience
of Indian bird-fanciers negatives the above
assumption. In captivity, it sings not a
whit with less vigour and spirit than it does
in freedom. To the Lark its natural song-
seems to be hereditary. In India nobody
cages adult birds. It is generally hand-
reared from a nestling, which does not
give it an opportunity of learning its song
from its parents. Yet its song seems to
come to it instinctively.

It sings better in the cage than in the
aviary. In India small wicker-work cages
with brass handles are commonly used.
Eich people provide cages made of brass
wires and silver handles. Most of our
inevitable pan and biri sellers always have
this bird hanging in front of their shops in

156 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

a covered cage. The English reader would
be startled to hear this ; but it is a fact,
that these favourites of sun-shine and the
blue sky, are kept covered up day and
night except for the few minutes the cage
is cleaned. Sometimes, a kindly owner
would put it out in the sun to give it a
taste of a long-lost joy. God knows
whether it possesses an yearning for its
native element. The owner knows, at least,
that the bird sings quite lustily in its
circumscribed surroundings. Every evening,
these covered cages are taken out for an
airing to a field or a park, and a number of
cages is placed side by side. When one
bird breaks into song, the others join in a
hearty chorus, and a most delightful
competition goes on for a long while. The
Indian bird-lover, possessing little scientific
curiosity, seems to be anxious about the
comfort of his charo-e. He fits up the casje
with a tight and strong piece of canvas as
a floor for the bird to exercise its legs ;
and in order that the bird may have

THE BHARA.T AND ITS KINDRED 157

sand-baths, he places a quantity of
brick- dust in it.

Amidst all these comforts, the bird
grows very tame, and comes to know its
master, before whom it is seldom bashful.
At the sound of his fingers, it stands up, and
puffing out its feathers, looks up with a
knowing wink. Sometimes, it becomes so
tame that its owner leaves the cao^e-door
open, allowing the bird to walk around him.
Grains and few insects with Satoo are
given as its food in India. But in England,
an immensely varied diet is prescribed — a
mixture of canary-seed, some meal-worms,
smooth caterpillars or spiders, fresh clovery
turf and some fresh and chopped lettuce, —
reo^ard beino; had to the kind of food it
gets in nature.

In India, Larks are kept singly and
never in pairs ; so that there is no instance
on record of the bird breeding in captivity.
In Eno^land, where Aviculture is reofarded
as a handmaid of Ornithology, many an
honest attempt has been made to induce

158 PET BIRDS OF BENOA.L

the Larks to breed in captivity. Below
is reproduced an account of the Crested
Lark breeding in an aviary. It is as
interesting as it is instructive.

''The two birds at once made them-
selves quite at home in the large aviary.
About the beginning of May, the smaller
bird, which was the male, began to carry
large beakfuls of grass and did his best to
induce the female to build in a secluded
corner. The female decided to build in
the most open part of the aviary. They
used to flirt most outrageously.

''The birds dug out a circular cavity
with their stout beaks and lined the cavity
with grass. The nest was completed on 8 th
June ; the first eo-o- laid on the 10th.
The clutch of four eggs was completed on
the 13th but incubation commenced on
the 12th. The female incubated and she
was the most unsteady sitter that I have
ever seen, in fact it seemed to be impossible
that the eggs should hatch in view of the
length of time that they were left every

THE BHARAT AND ITS KINDRED 159

day uncovered in a thinly lined nest on the
cold ground and in wet and chilly weather.
The only day without rains was the 22nd.
However, on the 24th two young hatched
and the remaining on the following day.
The male used to keep watch and ward
from certain coigns of vantage and pass the
word to the female when anyone approached
the aviary and the latter would at once
spring from her nest. I noticed that she
never adopted the precaution of running
some distance through the grass before
taking wing. Probably on the bare, open
stretches of country affected by this species
the ruse would be of no avail.

''The young did not show any protective
coloration and were conspicuous objects
among the green grass. They tried to
neutralise the effect by flattening themselves
down as if a garden roller had been passed
over the nest. They grew fast inspite of
little brooding and bad weather. For
instance, on the 1st of July at 6.30 A.M.
the rain was coming down in torrents, the

1 60 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

wind blew hard and it was very cold. I
wanted to ascertain how the young of
ground-nesting birds manage to survive a
continuous downpour of rain in open nests.
I went and was rewarded by one of those
rare peeps into the mysteries ot bird-life
which are the special privilege of the
aviculturist. The three little Larks were
sitting in an almost erect position facing
one another with their breasts pressed
closely together. Their beaks, pointed
upwards vertically, formed the apex of a
cone. Their necks were retracted, thus
bringing the thick tufts of down and
feathers on the crown and back together,
and their wings were held closely to their
sides. You will at once grasp the meaning
and object of those tuffcs, you will realize
that each little back formed a cleverly
designed water-shed and you will understand
why rain does not kill young Larks.

''The parent birds would feed their
young diligently and were extremely careful
never to approach the nest when anyone

THE BHARAT AND IT8 KINDRED 161

was near. Once or twice I waited as long
as half an hour to see the young fed, but in
vain. I was much amused by the extremely
sensible patient and methodical way in
which they faced the situation. They
simply retired to a little distance, taking
a plump maggot with them, squatted down
on a convenient ledge and waited. The
expiration of half an hour would find them
in the self-same position still treasuring-
the same maggot. On the 6th July, the
young Larks left the nest and in a
wonderfully short time they became
independent and learnt how to dig for a
breakfast".

The Larks are birds of sober coloration.
This want of brilliance in their plumage
is explained if we remember that
Coloration they are dwellers of the open,
some even affecting deserts and
barren tracts. Nature has provided them
with a body-colour which serves the purpose
of a mantle of invisiblity. Some of the
Larks have to live in constant terror of

11

162 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

birds of prey, and the presence of any
conspicuous colour on their body would
have placed them at a decided disadvantage.
The sexes are always alike.

The Indian Sky-Lark (A. gulgula) is
a dark brown bird, each feather being
broadly edged with white. There is a deal
of white in the tail, visible only during
flight. The lower plumage is pale fulvous,
the cheeks and throat slightly and the
breast boldly streaked with black ; the
remainder of lower plumage is very pale
fulvous, and at times almost creamy white.
The bill is dusky above, lower mandible
being greyish horny, faintly yellowish at
the tip ; iris dark brown ; legs and feet
brownish fleshy.

Its length is about seven inches, being
smaller than the English Sky-Lark. Its
size, however, is as variable throughout
its great range as the shades of colour
which compose its plumage.

The Bush-Larks are brown birds without
any white on their tails. The Singing

THE BHARAT AND ITS KINDRED 163

Bush-Lark has rufous lateral margins to
each feather of its upper body and a whitish
terminal band. Shortly after the autumn
moult, the whitish fringes of feathers wear
away. The Bengal Bush-Lark and the
Madras Bush-Lark are respectively dark
ashy brown with blackish streaks and
rufous brown with dark brown streaks all
over. The wing-coverts and quills are dark
brown with rufous or chestnut margins.
Sides of the head are mottled with fulvous
or brown. The tails are brown with rufous
margins. The chin and the throat of the
Singing Bush-Lark are white, while the
Bengal bird has fulvous white and the
Madras bird pale fulvous on these parts.
The remainder of the lower plumage is,
in all cases, fulvous, the breast being
streaked with brown triangular marks.

The iris in Mirafras is brown, the Bengal
species having an yellow shade ; legs, feet
and lower mandible fleshy white, the upper
mandible being horny brown ; the bill is
thick and short ; the wings are moderately

164

PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

rounded ; the tail is short, the lateral
feathers longer than the central pair.
Mirafras are smaller than the Sky-Larks,
being about six inches in length.

The Chendool differs in having a tuft
of bristly feathers projecting as a crest

^>i«%^lfet^-^-

from the back of the head. It is an earthy-
brown bird with blackish streaks to most
of the feathers. The wing-coverts have
sandy margins as have the tail-feathers
also. The entire lower plumage is pale
fulvous with brown spots on the cheek and
a deal of brown sfcreaks o^n the breast. The
bill is yellowish, feet pale brown, and iris
dark brown. It has a long thin but very
stronor bill and a short tail. The Crested

THE BHARAT AND ITS KINDRED 165

Lark is longer than the Bush-Lark by
about an inch.

The Sand-Lark is a greyish brown bird
with dark brown shaft-streaks. Its wings
are dark brown tending to be greyish on
the edges. The tail is brown but has white
in it visible when the bird is flying. The
lower plumage is white but has strong
brown streaks on the breasts, more plenti-
fully on the sides. It possesses brown iris,
fleshy yellow legs and horn-colour claws
and bill, the latter having a greenish tinge.
In size, it is as large as the Bengal Bush
Lark, being about five inches and a half
in length.

THE DAMA

( GEOCICHLA CITRINA

A bird possessing a strikingly handsome
appearance and a pretty song can never
escape the notice of aviculturists. If it ha<s
at the same time a perfectly harmless
disposition, it at once becomes their pet.
Such, indeed, is GeocicMa citrina, A
school-master would award it the first prize
for good conduct, because to him it would
be a marvel of ideal behaviour. It is a shy
and unobtrusive bird ; not in the least
garrulous, being generally silent throughout

THE DAM A 167

the year. But during the breeding season,
the spirit of romance finds expression in its
song which is its only means of courtship.
Its notes, so far as I have heard, are only
whistles, subdued but sweet. Foreigners
have spoken highly of it. Dr. Amsler wrote
in the Avicultural Magazine that its "song
is much sweeter and softer than that of our
Thrush, but is more reminiscent of that
bird than of the Blackbird". In the United
provinces specially, and in Northern India
generally, this bird is greatly prized as a
cage-favourite. It is a pity that in our
province, Bengal, it has received scant notice.
I strongly recommend it for better
consideration, and I am sure that those who
take interest in birds will come to love it,
specially as it can very easily be induced
to breed in captivity. Though it is shy
and secretive, it gradually shakes off fear
and becomes quite bold.

In Bengal, it is known as the Dama
and its JSindustanee appellation is Puttoo.
Prom the colour of its crown, it derives its

168 PKT BIRDS OP BENGAL

English name of the Orange-headed Ground
Thrush.

The Dama is a migratory bird within
the bounds of British India. In winter it
is found throughout the plains,

Distribu-
tion

hills and jungles of Northern and
Central India, Chota Nagpur,
Rajmahal Hills, and is not uncommon in
Bengal. But in Burma, Gates did not
find it to be migratory. It is not a stranger
in the districts around Calcutta. In summer
it is found all alons^ the lower rano-es of the
Himalayas from Murree to the eastern end
of Assam. In Nepal and round about
Darjeeling, its presence is frequently noticed.
In Sikkim its movements are reported to
depend on circumstances connected with
the vegetation of the various districts.
It has not been known to occur in the
Punjab, Rajputana, Sind, and Guzerat.
It is also rare in the West and South of the
Deccan but more numerous in the Eastern
Ghats. In Ceylon, only a few specimens
have been obtained, and probably it is

THE DAMA 169

migratory there. Legge says that in his
constant search for this bird for five years,
he was most unfortunate in not having met
with a single specimen.

The Ensrlish name of the Dama is a mis-
nomer and gives a wrong idea of its habits.

It is not strictly a ground-bird.
Field rpj^g connotation of the qualifying

word is that such a bird should not
only seek food but also live on the ground.
A true ground-bird would possess greater
powers of running or fieetness of foot. The
Dama can hardly be said either to )*un or to
walk in the manner in which a wagtail does.
It does not confine itself solely to the ground.
It is fonder of bushes and bouo^hs of trees at a
medium and moderate height from the grou-
nd and, very often, it mounts higher bran-
ches. It is true that the Dama forages on
the ground and may be seen hopping along.
But it prefers being off the ground except
when feedinsj. It does not even build its nest
on the crround which all true orround-birds
do, but as a true perching bird it sets up

170 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

its temporary home oq fairly big trees. As
this bird is spread over the plains in certain
seasons and moves to the hills as the sun
approfciches the Tropic of Cancer, it is no
wonder that different people have observed
it in different surroundings. Those who
have watched it in the hill-districts in sum-
mer would say that it is a denizen of heavy
jungles where it keeps to the more open
portions along the beds of streams near the
forest paths, or in bamboo jungles. Others,
who first made its acquaintance in other sea-
sons, would assert that it does not fight shy
of human environment altoo-ether • and there-
fore, it is not an unfamiliar sight in shady
gardens, bushy outskirts of villages or lone-
ly village bye-lanes. It hops sedately and
leisurely from branch to branch. In fact,
when undisturbed, its movements are slow,
measured and dig^nified. All this while, it
would indulge in gentle whistles, occasion-
ally throwing out a louder note of defiant
song. The approach of man puts an end to all
this. From a dignified philosopher, the bird

THE DAMA 171

at once descends into a coward. It is
marvellously cautious in detecting dangers,
and the least sign or sound frightens it into
concealment. In my country-house, I have
many a winter noticed it feeding in bush-
covered drains. If approached, it would
take a short flight to a stump or a bush
where it would sit immovable like
a rock and watch my movements. If
further intruded on. it would scuttle along
under the bushes with great rapidity, but,
without going very far, try to take shelter
under a dense under-wood. If further
pursued, it takes to flight. As in the case
of Thamnobia, the Dama also has the
brighter colour on the lower body. This
arrangement is certainly safer in the case
of birds that feed on the ground. When
the Dama is on the ground, the colour of
its upper body lends itself well to conceal-
ment in the gloom of the forest or garden
where its silent immobility would deceive
the eyes of the keenest scout in His
Majesty's army. The bird, too, seems to

172 PET BIRDS OP BENGAL

know full well the use and value of its
protective colour. While perched on a tree,
it instinctively drops down to the ground,
at the slightest sign of alarm or intrusion, to
hide the brighter tinge on its lower body ;
and before you catch a glimpse of the bird,
it puts every available bush and tree
between it and yourself, silently taking
shelter in the darkness of a thick foliaofe.
Reginald Phillips says, "it is probably
from its customary habit of seeking conceal-
ment on the ground at the approach of man
that it has unfairly earned the reputation
of being a ground-bird''. Sometimes,
however, it would hide itself away in the
hollow of a tree. I have already said that
this bird neither runs nor walks. Its
method of progress is by means of very rapid
hops. But though it does not use its legs
alternately like true running birds, it can
progress with a swiftness and rapidity
remarkably astonishing. When on the
ground, it proceeds rapidly forward and
then stops, makes another advance and

THE DAM A 173

again pauses. Each time it takes a short
run, it lowers its head, so that the body
becomes parallel with the ground, but at
each halt, it stands erect, keenly alert and
watchful.

The Dama has a peculiar way of its own
in looking for food. It does not catch
insects while on the wing, nor does it pick
them off from trees. If it happens to detect
any quarry from a distance, it betrays no
hasty eagerness by immediately running to
pick it up. Sedately and leisurely it hops
up to the object, and pauses as if to study
its entomological qualities. After some
time the object of curiosity is picked up and
despatched. As a rule, it searches for
insects on the ground among withered
leaves, every one of which is assiduously
turned over with its beak. In thickets or
shrubs, it carries on its untiring search in a
quiet fashion, — insects and small worms
being the objects of special attention,
though tiny berries are not neglected. It
has also a habit of diorging for worms into

174 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

the hard dry earth. For this reason, its
bill is generally noticed to be clothed with
mud and, durins: the moultinor season, the
portions of face and forehead near the base
of the mandibles become bare and shorn of
feathers. From an examination of the
stomach of these birds, it has been found
that it eats injurious and neutral insects
and therefore from an economic view-point,
it is regarded as a beneficial bird.

This shy bird passes its unadventurous

life in the solitary companionship of its

mate. There is nothing in the Dama's

appearance which may denote the presence

of martial ardour in its character. But this

unostentatious, inoffensive-lookino: bird does

possess strength enough to protect its

female from the objectionable advances of

other males. In this respect, it is like the

Shama or the Dhayal ; but it does not

possess their cheerful spirit, and never

betrays enthusiasm by breaking into vigorous

song and, except in the breeding season,

passes its time in the most severely

THE DAMA 175

puritanic silence. It is quite probable that
as a great deal of the sweetest song is
uttered in a low tone from a cover, it can not
be heard from a distance. The louder notes
are unmusical, uttered from higher perches,
and are probably notes of defiance.

A near cousin of the Dama, Geocichla
cyatio/iot us—the White-throated Ground-
Thrush — is a happier bird not obsessed by
any morbid and disturbed outlook of life.
This bird sings nine months out of twelve
and its vocal performance is not indifferent.
About its song Reginald Phillips says,
''Standing tight and upright, wing-butts
hunched, primaries pointing straight down-
wards with the points touching the toes, head
drawn up but with the bill close against
the chest and pointing straight down," it
pours out its merry warble. It is like G,
citriria in all other respects ; even the
coloration is the same, except that it has
a splash of pure white on the throat, whence
its name.

The Dama beo-ins to mate as soon as it

176 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

returns to the hills in summer. From the
end of April to the end of June, it gives up

its nomadic existence and goes
Nests and temporarily into camp. Forky

branches of lofty trees, like
Oaks, Sal and wild Cherries, are its
favourite sites for bulding purposes. Nests
have also been found in forks in bamboo
clusters, shrubs, and low trees. The rest-
house or strictly speaking, the lying-in-room
of its mate is a big saucer of coarse dry
grass with a layer of green rock-moss
within. The exterior is sometimes
composed of dead leaves, a few twigs, pieces
of decayed bamboo, all knit together with
vegetable fibre. Very often, long dry
grass is skilfully inter-woven on the sides
and the strao:2:lino' ends of these hang down
from the bottom giving the nest a shaggy
appearance. From its life in the aviary, it has
been observed that the incentive to building
operations is given by the male, and the
female finishes off the lining. During the
last few days of building, and during

THE DAMA 177

incubation, the male collects and gives every
insect to the hen. It takes no part iu
incubation which lasts for twelve days.

The female lays three or four eggs which
are broad ovals, much pointed towards one
end, and have a very fine glossy surface.
The ground-colour is greenish white, or
dull greyish. Specks and minute streaks
of red-brown extend more or less all over
the surface.

As already said, this bird meets with
greater consideration in Northern India.
In Bengal, it is not absolutely
Cage-life unknown in the cage. Quite a
respectable number of birds is
placed on the market in Calcutta — being
generally imported from U. P. The birds
in my aviary, however, were caught in the
neighbourhood of Calcutta. In the United
provinces of Agra and Oudh, it is carried
about in a small covered cage — a practice
already noticed in connection with the
Shama. In that province the birds are
generally reared up from nestlings by

12

178 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

means of hand-feeding ; wild adult birds are
seldom caught and caged. The steadying of
adult Damas is not a difficult affair. My
specimens were all adults, and none of
them is languishing. They do not seem
to feel their loss of liberty as keenly as
some birds. If insects be mixed in the
satoo given to them, they will take to it
in a short time. Fruits would be beneficial.
They are inordinately fond of ripe bananas
and eat guavas with relish. As soon as
the bird takes to artificial food, it should
be introduced into an aviary for, as it is
naturally morose and quiet, in a small cage
it becomes susceptible to indigestion for
want of exercise. And as it is not a very
diminutive bird, it will be a cruelty to
confine it in a small cage. It can safely
be lodged in a mixed aviary with the
tiniest of birds, because it is inoftensive
and never meddles in the affairs of others.
The pleasing colour of the Dama adds to
the beauty of its aviary. Foreign avicul-
turists testify to its genial bursts of song in

THE DAMA 179

the cage and in the aviary. It is undou-
btedly a 'beautiful songster'. Unfortunately
for me, the birds in my possession seldom
indulge in ecstatic utterances, though they
have often regaled me to soft, mellow,
almost whispering whistles. It is quite
possible, as suggested by Astley, that vocal
powers vary according to individuals. Like
this bird, its cousin, the White-throated
Ground Thrush, has also found admirers
in Europe. There the Dama is easily
acclimatized, and breeds freely in the
aviary. There are numerous instances of
its successful breeding. My specimens, until
recently, were confined in a small and
congested aviary. In July last, they were
introduced into a bigger bird-house. Here
they made an attempt to build a nest,
but nothing came of it because their
breeding season had been over.

This year, I had recently the good
fortune to notice in my aviary how the
Dama makes love to its mate. Though
in other seasons the male seems to ismore

180

PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

the existence of its mate, it has lately begun
to take interest in her. March is drawinir
to a close as I am writing. The male
now-a-days has become gallant enough to
feed the female as if she were a baby. It
hops round the aviary in a very grave
manner, showing itself off to its partner
who is sitting silently under a hedge. It

then slowly hops up to

the female and stops at

a little distance. Then

it retreats and goes round behind the hen,

stops there, and after a jaunty run round the

aviary comes and stands again in front. Some-

THE DAMA 181

times it goes close up to the hen and makes
her a present of an insect picked up on the
move, which the hen snatches from the male.
Or, when the hen is sitting on a low branch,
the male flies up to her with the love-
offering. The hen begins to flutter her
wings as if seized with a tremor, raises
her tail and utters a low whistle. After
indulging in a few kissipecks, they sit close
to each other in silent reverie. Such is
their tender method of courtship as noticed
by me. The Dama does not indulge in
flirtations like other birds. I have also seen
them mating, no restlessness or coquetry
takes place before the act. It is suddenly
done, and then both remain for some time
facing each other, still and erect.

Two male birds should not be kept
together because they are likely to go for
one another at sight. Reginald Phillips
says, *'Those who can do so should keep
such birds apart, even separating the sexes
during non-breeding season. I was told last
summer, a male orange-headed Ground

182 PET BIRDS OF BENQAL

Thrush at the Zoological Gardens, on being
loosed into the same aviary with a female,
killed her before they could be separated."
But such squabbles never occurred when
all my Damas — I possess two pairs — were
housed together in the same aviary. After-
wards when I made an arbitrary selection
of pairs and lodged them in different
aviaries, even then there was no quarrel.
But now, when each pair has lived toge-
ther for sometime, I find that if I try to
interchange partners, it is not tolerated by
the birds.

The Dama. is probabl}' a mimic. I
cannot speak from experience. But Regi-
nald Phillips declares that its white-throated
cousin is. Finn also, in his *'Bird Beha-
viour" says, '*I have heard the Indian
Orange-headed Ground Thrush, a species
which combines the excellences of the
Song-thrush and Blackbird, irritatingly
repeat a most trivial and monotonous note
it had picked up in the Zoo Gardens".

The male Dama is a decently clad

THE DAM A 183

person. Its attire does not consist of any
blazing colour but the perfect harmony of
colours makes it very attractive. The whole
head, neck and the lower body
Coloration as far as the vent are orange-
chestnut, deeper on the crown
and paler beneath. The rest of the lowsr
body — vent and under tail-coverts — and
the thighs are pure white. Back, scapulars,
rump, upper tail-coverts and lesser wing-
coverts are bluish grey. The broad white
tips to the median coverts form a very
conspicuous wing-patch. The remaining
coverts and quills are dark -brown. The
tail is ashy brown, faintly cross-barred.

The hen is paler chestnut throughout
and olive-coloured on the upper surface. The
outer webs of the tail and wing-feathers and
the under tail -coverts are suffused with green.

An example of an abnormal form of
Geocichla citrina was reported by Mr.
Inglis in the Journal of the Bombay
Natural History Society (Vol. xii, p. 44).
He wrote, "I shot a male of the above

184 PET BIRDS OP BENGAL

Species and noticed several long hairs spr-
inging from the nape, in much the same
way as they do in the White-throated Bulbul
(criniger flaveolus). Also the feathers on
the cheeks and sides of the chin have
lengthened shafts of a black colour."

The bill of the Dama is very dark
brown. It is short, straight, and com-
pressed towards the tip which is more or
less notched. The culmen is gently curved.
The tarsus is smooth ; the legs are fleshy
pink, and the claws pink ; iris dark hazel.
In size it is nearly nine inches.

Indian bird-nomenclature is very loose

and imperfect, and very confusing to

foreigners. There is a bird in the

A So-called central portions of the Indian

Dama continent, the native name of

which also is Dama. It is smaller

than G. critina by three inches and is

quite different in colour. I am referring

to the Brown Rock-chat — Cercomela

fusca which is a permanent resident of

Central India and the United Provinces.

THE DAM A 185

Its southern boundary is the latitude of
Jubbulpore and its eastern boundary is the
lonsrtitude of Benares, and in the west I
myself saw it as far as Muttra, while Dewar
declares it plentiful in Lahore. From April
to July, which are its breeding months, it
makes very sweet music. It is found singly
or in pairs upon buildings, stone -walls or
rocks in the vicinity of human habitations.
I once noticed it nesting in a building
adjoining my place of residence in Benares.
In Muttra and Brindadan, 1 found them to
be household birds like sparrows, feeding
on the crumbs and leavinors thrown out from
kitchens. When nesting, both the male
and the female become very pugnacious
and fiercely attack the small birds, rats, and
squirrels that approach the nest. It nests
in holes, rocks, buildings, walls, and banks.
When it selects a hole in a rock or cliff, and
finds that the entrance is too wide, it puts
up a wall of small stones and pellets of dry
mud. The female alone incubates while
the male sings to her. The former lays

186 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

four pretty pale-blue eggs with reddish-
browii spots thinly sprinkled over the
whole shell. It is a brown bird, with a
dark-brown tail and resembles a hen robin.
In many of its characteristics, it runs close
to Redstarts. Like them, it continually
bobs and nods its head and flutters the
tail. It is a lively little creature with a
passably good voice. As an aviary bird, I
think it will be a success. It is not a
total stranger to bird-fanciers in India,
for, sometimes, thouofh on extremely rare
occasions, we notice it in the cage.

So dissimilar from the Orange-headed
Ground Thrush, it is impossible to say why
it is called Dama. In certain parts of the
Central Provinces, it is termed the Shama.

THE KASTURA

Two more Thrushes are favo^^rifce cage-
birds for then* song and beauty. They are
to some extent alike in appearance and
habits. They are also both dwellers
of the same localities — the Himalayas,
Their notes are the sweetest bird-music
that will reach the ears of a visitor to
the Himalayan hill-resorts. They are both
livelier and more vivacious than the Dama
(Geocichla citrlna). Both grow very tame in
captivity. To the Indian, both these birds
are known by the same name — Kastura.
The scientist would class them stages apart,
calling the one Mywphoneus femminchii
(the Himalayan Whistling Thrush) and
the other Merida boulboiil (the Grey-win-
ged Ouzel). Those who follow Gates may
not like to accept the former as a Thrush ;
but a Thrush it is, and, as its common
English name implies, the ornithological

188 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

laity also have always regarded it as such.
The source of confusion, however, is the
native name. The Himalayan Whistling
Thrush may be called the true Kastura, for
it is known only by that name throughout
its long range of distribution. The Grey-
winged Ouzel, bears the following local
names — Kastura, Kasturi, Kuljet and
Patariya masaicha. For the sake of conveni-
ence I shall call the former (Himalayan
Whistlmg Thrush) Kastura and the latter
(Grey-winged Ouzel) Kasturi.

Mingling its liquid voice with the laugh-
ing music of springs and cascades, the
Kastura lives in the valleys of the Hima-
layas. The Englishman calls it the Hima-
layan Whistling Thrush. The
layan pre-dominant note in its song is

Whistling g^ yppy ^^Q^ clear and powerful
whistle — plaintive but loud. Its
outward appearance is in keeping with its
excellent voice. Amidst the luxuriant flora
of the Himalayas, Nature has added to her
own glory by providing this bird with a

THE KA3TURA 189

bright metallic blue plumage. - A momen-
tary glimpse of the Kastura. may easily give
an Englishman the impression of an English
cock Blackbird, its yellow bill adding to
the similarity. It is only when sunshine
falls upon it that the glistening blue of its
plumage dispels the mistake.

A close kindred of the Himalayan
Whistling: Thrush is the Malabar Whisth'no-
Thrush, which is to be met with in the
Deccan wherever the oppressive severity
of the Ghats is relieved by verdant woods
and murmuring rills. It is a cage-
favourite in the Deccan. This species is
but the southern representative of the
Himalayan bird and differs not the least
in song and habits, and has obtained from
English residents the sobriquet of the 'Idle
Schoolboy'. Though the Kastura is a
Thrush, Gates, in the first edition of Indian
Avifauna, placed it among babblers because
its young have emancipated themselves
from the mottled plumage of thrushes.
But he admits, it retains, in great measures,

190 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

the habits of thrushes. Modern ornitho-
logists have assigned to the Kastura its
rightful place and in the next edition of
Avifauna we will find the Myiophoneus
shifted to its proper classification.

As its name implies, the Kastura lives
in the Abode of the Gods — the Himalayas.

It is to be found from Gilgit to
Distn- Assam and is common, except

in the breeding season, at all
heights up to the Snow-line. During the cold
weather it moves down to the plains and may
be met with here and there as a strao-orler
throughout northern Behar, northern Oudh
and northern Rohilkhund. But it never
comes down to the plains of Bengal. It
is also not very rare in Saharanpur and
in the plains districts westwards of the
Jumna. It has been noticed in Attock
and the Salt Rano-es. In the breedings
season it confines itself to the deep glens
and valleys wherever there is running water
below 6000 ft. and above 2000 ft. It is
also to be found in the WW rans:es of South

THE KASTURA 191

Assam, Manipur and Cachar — in the last
place it is reported to be a winter visitor. It
inhabits also the eastern ranges of Burma.
But to the west of the Irawaddy there is
a difierent species — Myiophoneus eugenii —
which resembles the northern bird very
closely and has the same characteristics.
The Malabar species — M. horsfieldi — 'in-
habits Southern India up to Travancore
but does not cross the straits to Ceylon.
Its favourite resorts are those spring-fed
streams that leap in torrents from step to
step down the steep side of the plateau.
In summer when the rivers below dry up,
the bird is forced into the hiorher ransres
of the Pachmari, the Vindhya or the
Nilghiris. It is found also in Chota-
Nagpur and Orissa hills. It differs slight-
ly in coloration and size from temmincJcii,
but in habits and disposition, is in no way
dissimilar.

In the lonely glens and gorges, or by
the side of a mountain torrent, the limpid,
almost human, whistles of the Kastura

192 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

will deceive a sportsman into the belief that

he is in the proximity of a fellow-being.

Miss Fitzgerald says that its

Field whistle is exceedinojly like that

Notes , ^ "^

of an idle schoolboy wandering

through the woods, whistling no particular
tune. Some people assert that its whistle
is like that of an organ, very rich and
mellow. These whistles are sent forth with
such energy, in such a torrent-like un-
ceasing strain, that it seems as if the bird
is putting forth its last efforts and is going
to choke straight away. The song becomes
most musical and alluring in the spring
and is often indulged in while on the wing.
Both the male and the female begin to
sing a duet early at dawn, when it is still
dark, from some stream-overhanging rock,
continuing till day-light appears, when
they fly off to some torrent-girdled stone
in search of a breakfast. During the rains
Darjeeling and all other hill stations are
kept ringing with its never-failing melody.

THE KASTURA

193

It is found in open rocky spots on the
skirts of forests as also among the forest-
depths. But it is partial to Jhoras — i. e.,
the sides of mountain stre-
ams, torrents and water-
falls which descend in
cascades down the hill-
sides. The explanation to
this partiality

. -ifob^ ^^^® ^^ ^^^ carni-
"^ vorous taste, —

'am

snails,
crabs and tad-
poles being its fond

13

194 PET BIRDS Of BENGAL

dishes. It seizes a shell between its bills
and flies to a stone or rock on which,
as on an anvil, it batters the thing into
fragments and then picks out the animal
within piecemeal. The regular *tap, taps'
of the operation can be heard from a dis-
tance. The smaller shells instead of beinor
hammered on stones, are broken open by
blows from its stout beaks. The piles of
broken shells often seen on and around
boulders and stones by the side of hill-streams
are generally the relics of many a such
merry feast. It is so enterprising a bird
that it sometimes departs from the custom
of its tribe and turns a fisher. The lively
shrimps become the objects of its special
attention. Dashing into the shallow water
at the edgre of a stream or in a rock -bound
pool, it snaps up an unwilling individual,
lands with it on a stone and swallows it
after pecking out its animation. Sitting on
a torrent-girdled boulder it always picks off
water insects, when bigger game is not
handy. Not unusually, the bird may be

THE KASTURA 195

noticed skimming above the water in
pursuit of a particularly swift insect which
has eluded capture.

It loves to jump from rock to rock while
giving out many an extempore vocal perfor-
mance, and when a good morsel of food has
been gathered and disposed of, it flies away,
with an up-jerk of the tail, piping out its
loud and long-drawn whistle. Its tail-
action is most peculiar and characteristic.
Upon alighting on a seat or a perch, or on
being startled, the tail is jerked up and down
several times. It is then spread out later-
ally into a broad fan-form and immediately
shut up again, just as a lady's fan is quickly
opened and shut. This action is repeated
several times. The Kastura is very cautious
and secretive. At the least sound, it is so
scared that it dashes, as if for very life, into
thick cover where, surrounded with thick
foliage, it is effectively screened out of sight.
It would not, like the Dama {G. citrina),
drop down to the ground, pause and quietly
regard you from a distance in order to be

196 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

sure of your intentions before moving out of
the range of your vision.

It is completely innocent of social
instincts and never tolerates the presence of
any of its own tribe in its territory. Each
Kastura confines itself ^Yithin a certain area,
perhaps within a radius of two hundred
yards of a Jhora, Beyond this limit is
usually the domain of another member of the
same species. On no account will one trespass
into the realms of another. These birds
possess a method, unintelligible to man, of
determining the de-limitation of their terri-
torial boundaries. It is only occasionally that
a bird finds itself within the territories of its
neighbour. This happens more unconscious-
ly, and by inadvertence or mistake, than from
any aggressive spirit of conquest. Not that
it is afraid of legal proceedings, for instances
of breach of neutrality are punished more
swiftly and eflPectively, but it seems to follow
a natural instinct ; and therefore these
exclusive birds, living in adjacent territories,
rarely find themselves at logger-heads over

THE KASTURA l97

questions of territorial possession. The
Kastura's household consists only of its
mate. A party of four or five is not an
unusual sight but it is only the year- old
youngsters receiving field-training under
parental tuition, to be soon dismissed to
shift for themselves. Though the Kastura
stoutly refuses the society of its kindred, it
seems to be little afraid of the usurpation of
its territorial rights by other birds. In the
Jhoras it may be seen feeding amicably with
the small plumbeous Red-start {Wiyacornis
fidiginosus) and its bigger congener, the
dignified White-capped Redstart (Chimar-
rhornis leiicocephalus). This triumvirate
seems to live on extremely good terms, not-
withstandino' the ojreat difference in their size.
In its wanderinofs the Kastura ranches
all elevations up to the snowline. In spring

biological necessity drives it down
Nests and to the depths of the glens and
^ggs valleys where invariably by the

side of a stream or cascade, it
keeps home for the few months from April

198 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

to June. In architecture this beautiful bird
betrays a total want of all aesthetic sense ;
for it builds a coarse and clumsy structure,
very big in size, — too large, in fact, consider-
iiioj its own dimension. The nest is orener-
ally placed on some rocky snag or projecting
ledge overhanging a stream or waterfall.
Nests have also been found on trees. Mr.
Basil-Edwardes writes to me from Simla
that it comes back to build its nest in
the same place every year. The sagacity it
displays in site-selection and concealment is
a proof of its natural wariness, for it gener-
ally fixes upon the most inaccessible places
to build its nest. If a tree is chosen, it
sin<yles out the tallest and most towering^
one, where in an inaccessible hole, it places
its cradle. If the crevice or ledge of a rock
is preferred, the rock is generally steep and
precipitous so as to eliminate all chances
of intrusion. When the nest is not placed
in a sufficiently safe and inaccessible place
the builder tries to conceal it by choosing
materials which would harmonise with the

THE KA3TURA 199

colour of the site. If an easily accessible
spot on a sloping mossy bank is selected,
the nest is so worked into and woven with
moss as to be absolutely invisible both
from above and below. But built on a
rock, in the midst of a roaring torrent, not
the least attempt at concealment is made ;
the nest lies open to view, — not even the
materials are adapted to the surroundings.
The nest is made of coarse fibre intermixed
with a little green moss. When the nest
is so placed that it is entirely concealed
from view, the externa] coating of green
moss is discarded, being unnecessary^ Birds,
it seems, exercise not only ingenuity but
intelligence also in such activities. The
interior lining is composed of dry roots, dead
leaves and all sorts of decaying vegetation.
The egg-cavity is saucer-shaped and shallow.
Tlie female Kastura lays two to three eggs,
and the male has courtesy enough to assist
her in incubation. The eggs are the largest
of Indian Thrushes' eggs. They are long
ovals and possess no gloss. The colour is

200 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

difficult to describe. The ground is pale-
greenish or greyish-white, freckled, either
thinly or thickly, with various shades of
pinkish-brown specks. Most eggs have a
cloudy purplish-pink zone or cap at the
large ends.

This Kastura is not easily available in
Calcutta. It is a big bird and best housed
in an aviary, but never with
Cage-life smaller birds. For it is a flesh-
eater, and though in its wild
life it does not generally prey upon small
birds, it develops in the aviary ( it is
invariably so if the bird is hand-reared
from a nestling) quite a murderous propensity
against them. In the absence of an aviary a
big cage is always preferable.

The best food for it would be insects,
shrimps and crabs. Snails and cockroaches
are regarded by it as dainties. The ordi-
nary Satoo mixture, too, is not disregarded.
Occasional fruit-rations are highly appre-
ciated. It enjoys a dip in water immensely
and a bath in the aviary will help to brace

THE KASTURA 201

it up. It accepts a life of captivity quite
philosophically and never deplores the loss
of liberty by ineffectual moping and sul-
king. It is quite bold and free in its move-
ments and its graceful Thrush-like pose in
addition to its beautifully coloured body
lends a charm to the aviary to which it
belonors. It is also a o-ood mirnic and
mocks other birds to perfection. "The
young birds", says Miss Fitzgerald, "are
very difficult to rear, being very delicate
and require to be fed on worms, land -crabs
and tadpoles. The only person I have ever
known who has reared them is a coffee-
planter in the Nilgiris. He taught them
to Y^histle tunes beautifully with the help
of a flageolet ; among other tunes he taught
them 'Merrily danced the Quaker's wife*
and 'Ehren on the Rine' which they
whistled very well."

A great feature of the Kastura is its
tameness in captivity. I give here a brief
account as recorded by Astley in the
Avicultural Masrazine. He writes: —

202 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

''Through Mr, Phillips' courtesy I be-
came the possessor, last September (1902)
of two Blue Whistling Thrushes (Temmi-
nck's) which at that time, and indeed it
may still be the case, were, I believe, the
only specimens in Europe.

*'Both birds were in a precarious condi-
tion. Mr. Phillips wrote to me that the
bird he considered the male was less shy
than the other (whose sex he was doubtful
about), which was terribly timid and suffered
from fits. Both the birds underwent rapid
recovery to robust health. The bird which
was evidently a male had a half-inch of
broken stump instead of tail. I removed
these stumps.

''On the following day, he very much
enjoyed a bath in the sunshine. I had
named him Tommy. Two days after they
arrived, I let Tommy come out of his cage
in the dining room. He hopped about the
floor as if he had been there all his life.
A small piece of cheese was thrown to
him, which he at once swallowed. After

THK KASTURA 203

lunch bis protector (on the journey) sat
down on a sofa and placed a piece of
cheese on his knee. Tommy, from the floor,
stretched himself up on tip-toe, peered
about, and without more to-do hopped on
to the sofa by his side and thence on to his
arm where he very quickly seized the piece
of cheese. After a fortnight I hardly
dared let him out, because he had become
so arrogant and autocratic that he flew at
me like a furious game-cock, settling on my
hand and pecking till he drew blood. In
three days' time after arrival he began to
sing sotto voce ; to record, as they say,
and a very pretty warble it was, some-
times like a Black-bird's, but intermingled
with curious bubbling and guttural notes
which remind me of the manner in which
a Blue Rock-Thrush sings. By the 10th
November his new tail was full-grown,
and his whole plumage, from daily baths,
wholesome food and fresh air by day and
nio^ht, in beautiful condition.

"A more charming pet I have never

204 PET BIRDS OF BENGA.L

possessed, for it combines great beauty,
audacious tameness and a char minor sons:.

"I feed these two on Abraham's egg-
bread, ants' cocoons and silkworm cocoons
( chrysaHdes or pupse ). In Italy the last
is sold pounded up and dry, and is given
with a mixture of*^^ orrounded maize. The
birds are very fond of fruits. They are
birds that love their baths very much and
fine splashing they make in a fair-sized
pie-dish."

The Kastura retains a constant plumage
throughout the year. The sexes, being

alike, are not distinguishable. The
Coloration whole plumage is rich deep-blue,

each feather being tipped with
glistening blue. The lesser wing-coverts are
black, while the median ones are tipped
with white. Lores and base of forehead
are black ; forehead higher up bright cobalt-
blue. The wings and tail, which in the
shade appear to be almost black, flash out
into superb and brilliant deep blue in the
sun-light. The general appearance is black

THE KASTURA 205

with azure reflections. The feathers on
the back and chest, being glazed along the
centre, produce a metallic lustre. The bill
is stout and considerably hooked at the
tip. It is yellow in colour, but the culmen
and the base of the upper mandible are
black. Iris brown, the legs and feet are
remarkably strong and are coloured black.
The young bird is dull blue above and dull
black beneath without the glazed tip to
the feathers. It is a fair-sized bird being
as laro'e as thirteen inches and a half.

THE KASTURI— The Grey-winged Ouzel
(Merula boulbouT) counts many an English
resident of this country among its admirers,
some of whom regard it as the finest songs-
ter in the Himalayas. It is a very great
cage-favourite among the people
winged ^^ ^^^ Himalayan districts, who

Quzel or r^^Q so fond of their pets that they

Black-bird ^ ^^ ^ ^

are rarely persuaded to part

with them even for highly tempting offers.

In Ben oral it is sold as. the Kastura and

206 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

is a high-priced bird as very few are
available for purchase.

This sable bird has no mournful associa-
tions about it. Its black colour, relieved
by grey on the wings, possesses gloss en-
ough to make it handsome and give its
attire a dainty finish. Its vocal attainments,
if not superbly enchanting, are yet of a
high order. Possessing -a sweet and power-
ful voice, it is always trying its vocal strength
against the music of the rills, brooks and
cascades. In fact, there is a very close
connexion between its song and the melody
of running water, which seems to give the
bird an impetus to sing.

The Kasturi is a resident bird of the
Himalayas, its range varying according to

season up to the snowline. It
tion" "' occurs wherever the Whistling

Thrush is to be met with. Its
ranofe also extends throug^h the Bhutan
Doarsinto Assam and Manipur. In Southern
India it is represented by Menda simillima,
which is a bird of the Nilsjliiri Hills and

THE KASTURi. 207

M, hourdillotii, which is confined to Tra-
vancore.

Almost with the first streaks of day-
light, the Kasturi breaks into song and

makes the hill-sides ring with its
Notes melodious whistles. Its song

consists of a very clear loud
whistle, running down the scale of four
notes with a sudden break. The variety
and mellowness of its notes are remarkable.
Sometimes it discards its own beautiful
whistle and takes to imitating: the notes of
other birds. It possesses a perfect power
of mimicry.

It does not like open rocky spots like
the Kastura (Jf. temmincki). It seems to
prefer tree-forests on the hill-sides and pass-
es its existence among the lower branches
and in thick under-growths, searching for
insects and berries. It repairs to the higher
branches for relaxation and for indulging in
its song. It has a very vigilant way of look-
ing for prey. It suddenly makes a short

208

PET B1RD3 OF BENGAL

run and pauses, with head
on one side, intently watch-
ing, and then snaps up the
insect. This habit some-
what resembles the Dama s
method of catching insects,
as I have already described.
The Kasturi's attitude is,
however, always alert and
attentive, and not* lack-a-
daisical like that bird. It
is as secretive and shy as
the Whistlino; Thrush. In

THE KASTURA 209

its hunt for insects it always pauses between
runs and hops, erect and watchful, fanning
out the tail with an up-jerk and appears to
be intently listening. The slightest rustle
would give it a scare and it would fly quick-
ly through thick bush- jungles stopping far
away from the spot where it was frightened.

In Sikkim and in the district around
Darjeeling it is usually met with near soli-
tary Lepcha homesteads where it seems to
be semi-domesticated, but retains its shyness
and fear of man. What it seems to fear in
him is not his sight but his proximity.

Though it does not pass its days in and
around the Jhoras like the Kastura, it
keeps to woody places not far from a Jhora,
For it is very fond of bathing and daily
repairs for this purpose to a stream or
cascade with marked regularity as soon as
the sun becomes fairly hot.

Like the Whistling Thrush, again, it is
not fond of company. It is generally seen
singly except in May and June whan it
keeps in pairs. During the nesting season

14

210

PET BIRDS OP BENGAL

its temper becomes high-
strung on account of
its anxiety for the
safety of its children.
Like the EngHshman it
believes its home to be

^^■'- x'^-iS

its castle ; if any bird, whose pre-
sence is not welcome, pays an

THE KASTURA 211

unwanted call, it is forthwith taught to res-
pect the alphabet of etiquette. This is
what an observer writes, *' I was watching a
male bird singing while his mate sat on the
nest close by, when an inquisitive Black -
throated Jay {Garrulus lanceolatus) invaded
the precincts of the nest. Wifch an angry
^churr' the male bird hurled the Jay into
the Viburnum faetens scrub below and, to
judge from the sounds that issued therefrom,
*boulbou? was having all the fun. Presently
the combatants separated and the Jay re-
appeared flying unsteadily down the khud
and minus some of his pteryllic adornment,
while gallant Ouzel returned to his perch

and resumed his song At

Dunga Gali I saw a Himalayan
Whistling Thrush attacked in much the
same way for unwittingly venturing into
the vicinity of a nest of the present
species."

The South Indian Black-bird is not
as exclusive as its northern cousin. In
winter it meets in flocks. The Ceylon

212 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

Black-bird {31. klmiisi) occurs in larger
parties for we find it described as " collect-
ing in considerable flocks in the loftiest
trees, and while some greedily pluck the
berries from the top-branches, others
remain in the underwood beneath and reap
a harvest on those that fall," This habit
of flocking is probably due to the
abundance of favourite food in a particular
locality rather than the presence of any
social instinct.

The Grey- winged Black-bird nests from
April to August, throughout the forest-clad
ranges of the Himalayas, at elevations
ranmno: between 5000 and 8000 feet. In
Kashmir it is known to breed almost on
snowline. On a foundation of
Eafs^ ^^ tlead leaves or fern it sets up a

•&&'■

skeleton nest by twisting to-
gether a few coarse grass-roots thickly
plastered with mud. The outside wall is
then covered up thickly with a mass of
dry slender ferns and grass or other roots.
Over this, as a sort of paint, is used

THE KASTURA

213

some soft green moss which becomes a

most effective camouflage, making

I the whole structure quite invisible.

j\ The interior of the nursery is first

J cushioned with dry coarse grass

and then draped with fine grass.

The nest is placed in forks at the

junction of four or five smaller

branches which serve

to ensure its privacy. §Mi

Not infrequently the
Kasturi places its nest

214 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

at a height of twenty or thirty feet from
the ground on the stump of a tree, from
which the top has been cut. The new-
shoots springing up from below the stump
serve as cover. Other sites known to be
selected by it are the roots of a tree or
the ledge of a rock.

The number of a clutch of eggs seems to
be four. The ground-colour is a pale dirty
green, so thickly streaked and blotched
with dull brownish red that sometimes the
ground colour becomes invisible. The blot-
chings form a cap at the large end.

The Kasturi is a very attractive cage-bird.
It has a striking appearance, a beautiful

voice, bold demeanour and grace-
Cage-life ful movements and an admirable

power of adaptability. It developes
into a very tame pet and has been known
to live as long as nine years in the cage.
In India it is kept in a large dome-shaped
wicker-cage, always covered up with a piece
of cloth. In spite of this covering it sings
splendidly. The food that is given to it

THE KA3TURA 215

is entirely satoo and a few maggots, and it
seems to thrive quite well on that diet.
It has a vulgar way of feeding, — it never eats
from the pot but scatters the food all over
the cage and then begins to eat leisurely.
It would make the cage most inconceivably
dirty as soon as the food is placed in. Besides
satoo, it may be given chhena (soaked gram),
bread-crumbs and, occasionally, scraps of
banana and shreds of meat or a few earth-
worms. This bird, too, is very fond of
bathing for which provision must be made.
How fond it is of a bath may be gathered
from Butler's account of his specimen which
used to bathe even in mid-winter.

It is a very early riser and begins its
song with the first glimmerings of day-light.
At noon it becomes comparatively silent.
My bird used to arouse me from sleep with
its trilling notes every morning as soon as
the eastern sky -became splashed with Ver-
million and pink. The sound of falling
water seems to me to be in some way con-
nected with this bird's impetus to sing.

216 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

Durinor the monsoon the bird used to sinsf
lustily whenever there was a heavy down-
pour. Not only this ; the corridors on my
first floor were occasionally washed with
water and, I used to notice that, as the
water was swept down and fell patter-
ing on the court -yard, the bird used to break
into song. Its native pugnacity lingers
even in captivity and developes into strange
conduct. Major Magrath writes of his bird,
— ^' A tame one I have possessed for some
years, used when allowed out of his cage,
to "go for" the bare toes of the native
servants and on one occasion he fairly put
a man to flight. Curiously enough, a pair
of boots or shoes invariably excited his ire
and it was most amusing to see him worry-
ing the laces, the only part where he
could get a good grip of. He is always
ready to ''square up" to one's finger if
introduced between the cage-bars and, as
he daily devours almost his own weight in
earthworms, he keeps in beautiful feather
and fiofhtinof trim."

THE KASTURA 217

Dr. A. G. Butler once raised hybrids by
crossing a male Grey-winged Ouzel with a
female English Blackbird. The birds pair-
ed up very soon after their introduction.
The Ouzel took the initiative in building
the nest and induced the hen Blackbird to
join in. The nest was built high up in a
well-sheltered corner, the structure being
composed of hay and twigs with a mixture
of mud and dead leaves and an inner lining
of finer hay. Three eggs were laid and
hatched, and the young were fed with the
yolk of egg selected by the cock. Later
they were given worms and cockroaches.
Two of the young died, the third grew up
and proved to be a hen. Next year the
same pair raised again a brood of three
which were completely reared. Two of these
were males and the other a female. The
males were black but much browner than
either of the parents, specially on the lower
body and the grey wing-patch of the male
parent was replaced by red-brown. The
first year's female was almost of uniform

218 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

olive-brown colour, the second year's hen
was almost like a typical hen Grey-winged
Ouzel. The voice of the young hybrids
was harsher than that of the male parent.

The male Grey- winged Ouzel puts on
a livery of deep glossy black on the upper
body except the tips of wing-coverts which
form a silvery ashy-grey wing-
Colorotion patch. The lower plumage, breast
downwards, is dull black — each
feather narrowly margined with white.

The female is brownish ashy, the wing-
patch being buff instead of grey.

The bill of the male is coral-red with a
black tip; that of the female, orange with
horny tip ; the legs of the male are brownish
in front, yellow behind; of the hen, bright
sienna ; iris brown in the male and hazel-
red in the female. The Kasturi is quite a
big bird, being almost one foot in length.

Yet another Thrush with a very good
voice is what systematists call
Ou^ef ^ Jf^r'Z^Za unicolor or Tickell's Ouz-
el. This bird has had to change
its technical name many times and, we fear,

THE KASTURA 219

in the next edition of Avi- fauna under pre-
paration, it will assume a new alias making,
we hope not, the confusion worse confound-
ed. Jerdon classed it under the genus Geo-
cicJila and called it the Dusky Ground-
Thrush. It is not as chubby as the Dama
but is slim-built and in its movements and
habits, approaches Blackbirds. It has a
fine sweet song much resembling the Black-
bird's, but the notes are short, few and with-
out any variety. In winter ifc is found
throughout the whole range of the Himala-
yas from Kashmir to Sikkim up to an alti-
tude of 7000 ft. It is the Song-Thrush of
Kashmir, where its voice is heard in every
garden and grove. It does not stray very
far from human dwellings but lingers around
villages. It never penetrates into deep
forests but keeps generally to the outskirts
of woods. It seems to prefer places with
big trees growing over bushy under-growths.
For it seeks its food on the g-round under
cover of bushes where it runs and hops about
with extreme quickness. Like the Dama

220 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

it has the habit of dig^o^ino^ into the earth
for worms and therefore it likes feedins: on
damp spots. When inchned to sing, it flies
up to the topmost branches of big trees. In
the mating season its Hquid notes gush out
at regular intervals every morning and
eveninor.

This Ouzel is not rare in Lower Bengal.
In early autumn it migrates from the hills
to the plains and spreads over the whole of
the Indian Peninsula except the southern
parts of Deccan.

It breeds in May and June, laying three
or four eggs in a cup of green moss and
roots, lined with finer roots, placed against
the trunk of the tree at a place from which
two or three twigs spring, serving to conceal
the nest. The eggs are greenish or greyish
white, more or less thickly streaked or ir-
regularly blotched with dull reddish brown.

The bird is not a very common cage-
favourite. But it is not altog^ether unkown
in the bird-market of Calcutta. It is as
hardy as its grey-winged cousin and thrives

THE KASTURA 221

well on the same dietary. My pair pass
much of their time on the ground under
the living shrubs in my aviary. When
loitering about in the open they quickly
fly under cover, whenever anyone approaches
the aviary.

The colour of the bird is ashy-grey
throughout the whole upper body. Its
lower plumage is slaty grey, paler on the
chin and tending to become white on the
abdomen and vent. The female differs in
having an olive tinge on the upper body,
and a white chin and throat with their
sides streaked with black. It has yellow
bill and leo;s and is nine inches in leno^th.

THE BHIMRAJ

(BISSEMURUS PARADISEUS)

It is stranore that some of the forest
birds, properly so-called, living far away
from the haunts of man, are our dearest
and most loving pets. The Shama is one
of this class, the Bhimraj or the Racket-
tailed Drongo is another. The perfect
sang:froid with which both these birds
accept the fellowship of man is remarkable.
Both seem to regard the love and confidence
of their keeper as sufficient compensation for
their loss of liberty, and both become most
intimate with their master. To win the
confidence of naturally shy birds, no
little tact is required. Great credit is
therefore due to the Indian bird-fancier
who accomplishes this feat. He is un-
acquainted with the modern process
of bird-keeping, yet he seldom fails
in his attempts to bring up the most
delicate birds, the rearing of which baff-

THE BHIMRAJ 223

les the skill of even an up-to-date avi-
culturist. His lack of scientific knowledge
is counter-balanced by a loving heart,
patient care, and the wisdom ; of following
the traditional methods instead of hazard-
ing innovations. He, at times, works
wonders by his primitive methods. His
protege is often as tame as a cat or a dog.

The Bhimraj is quick in reciprocating
the caresses bestowed on it by its mas-
ter. Under the latter's guidance, it grows
to be a most alluring pet. Nature has
endowed it with a boldness of spirit, a
sense of aggressive self-defence, a charming
song and an unlimited power of mimicry, —
traits which become prominent even in
captivity. The peculiarities of its body
are found at the head and the tail. The
head is ornamented with a raised and some-
what incurved crest, while the posterior
appendage has two of its feathers unusually
exaggerated to a length of over a feet
and a half, the shaft being bare for a
few inches and ending in a racket-shaped

224 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

expansion. Its dense black colour with
dark steel-blue sheen makes it a very
handsome bird.

A bird of many qualities, can scarce-
ly fail to attract notice. The Bhimra-j's
fame has crossed the seas, and foreign
writers have spoken of it in superlative
terms.

To the scientist, the Bhiniraj is known
as Dissemurus paradiseus. On the main-
land of India, two types of the Bhimraj
are seen, — the continental and the peninsu-
lar, the latter having the crest and tail
shorter. Scientists had a controversy over
its division into more species than one.
But Oates, in the Fmma of British India^
rather arbitrarily included both the types
into one single species under the genus
Dissemurus. Mr. Stuart-Baker, who is at
present editing the second edition of the
Avifauna of British India, in his Haiid-
list of liidiaii Birds, published recently
in the Journal of the Bombay Natural
History Society, has split up the genus

THE BHIMRAJ 225

into seven species. Under the trinomial
system of nomenclature adopted by him,
the bird known as Bhimraj in Bengal
has received the appellation Dissemurus
paradiseus grandis.

Its range may roughly be said to
extend over all the forest-regions of In-
dia, Burma, and Ceylon. All
Distribu- ^j^g birds have a crest, and two

tion

racket-like tail-feathers, but both
are shorter in the South-Indian and
Tenasserim specimens.

The Bhimraj is found in lower Bengal
and the Sunderbans, in Central India,
Orissa, Chota Nagpur, and Assam. From
Khandesh all along the Western Ghats
up to Travancore it is numerous, but the
birds of the Deccan are smaller than
those of Northern India. Along the Eastern
sides of the Peninsula, however, the Bhimraj
is comparatively rare. Ceylon is inhabited
by the Peninsular form of the bird. From
India its range extends eastwards to
Burma, and through Tenasserim to Siam

15

226 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

and Malaya, but here again, the continental
type is replaced by the Peninsular.

Thick and luxuriant forests or jungles,
jungle-clad river-sides or low hills which are

full of tall trees are the favourite
Notes resorts of this bird. In certain

localities, for example in Burma,
it does not absolutely avoid the neighbour-
hood of man, straying sometimes into
the outskirts of villages on the borders
of a jungle. In the outlying groves of
the villages or in the trees bordering an
unfrequented tank, it may be seen chas-
ing an unfortunate Woodpecker which had
the audacity to trespass into its domain.
The Bhimraj has a special dislike for the
Woodpeckers. It is not an unusual sight
to see these short-tailed, many-coloured
birds dashing, as if for very life, with a
long-tailed swarthy Bhimraj in hot pur-
suit. Even the hen Drongo is a perfect
amazon and heartily joins in the chase.
This Drongo is a highway-man of the
bird-world and a veritable swash-buckler.

THE BHIMRAJ 227

It seldom allows its neighbours a peace-
ful life. As soon as it notices a smaller
bird from its lofty perch, it charges down
to secure perhaps the insect which the
latter has in its beak. Robbery is not
always the purpose in its pursuit of other
birds. It often would give chase in sheer
mischief, only to enjoy the discomfiture of
the frio^htened birds. For it has been
noticed that though the Bhimraj sweeps
down on other birds, it does not always
follow them upwards. Its boldness increases
during the nesting season when, with
its mate, it attacks and drives off, from
the neighbourhood of its nest, preying
birds like Harriers or Eagles. Its anxie-
ty for its brood would even lead it to
attack quadrupeds. Major Bingham, when
out for an excursion in a jungle in Burma,
passed close to a tree in which a pair of
Racket-tailed Drono:oes were nesting:.
Says he, ''I was wading across the mouth
of the Theedoquee, when my attention
was attracted by seeing a pair of above

228 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

birds dart from a small tree and sweep
down at my dog, not actually striking
him, but nearly doing so."

Its predatory nature, however, does
not make it an unsociable bird with its
own kith and kin. The Drongoes as a
class are not over-fond of company. It is
otherwise with the Bhimraj. Generally,
it goes about in pairs. But it is not
unusual to see parties of four or more
together. These birds seem to care little
about territorial possessions and never
restrict their movements to any limited
area. Flying from tree to tree in search
of food, they cover daily a wide range
of ground. Ocassionally, one sweeps down
and picks up an insect on the wing
swallowing it as it mounts up again.
Sometimes the prey is carried to a
a branch to be eaten. It seldom alights on
the ground for its prey. It is an ex-
cellent catch and is very clever at
taking flies on the move. Frequently,
it feeds like the common king-crows

THE BHIMRAJ

229

from a fixed position on a branch whence
it whips up insects or makes swoops
at those flying past. Its flight is usually
undulating, when proceeding any distance,
but when making short sallies after
insects, they shoot up rocket-like. At such
times, one cannot help admiring the ease

tail which does
not seem to obstruct
its movements in the
least. A writer remarks,
'*No high-born dame
ever carried her court-

with which it uses its lonof

230 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

train with greater grace". The food of
the Bhimraj consists of large bees and
wasps, locusts and dragon-flies. Lizards
and rats also occasionally form its menu.
It is always restless, flying from branch
to branch, jerking up the tail and mak-
ing frequent plunges for insects from its
elevated position. Between these move-
ments, it is repeatedly calling to its
mate who is ensrao^ed in similar activities
ill a tree close by.

Its notes deserve mention, though it
is difficult to hit off an exact description
in a few words ; for it can produce an
immense variety of sounds from lass to
soprano, some of which are beautifully
clear and melodious. Oates gives it the
premier place among the song-birds of
India. Its general note is a deep sonorous
cry like tse-rimgi tse-rung, tse-rimg. Jer-
don describes it as ^'consisting of two parts,
the first, a sort of harsh chuckle ending
in a peculiar metallic sound, something
like the creaking of a heavy wheel." It

THE BHIMRAJ 231

indulges in these metallic calls early in

the mornings and evenings. A favourite

pastime with the Bhimraj is mocking all

sorts of birds around it. It has been

heard to imitate perfectly such different

birds as the Malabar Black Woodpecker,

Malabar Grey Hornbill, Cuculus mic-

roi^terus and Eudynamis honor ata.

This stalwart bird breeds and rears

up its young between the months of April

and June. It always selects
Nests and i • x o ,- ^ ,t

Eo^as ^^ nestmg, and the

nest is built at inaccessible
places. The extreme tip of a branch,
on the top of a tree about 20 to 25
feet from the ground, is the place
generally chosen. Here in a fork, the
cup- shaped nest is clumsily built up of
twigs and creepers, with an inner lining
of dry grass. The nest hangs like a cradle
below the fork to which it is strongly
attached. Three is the usual number of
a clutch of eggs, which are long ovals,
pointed towards the small end and without

232 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

any gloss. These eggs are seldom uni-
form in colour, varying from white to a
rich pink and spangled with markings of
red, purple, reddish brown or inky grey.
These marks are in some cases large blot-
ches, while in others mere specks sprinkled
over the surftice thickly in some, thinly
in others, but as a rule, the largest blotch-
es are about the large end.

A large cage, at least three feet square,
is the most suitable dwelling for the
Bhimraj. In an aviary, it would
Cage-life no doubt thrive splendidly, but
if it be a mixed one, this ruffian
would make the place hot for the less
sturdy inmates. With pigeons and chukor
partridges, it will readily form an entente
cordiale ; but if other species of Drongoes
or smaller birds like Magpie-robins be
there, bloody strife is sure to occur. There-
fore, this Knight-Templar should be
housed with such birds as can hold their
own against it.

Though its behaviour towards its kin-

THE BHIMRAJ 233

clred is typically honnish, it is a marvel
of good conduct with its keeper. With
him, the bird is perfectly sociable and
its knowing and intelligent ways afford
him a efreat deal of amusement. It loves
to be noticed and fondled and is never
so happy as when carried about on the
finger and petted. Under the fostering
and almost paternal care of its keeper,
its naturally robust disposition gets full
play to develop all its good points. A
life of captivity does not at all dull its
talents. Its power of mimicry not in-
frequently enables it to indulge in fun at
the expense of other birds. A Bhimraj
was known to frighten a Shama by mew-
ing like a cat. As a ventriloquist, it gives
the palm to no Indian bird. It can
render with perfect fidelity, and perhaps
with added charm, not only the songs
of other birds within hearing, but various
other sounds. It can yelp like a puppy,
mew like a cat, bleat like a lamb, and
imitate the voices of poultry.

234 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

The Indian bird-keeper does not find
much dij6B.culty in steadying the Bhim-
raj. The ordinary satoo mixture with a
constant supply of insects, maggots, and a
few cockroaches keeps it fit. In the
Calcutta Zoo Gardens, it was noticed to
hawk upon rats and lizards straying into
its aviary. It will never come down to the
ground for picking up its food. So its
food-cups must be tied high up near
itvS^ perch. Occasionally, but sparingly,
very finely minced meat may be given.
Too much of this food may bring on
indigestion. It is not a frugivorous bird,
though it has been, in captivity, noticed
to take fruit. It loves bathing and
should be provided with a fresh-water
bath. It does not ail much in our cli-
mate except for bad moult. The only
treatment for this seems to be good food
and cleanliness.

In England, successful attempts have
been made to acclimatize the bird.
There it requires a good deal of careful

THE BHIMRAJ 235

treatment. It cannot stand cold at all,
and so, except in summer, artificial heat is
necessary to keep it warm. Reginald
Phillips prescribed for it the follow-
ing diet — ^'cockroaches, earwigs, chafers,
wood-lice, flies, beetles, grasshoppers,
grubs, almost any living creature. Naked
nestling canaries and sparrows would
form a valuable change, also baby mice
cut up would help. Mealworms are
indigestible. A grape or two may be
placed within the reach of the bird as
medicine."

The Bhimraj is the finest and the
most sightly bird of the Drongo family. Its

whole body including the bill,
Coloration feet, and claws, is clothed in

sable, but the colour is not the
funeral black of II penseroso. Except
the throat, lower abdomen and vent, the
rest of the body is glossed with blue,
which shows brilliantly in sunshine.
Its forehead is tufted with feathers of
varying length, — the bird.^ of Northern

PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

India
havins:
the tuft
quite two
inches loner,
while those
of Southern

India and Burma have one or
even less than one inch. The
characteristic feature of the
bird is the great elongation
of its outer tail-feathers like
those of the Bird of Para-
dise. The inner webs of
these two tail-feathers gradual-
ly thin off and the shaft
is bare for some length. The
terminal portion is webbed and

twisted

THE BHIMRAJ 237

upwards. The web on the inner side of
the shaft is very narrow. The bill is
large, strong, and compressed towards
the tip. The culmen is well-curved,
hooked, and distinctly notched. Iris is
red in the adult and brown in the young.
The crest of the young birds just after
leaving the nest (in July) is not long
enough to curve backwards, the long
tail-shafts are not denuded in the middle
as in adult birds, and the wings have a
green tinge.

From tip to tip, the Northern bird
is about 26 inches in length. This dimen-
sion is due to the long tail-shafts which
alone sometimes extend up to twenty inch-
es. The middle tail-feathers are not more
than five or six inches, and the body
proper does not exceed a foot.

In Yol. XIII of the Journal of the
Bombay Natural History Society, Finn
records a case of albinism in the pre-
sent species. In the specimen, the upper
and lower wing-coverts except the primary

238 PET BIRDS OP BENGAL

coverts, inner scapulars, axillaries. upper
tail-coverts and the lower plumage from
breast downwards were white, edged
with black ; the rump and the under
tail-coverts were entirely white. There
were also some w^hite streaks on the
lower breast and a shading of white
on the inner webs of the tail-feathers
and innermost secondaries, and on the
outer webs of the outer secondaries.
The bird was obtained from a bird-dealer
of Calcutta. Finn was not inclined to
accept it as an aberration. He writes,
**Takino^ into consideration the extreme
rarity of symmetrical albinism (except in
the case of albinoid or pallid varieties)
and the fact that the appearance of
this specimen is not suggestive of ordi-
nary albinism, but rather of specific differ-
ence, I venture to characterize it as
new, and name it Dissemurus alcocJcL '*
Birds with black plumage are not
infrequently prone to albinism. But a
symmetrically albino specimen is a case of

THE BHIMRAJ C39

extreme rarity. Finn says that he was
informed of three similar other birds
having passed through his bird-dealer's
hands, all of which were procured from
Sigowli in the Gorakhpur district. I am
inclined, however, to put little trust in
the testimony of his bird-dealer, and in
the absence of sufficient data, I cannot but
regard Finn's specimen as an aberration.
The occurrence of a couple or two of
birds with symmetrically white parts
(even if we believe the bird-dealer) is
not sufficient, in my judgement, to war-
rant the haste, as Finn has shown, for
species-making.

THE KHANJAN

(WTACILLA MAOERASPATENSIS)

The term Khanjan loosely denotes
Wagtails, though it has a restricted
application to a particular Indian species.
The Khanjan has always been a favourite
bird with the old Sanskrit authors, who
never lost an opportunity to portray it
in their descriptions of natural scenery.
In describing the eyes of their heroines,
they always found in this bird a pet
simile. ''Khanjan-eyed" connoted in their
phraseology one of the best excellences of
the human eyes ; but it is a moot point
whether the sparkling gaiety of the
eyes suggested their resemblance with
the restlessness of the bird or whether
the anatomical likeness between the shape
of those eyes and the body-contour of
the bird was the subject of comparison.
Havino^ a wide distribution, the Waojtails
are so very familiar to the people of

THE KHANJAN 241

this country that the latter feel prejudiced
against caging them, and whenever any
such bird is put up in the market, it is
not unuBual to find a benevolent person
losing no time in buying it up or, if
there be more, the whole lot, simply for
liberating them. Consequently a Wag-
tail is not a common cage-bird in any
part of India. The Large Pied Wag-
tail, however, is sometimes caged, and
is considered a respectable bird in Behar
and some parts of the U. P. , where
it is specially known as ^the Khanjan'.
This bird is much larger for a Wag-
tail and closely resembles the Dhayal
as regards the arransfement of the black
and the white colours upon its body. It
has a superbly beautiful canary-like song
which, if widely known, would earn for
it a popularity that would probably be
in an inverse ratio to the undeserved neg-
lect in which it has hitherto been held.
In Bengal, few people can make its
acquaintance even in nature, chiefly on
16

242 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

account of its restricted range which,
if not altogether outside Bengal, merely
touches the western fringe of its present
political boundaries. As Wagtails are
never popular cage-birds, they are seldom
caught and are hardly available for ex-
portation. Consequently, the qualities
of Motacilla maderaspate7ms are a sealed
book to the European aviculturist, who
has thus been deprived of the acquaint-
ance of a really efficient singing bird.
For, as a chorister, the Khanjan in
question is as much superior to its
kindred as the canary to the sparrow.
Its notes possess a sweetness and cadence
like those of the Dhayal, though with-
out the latter's variety. An English
gentleman says, "A more cheerful and
engaging little pet it would be difHcult
to imagine, to say nothing of its singing
powers which, in my opinion, excelled
those of a canary." It is such a charming
bird that it can not fail to recommend
itself to the most fastidious of avicultur-

THE KHAN JAN 243

ists. It has the requisite qualities of the
cage-birds of a high order, and without
it, no book on cage-birds would be
complete.

In the Fauna of British India, Oates
recognises Motacilla maderaspatensis as
a species. But Mr. Stuart Baker regards
it as a sub-species and calls it Motacilla
alha maderaspatetisis. According to him,
this Wagtail belongs to the alha group.
Mr. Claud B. Ticehurst justly criticises
this grouping in the Journal of the
Bombay Natural History Society (Vol.
xxviii, p.l090) — "Mr. Stuart Baker puts
this wagtail as a race of alha : with this
I cannot agree. In many points this
species differs from the alha group. Firstly,
this bird is in habits unlike the latter
in being practically confined to water-
courses. Secondly, it is resident through-
out its range, while all the alha are
migratory. Thirdly, its very superior size.
Fourthly, total absence of white forehead
which all alba show in winter. Fifthly,

244 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

summer and winter plumages are alike
in this bird. * Sixthly, this bird has no
spring moult."

Motacilla maderaspatensis is the
largest bird of the Wagtail group in
India. While all the other
Distnbu- species of Wagtails move out
of India with the advent of
summer, this bird has made this country
its permanent home, adding its merry
and musical voice to the minstrelsy of
the Indian countryside. Its range ex-
tends from Sind and Kashmir in the west
to Behar and Chota Nagpur in the east,
and from the lower ranges of the Hima-
layas in the north to Ceylon in the south.
Though one is likely to meet with the
bird everywhere in India, it is more
locally distributed than many birds with
as wide a range. In certain places they
are to be found in large numbers,
wdiile in others only a few stragglers are
to be seen. For example, in the town
of Poona, large numbers of the Large

THE KHAN JAN 245

Pied Wao:tail live and breed in and around
the river Sangam which flows past that
city, while ten miles out of it, you will
have to search hard to find a single
bird. The city of Madras, for some
reason or other, attracts large numbers
of these birds, while many other towns
of the Madras Presidency are not as
lucky in harbouring these lively crea-
tures as that city. This bird is very
common on the shrunken river-beds of
Chota Nagpur. In the Himalayas, it
does not range very high up, though
it has been noticed in Sikkim and Mus-
sorie. It is rare about Darjeeling. In
the hills of the Deccan, it has been found
as far up as 8000 ft. It is scarce in the
desert-lands of Rajputana, but a few live
and breed about the lakes of Mount
Abu. It is plentiful in all the well-
watered portions and the great river
systems of Northern India. In Bengal,
a few stray birds are likely to be met
with in those portions of the border dis-

246 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

tricts of Midnapore and Bankura which
wedge into Chota Nagpur. Finn saw
only one bird in the vicinity of Calcutta
but perhaps it was an escaped convict.
It is plentiful in Orissa. I have heard
its melodious notes minojlini^ with the
music of the sea at Puri.

Legge characterises the Large Pied

Wagtail as ''essentially a water Wagtail

— rarely found away from water".

Field J i-^g^yg never noticed it far

Notes

away from water-courses, though

it may not always remain actually by

the water's edge. Banks of rivers, sides

of brooks, ponds, tanks or wells are

where it may be seen. It is neither

like those birds which always love to

be within sight of man, nor is it like

others which reo^ard human beinscs as

repugnant creatures and betake themselves

to solitary glens or dense forests, away

from 'the maddins^ crowd's imoble strife/

It is completely at home by the side

of a thin, meandering stream, rippling

THB KHANJAN

247

along the boulder-strewn sandy
bed of a spring-fed river in
Chota Nagpur — rwhere there is
not a human habitation within
miles. It is as much at ease
on the house-top or a telephone
wire in the busy area of Myla-
pore in Madras, where the
presence of man does not in
the least affect its composure.
It is to be seen behind your
bungalow or in front, in your

248 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

courtyard or in the garden, emd may also
be found feeding in a field close by. In
the month of November, I have seen in
Madras a few cock Wagtails perched,
on the parapet of a house, at a
little distance from a very serious-
looking hen and pouring out their
impetuous love-songs with that hypnotic
ardour which only the longing for posse-
ssion and spirit of rivalry can give.
These song-contests reminded me of the
ancient Indian ceremony of Svaya^mhara.
At the approach of the marriageable age
of a particularly accomplished princess,
for whose hand aspired many eligible
suitors (among whom it was difncult to
make a selection), it was usual to allow
the bride to choose her consort. Invita-
tions used to be issued to all royal
houses. On an auspicious day the suitors
used to gather in the audience-hall
when the princess came out with her
attendants, passed through the ranks of
the expectant guests, stopped before each

THE KHAN JAN 249

to hear the heralds recount the srreat
deeds done by him. She carried a
garland in her hands for placing it over
the head of the person of her choice.
When the selection was over, it was
sometimes necessary for the successful
suitor to defend himself against the
combined attacks cf the disappointed
aspirants. I cannot say that the Wagtails
are so methodical in selecting their
mates, but they are no less artistic.
Many species of Wagtails flirt out-
rageously to capture the imagination of
the hens of their choice. They gener-
ally puff out their feathers and indulge
in various acrobatic flights. The Khan-
jan, however, appears to trust to its vocal
power as its greatest amatory asset to win
for it the favour of its mate. In the
mating season it becomes gregarious to
some extent, though at other times it
prefers to live in pairs. In the river
that runs past Poona, large numbers
breed in the small rock-islands below the

250 PET BIRDS OF BENGA^L

embankment. Some half a dozen males
regularly run after a hen, trying to
hypnotise it with their songs. Perhaps
a cock has found a mate and is happily
engaged in professing its love in melo-
dious tunes, when suddenly there arrive
a few other males who begin their song
with a loud defiance. The first cock
ill affords to bear such interference in
silence, and therefore duels, which are
never out of date in the bird- world, fre-
quently occur. The jilted suitors do
not take their disappointment lyiug
down, but make every attempt to justify
the time-w@rn adage, Might is right.

The writer who described 3Iotacilla
maderaspatensis as the most lovable
species among wagtails was not at all
hyperbolic in his admiration. I have
seen this bird at Pari, sitting on the
top of a tiled house and singing most
crloriouslv, while its mate was enocao-ed
in epicurean hunts a little ahead on the
beach. As the hen moved on, the

THE KHANJAN 251

male also followed in a parallel
line, keeping to the house-tops. Occasion-
ally, the cock flew down to the female
to share with her a particularly dainty
eatable. Suddenly, the female left the
beach and made straight for the city.
The cock noticed this in the midst of
its song which came to a sudden stop.
It turned its head this side and that,
probably to find out the cause of its
wife's sudden flight ; and unable to catch
sight of any disturbing element any-
where, it looked straight ahead at the
receding figure of its companion. Then
uttering a sharp chirrup, which might
have denoted 'Eccentricity, thy name is
woman ' — it lefo the place. Its flight
was most charmins; and o;raceful. Ifc
scudded along in undulating curves, as if
progressing on the crests of waves, closing
the winofs on the downward motion and
spreading them out while swinging up.
On the ground, its lio-htnins^ movements,
as it catches insects most deftly 6n the

252

PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

run, are a charming sight. U
An easier, and a more grace-
ful gait is incon-
ceivable. Sud-

denly darting forward, it twists and
turns with wonderful agility in pursuit of an
insect. It is so quick-sighted that though
incessantly moving, the slightest stir on
the ground ten feet ahead, which would
escape our most searching gaze, would
draw its attention. Before you could say
Jack Robinson, the bird has run up to
the spot, caught the insect, and moved
away with its tail see-sawing in a most
self-satisfied manner.

Its supreme agility is in keeping with

THE KHANJAN 253

its indefatigable activity. But it is not

a fussy bird like the Mynah or the
Sparrow, and does not dissipate its
vigour by useless and unnecessary
restlessness. Nature has not for nothing
endowed it with a superabundance of
energy ; it is necessary for its very
existence. And therefore we never find
it at rest for any two seconds, and it
is busy hunting for food from sunrise
till sunset. And what a feed it has I
"Live to eat" is perhaps the philosophy of
life of this bird. The number and variety
of insects devoured by it in a day is
appalling. It is keen on catching very
minute winged insects, large numbers of
which daily fall victims to the Khanjan's
appetite. Of the large insects, grass-
hoppers, mantidae, caterpillars, crickets,
flies, butterflies and wasps are considered
edible. It seems to avoid harder insects
like metallic coloured wasps and beetles,
nor does it touch bugs or cockroaches. If
it happens to catch a particularly fris-

254 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

ky or a big unmanageable creature, it
never uses its claws to tear the prey
into pieces, but hammers the object
with its beak till portions give way. It
catches many insects in quick succession
and does not stop to swallow one before
it baors another. What it does is to
stow them away in its mouth till a
dozen or so are caught ; these are
afterwards leisurely swallowed. When
feeding its young, it has to bring as
many insects at a time as possible
to satisfy the ravenous hunger of its
youngsters, because the insects cought
by it are mostly minute. It is this pre-
ference for minute insects that leads it
to frequent water-sides which abound
with them.

In its own particular feeding area,
the Khanjan refuses to concede to others
of its ilk the privilege of even an occasion-
al visit. It is fully conscious of the
circumscribed supply of its food. This
fear of short rations makes the Khanjan

THE KHANJAN 255

a cruel parent. It is loving and consider-
ate as long as its children are helpless
and unable to hunt on their own account.
But as soon as the youngsters are able
to do so, they are mercilessly driven out
of their paternal territory.

The Khanjan takes to its domestic
duties in March and its family cares last
generally till May and some-
Nests and times later. It raises several

JiggS

broods in a season. In Southern
India, these birds nest during the North-
eastern Monsoon, which gives rain to
the eastern portions of the Deccan Penin-
sula between the months of November
and January.

The Khanjan is not at all fastidious
about its nesting site. The neighbour-
hood of water and something solid to
place its nest on, appear to be the two
sole reservations for which it cares, and
if these are available nothing else matters.
Its nests have been found in holes in
banks and walls, crevices in rocks, under

256 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

stones and clods of earth, in the timber
of bridges, in drains, on roofs, — in fact,
"anywhere except on trees, shrubs, and
bushes." "When this bird makes up its
mind to build in a particular spot, no
amount of adverse circumstances will
deter it from carrying out its plans."

A friend of Leo-gje wrote to him that at
Futtehgur, a favourite situation was the
bridge of boats, the nests being placed
inside a pigeon-hole either at the bow or
stern of a boat. A pair of large Pied
Wao'tails nested for several successive
seasons in an iron ring attached to the
top of a buoy in the middle of the river
Jumna at Agra. Another pair built their
nest in a ferry-boat which daily crossed
the Chumbal. The female used to sit
on its eggs most non-chalantly when the
boat plied across the river. The male
entertained the passengers the while by
its song, sitting on the gunwale, occasion-
ally taking short jerky flights over the
water. Here is a note on its nesting^ from

THE KHANJAN 257

Poona — "Very favourite places are the
little islands which stud the river (San-
gam ) below the Bund ; to obtain the
nests one has to wade out. The nests
are very massive structures, usually having
large foundations of all sorts of rubbish,
on which the nest proper is built."

The European representative of the
Pied Wagtail — M. luguhris — has been
known to utilise the nests of the Swallow,
Robin, and Blackbird for its own pur-
poses. Its Indian congener, however, has
not been known to do any such thing.
But in Hume's Nests and Eggs of
Indian Birds (edited by Gates) we find
a solitary record of a Grey Wagtail —
31, melanope — using a Finch's nest for
the foundation of its own building.

The character and materials of its
nest are as various as the site chosen for
it. The nest varies from a mere pad to
a neat well-formed saucer or shallow cup.
As for materials, it would pick up any-
thing that is soft, — fine twigs, grass, roots,

17

258 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

wool, feathers, hair of either horse, cow
or man, string, coir, rags and all sorts
of vegetable fibres.

Three or four eggs usually form a
clutch but five also have been found. In
size and shape, they are widely different,
but most of them generally resemble
Larks' eggs. They vary from a long to
a rather broad oval, but as a rule, all are
more or less pointed towards the small
end. Their ground-colour varies from
brownish to greenish white, and the marks
thereon are clouds, smudges, streaks,
spots and specks. The colour of these
markings is sometimes earthy brown,
sometimes dark olive-brown, and some-
times purplish-brown. In some eggs the
markings are uniform, while in others they
are more dense on the large end and
comparatively sparse elsewhere.

Gay, bold, elegant, and engaging, the
Khan j an possesses the requisites of an
ideal aviary bird. Butler considers that
Wagtails are far more pleasing when kept

THE KHAN J AN 259

in aviaries than in cages. The Indian bird-
lover never dreams of accommodating his
pets in aviaries. He thinks that
Cage-life anything bigger than his tradi-
tional cage is a superfluity.
Yet, the wonder is that birds do thrive
under the conditions provided by him.
Take the case of the Lars^e Pied Wa'^-tail.
or the Lark. One naturally thinks that
the cage is the most undesirable place
for such restless birds ; they require
plenty of space for their very existence
and the Wagtail, in addition, needs water
to paddle in. But in the small, crampy,
and covered cages in which these birds
are kept in India, they sing with all their
natural vigour and sweetness. However
successful the ordinary bird-keeper may
be, I would recommend for the Khanjan
a large cage in which it can freely run
about.

I possessed, at different times, only
two specimens of the Khanjan, one of
which came to me in a very bad condition

260 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

and died shortly after. The other lived
with me for sometime but as I could not
keep up a sufficient supply of insects, it
eventually died. In India, adult birds
are seldom welcomed, because they are
far less adaptible than nestlings. But
wild adult Khanjans, caught by bird-lime,
are less shy than many other birds ; for
they begin to sing quite freely a day or
two after their capture. And they do
not take long to adapt themselves to
artificial rations. The Khanjan is in-
tolerant of the company of its kind
and of other wagtails. So it is never wise
to keep more than a pair together. A
Khanjan, in my aviary even when it was
a very young bird, showed fight with a
perfectly healthy and adult White Wag-
tail {Motacilla alba),

Butler prescribes biscuits, eggs, ants'
eggs, and dried flies, and adds that a
small quantity of ground lentils would
not be injurious. He understands that
the Pied and Grey Wagtails successfully

THE KHANJAN 261

crossed at the London Zoological Gardens
and the hybrids proved to be fertile.
If this be the case, I believe the Larsfe
Pied Wagtail of India might prove an
interesting study for the mule-breeder.

Below I ojive an account of this
Wagtail in captivity as recorded by an
European in the Journal of the Bom-
bay Natural History Society —

"One day I saw hung up in a cage in
the Neemuch Bazaar two half-fledged
specimens of the bird. They were being
fed on a mixture of ground parched
gram (satoo) moistened with ghi. I was
informed that they had been taken from
their nest only a few days before, and
fed on nothing else. I passed on thinking
that of course such a purely insectivorous
bird would never flourish on this diet.
However, a fortnight after I found one
still living, the other having died. The
owner seeing me interested in it offered
it to me, so I took it home and had a
spacious wicker cage made for it.

262 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

"It became, or rather it always was,
excessively tame, not to say fearlessly
contemptuous of man, and would at any
time take insects from one's fingers, or if
it found them empty attack them with
mock ^fierceness, opening its beak, ruffling
up its feathers and drooping its wings.
I found that an effectual way of feeding
it was to sweep with a large net in long
grass and then place the cage over the
mouth of it. As the insects gradually
extricated themselves and struggled up
to the light they were pounced upon and
captured by the Wagtail. The quickness
and accuracy of its movements were
something wonderful. It was a most in-
defatigable songster, with loud clear pipe
and considerable variation of song. On
being transferred to this barren rock
(Aden) I found it impossible to procure
insects in sufficient numbers, so tried
giving it sand-hoppers, annelids, small
Crustacea but nothing came amiss to this
most accommodatinof little bird who ate

THE KHANJAN 263

these readily, occasionally varied with
pluin-pudding, raw meat, and chopped
egg, though satoo continued to form the
basis of its meals. I had had it for two
years, but the climate proved too much
for it and it died."

Black and white are the only colours
that make up this bird's dress, much
after the fashion of a Dhayal.
Coloration The sexes have different attires.
But the male does not put
on a new dress when it goes courting.
Motocilla maderaspatensis, unlike other
Pied Wagtails, has no seasonal change of
plumage. It has a broad supercilium from
the nose to the end of the ear-coverts.
The whole head, neck, upper plumage,
the lesser and median coverts are black,
while the greater wing-coverts are entire-
ly white and the quills black with white
edges. The middle four pairs of the tail-
feathers are black with narrow white
margin, while the other two pairs are
white. The breast and the lower pluma^ e

264 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

are white ; the sides of the l3reast and
upper body are iiifuscated.

The female differs in only having the
upper plumage more or less greyish.

Young birds have an adult pattern of
plumage, but in the place of black, the
colour is everywhere greyish brown. The
supercilium again is not indicated in front
of the eye, and the white portions are
fulvous. Some black plumes on the head
in the first spring herald the assumption
of adult plumage, but the full livery is
not assumed till the next autumn moult.

Legs, feet, and bill are black. The
bill is long and slender ; feet scaly ; iris
dark-brown. The male is generally about
nine inches in length, the female being
much smaller.

THE TUTI

( CARPODACUS ERYTHRINUS )

The Finches are a big family of birds.
Many of them find their way into man's
home. They are all hardy, little, seed-
eating birds giving no anxiety to their
keeper as regards their food. Cheap as
they are, they are as common cage-
favourites in this country — specially among
poor people, — as in England, where, how-
ever, many of the Finches e. g., the
Gold- and Bull- Finches possess a good
voice and are kept for that reason. India
is visited, no doubt, by many species of
Gold- and Bull- Finches, but they are
different from those obtaining in England,
and make no pretensions as choristers.
The only individual among our Fringil-
line guests, that has a claim to our ad-
miration as a song-bird is the Tuti or
Hodgson's Rose-Finch known in science
as Carpodacus erythrinus roseatus.

266 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

This bird is a general favourite, a bird
preferred and kept by all people, rich or
poor. In India there are roughly speak-
ing two classes of people infected with the
hobby of caging birds viz., those who form
the top and the bottom of the social edi-
fice. The ordinary middle-class man is
too busy with bread-earning to give any
thought to the pleasures of aviculture.
The life of the Indian Plebeian may not
be an object of envy but yet he is a
contented person, possessing no disturb-
in^ ideas about a standard of livino'
and cherishing no unholy sentiments
against the better-placed and better-fed
members of his society. He has his
small joys of life, one of which is the
care of birds. If you take a stroll
through the slums of an Indian city, or
the coolie lines of an industrial centre, or
the bazaar of a cantoment station, you
vvdll never fail to see birds of some kind
or other hano^ino^ in eagles, covered or
uncovered, in front of small shops, bar-

THE TUTI 267

racks and huts. These birds come
from bird-catchers and often direct from
the nests when very young. The ordi-
nary Indian is a good judge of birds
and appreciates merit when found. So,
we find the Tuti — a perfectly lovely bird
like a 'red, red rose' — to be as popular
with the artisans and labourinof classes of
this country as the canary is in England.
The Tuti is a bird with possibilities. By
means of artificial selection, more beautiful
or completely scarlet types may possibly
be produced, as has been done with the
finches and canaries in Europe. But in
India the bird-lover is not a fancier in
the English sense of the word. He is
not willing to take the trouble of in-
ducing his pets to breed under his care.
He would hardly believe, if told, that
many birds breed in captivity under
favourable conditions. The production of
hybrids and mules is altogether beyond
his imas^ination. But considerino; how
adaptible the Tuti is, it is strange that

268 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

no attempt has been made in Europe

in this direction with this bird.

All the species of Indian Rose-Finches,

except one, are found in the Himalayan

districts only, and never in the

Distribu- plains. The one exception is
tion ' . .

the Hodgson's Rose-Finch which

winters in the plains as far south as
the extreme Southern end of the West-
ern Ghats. In summer, it moves up to
the western Himalayas, the Karakoram,
the Hindukush and Tibet at an ele-
vation of 10,000 feet for the purpose
of raising its brood.

The Tuti arrives in the plains in
September and large numbers continue
to pour in up to October. Different par-
ties follow different routes. The birds
that breed in the Hindukush regions
enter India through the Kurram and
Kabul Valleys and through the Afridi
territories ; those that summer in Kash-
mir and Western Tibet come straight
down to Punjab, where lingering a few

THE TUT! 269

days in the various towns and villages
they probably pass on, either towards
the United Provinces or to Central
India and the Deccan. They do not
seem to prefer the plains of North
Western India and the neighbouring
arid districts of Rajputana and Sind.
The birds that breed in Tibet appear
to enter India across Nepal and Sik-
kim, but they do not tarry there long.
Parties arrive at short intervals and
after a very brief sojourn in Jalpaiguri
and Northern Assam, pass on to the
plains of Bengal below, or to Burma. In
winter these birds spread over the
whole of India extending up to the
Nelliampathy hills, the southern boun-
dary of the Palaghat Gap, but their
range does not cover Cochin and Tra-
vancore. During the autumn migrations,
the arriving flocks are mostly composed
of young birds. The exdous begins
early in March and continues through-
out April. The birds of the Gangetic

270 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

plains begin to depart in the latter
month, and in May the last bird has
left the plains. Hume and Henderson,
during their famous expedition, found
the birds breeding in Kashmir and
Ladak in the months of June and July.
And, during their return journey in
September, they failed to notice a single
bird in those regions. At this time of
the year, these bright scarlet birds
appear for a few days in those nor-
thern districts of the Punjab, U. P. ,
and Bengal which are immediately to
the south of the Himalayas.

The Tuti is a ojregjarious bird, and no
wonder. It has to cross hundreds of
miles over unknown countries
Notes twice every year. Such jour-

neys are not possible for soli-
tary birds and Nature therefore has or-
dained that migratory birds should live
in flocks. The Tuti is not only small
in size but is wantino* in couraQ-e which
one naturally expects in a bird which makes.

THH TTJTI 271

every six months, a dash of considerable
length across the country. The long and
arduous journeys undertaken by it do
not imply that it possesses an intrepid
nature like the Bhimraj or the Kastura.
The bird is, on the contrary, a bundle
of nerves. When it is feeding in a field
on the fringe of a grove or wood, it
takes alarm at the least sound and the
whole flock flies helter-skelter into the
neighbouring shrubs for concealment. The
screech of some bird or the shadow of
a large bird flying overhead gives the
Tutis the blue funk and sends them
into the shelter of trees. After a minute
or two when they see that there
is no real danger, they again noiselessly
drop down like falling leaves to the
ground in fours or fives. Their existence
seems to be one of constant terror.
They hide themselves more than a dozen
times in an hour and most times for no
apparent reason. The much criticised
'protection' theory will probably explain

272 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

the cause of this nervousness. The Tuti
cannot be said to possess a 'protective
coloration' . Its briUiant crimson colour
makes it a very conspicuous target for
any bird or animal that may be inclined
to investigate its dietetic value. This
bird in the remote past possibly, led as
tormented a life as that of a new cele-
brity who suffers in modern times, un-
told agony in trying to dodge innumer-
able autograph-hunters. The primitive
Tuti's habit of being always ready against
the attacks of dano-erous creatures was
probably transmitted to its * progeny in
whom it appeared in the form of a latent
nervous feeling in its sub-consciousness.
The nervousness of these birds was
accentuated by their experience of constant
danojers all throuo^h their life. The ins-
tinct of self-preservation taught them to
be suspicious of every shadow and sound ;
and by hereditary transmission suspicious-
ness has now become part of their
nature. The defensive armour of some

THE TtJTI

birds is the
colour of their body,
which by making them
invisible amidst their
surroundings protects them
\-^ from danger. But as the
Tuti possesses no mantle of
^/min'Syk invisibility, it is endowed with
v-^X^ timidity and alertness which
are positively "protective'*
characters.

But the Tuti seems to
18

\\

274 FET BIRDS OF BENGAL

Garry things with a high hand among
its own tribe. It is as quarrelsome as the
house-sparrow, and squabbles are very
frequent among its kind. That these
quarrels are not due to amatory reasons
is certain, because they occur even in
the non-breeding season.

This timorous bird frequents groves,
jungles, and gardens. Davison writes,
*^I have never seen it feeding except
when there was a good deal of cover
close at hand to which it could easily
retreat when alarmed'*. In Southern In-
dia, its favourite resorts have been noticed
to be bamboo jungles, the seeds of which
are regarded by it as a delicacy. The
Telegu name of the bird, translated into
English, means "bamboo sparrow". It
loves to be in the vicinity of grain-fields,
where it feeds all through the day on
rice and other grains and seeds. Flower-
buds and tender leaves are also included
in its dietary. During its migrations in
Spring and Autumn, it has been known

THE TUTI 275

to do soQie damage to fruit trees by-
eating up the buds. In autumn, it eats
berries, and other fruits. It is, however,
not a vegetarian all through the year.
In spring, it takes to eating insects. The
food of the family Fringillidae as a whole
consists of both seeds and insects, the
latter being the main food during the
nesting season when the young are rear-
ed on an insect diet. Several English
Pinches feed their young with insects.
Field observation on the Tuti in this
respect does not exist at all. Very likely
the Tuti also brings up its young on an
insect diet, for at the altitude where it
breeds in the Himalayas, grains or seeds
are not available. The vegetable food
found there is possibly unsuited for the
stomach of the young and hence necessity-
drives the Tuti to be exclusively insecti-
vorous during a part of the year.

I have already said that the Indians
admire its soft and thrilling song but
there seems to be a difference of opinion

276 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

about it among English observers. Blyth
says — "The Tuti has a feeble twittering
song, but soft and pleasing — being inter-
mediate to that of the Gold-Finch and
that of the Redpole-Linnet, the call
note much resembling that of a canary."
Seebohm's testimony is as follows: — "The
song of the Scarlet Rose-Finch is a
very striking one and not to be confused
with that of any other bird. It is a
loud, clear whistle — tu-whit, tu-tii-i. It
does not require a great stretch of imagi-
nation to fancy the bird say — 'I am
pleased to see you', the word *see'
being strongly accented and slightly pro-
longed. The song is never varied but is
sometimes repeated twice in rapid succes-
sion". But that great aviculturist Dr.
Butler seems to have been disappointed
in this bird. One of his remarks aocainst
the Tuti as a cage-bird is that "there is
nothing specially beautiful in its song."
"A specimen'' he adds, "my sister Dr.
Fanny Butler, brought me irom India

THE TUTI 277

never got beyond its rather plaintive,
though musical call-notes". I am quite
sure, if Butler had tried more specimens,
his verdict would have been different.
That was perhaps the first attempt to
acclimatise the bird in Enorland and from
his account it seems his bird never got
on well, and failed to make an impression
on him.

The Tuti is a bird which combines a
beautiful body-colour with a fine song.
Vocal and artistic charms in the males
of many birds have great amatory signifi-
cance. But some people are of opinion
that birds that possess the one can dis-
pense with the other and, therefore, the
combination of both those qualities in one
bird is scarce in Nature. It has for long
passed as an axiom that these two means
of attraction are not found in a high or
an equal degree united in any bird. But
this is a mistake. Leaving aside many
other birds that possess a very gaudy
plumage with melodious and soul-enchant-

278 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

iog song, the birds of the family Fringi-
llidae alone can give the lie to the
theory. Many species in this family com-
bine vocal and artistic charms, proving
that, to quote Selous, ''there is necessary
antagonism between the one and the
other."

The Tuti nests in remote mountain
regions far away from civilisation. Its

nests and eggs have been collect-
Nests and ^^ throucch the enterprise of

the Europeans. It fixes up its
nest either in the fork of a low bush
among stems of coarse grass in scrub-
jungles, or amongst climbing plants within
a foot of the ground. Sufficient informa-
tion about the architectural design of the
nest is not available. The few nests
discovered were neat and rather deep
cup-shaped structures of grass, lined only
with finer roots and stems. Sometimes
a good deal of hair is used as lining.
It seems that the Tuti regards hair
as a desirable material for upholstery

THE TUTI 279

and uses it i»^henever available. In the
aviary of Dr. Russ, the Tuti once reared
a brood. The nest was placed tolerably
high up in a thick bush against the
wall, and was formed of flowering heads
of reeds, soft strips of paper and thread
with a lining of horse hair. Tho nests
are so slender as to be semi-transparent
when held up to light.

The bird sometimes lays four eggs,
usually five, and occasionally an addition-
al egg goes to form the clutch. The eggs
hatch out in twelve days. They vary
a good deal in shape from regular to
broad ovals, but all are a good deal
pointed towards the small end and there
is little gloss on them. The ground-
colour is a pale clear blue — of a deeper
hue than the colour of the eggs of an
English Bull-Finch. The markings are
lew and wholly confined to the broad
end ; these are either good-sized spots
and specks or a few hair4ike lines,
their colour being either chocolate, inky

280 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

purple, reddish brown, blackish brown,
or black.

The bird is brought down to the
Calcutta bird-market in large numbers and

finds a ready sale here. It is
Cage-life also frequently exported to

Europe. It is a very great
favourite among all classes of people in
this country and no one has anything to
say against it. But Butler writes, "After
the first moult, all the rose colouring
disappears and is replaced by yellow ;
and there is nothing specially beautiful in
its song/' I have already said much
about its song. As to the first point I
must say that Butler's specimens were
either unhealthy or aged, for in such
birds, I have noticed the fading away of
the brilliant tints. He should not have
laid down a proposition from the study
of only two birds. If it were true that
all Rose-Finches lose their brilliant colour
in captivity and that they have nothing
specially beautiful in their song, 1 do not

THE TUTI 281

think these bu'ds would have been so large-
ly imported to England. In our country,
the Tuti retains its brilliant plumage
for a long time. Roughly speaking, its
longevity in bondage is four or five
years, but with care and attention, it
ma.y live longer.

The Indian keeps his Tuti much as
he does a Munia on Kangni {Setaria
italica ) and various other seeds, such
as millet and canary seeds. It will eat
berries and fruits and is fond of nib-
blin^^ cabbaofe leaves. In its wild state,
the Tuti has been known to devour
Joioaree {Andropogon sorghicm) and rice
and various other grains and seeds. Jer-
don says, "This gives a clue to the best
seeds on which to feed the Scarlet Rose-
Finch in captivity — white millet and paddy
rice ; to these, canary-seed makes a good
addition and I should include oats and
sunflower seeds. Unless the bird can be
turned loose in an aviary, no soft food
should bj regulary supplied, as it then

282 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

tends to produce an excess of fat."

It is a very tanae and gentle cage-
bird. A cage is economically the best
place for this nervous and timid bird. An
aviary will suit if only the other inmates
are as gentle and well-behaved as itself.

Butler says that he paired it up with
a hen canary in the hope of breeding
mules but unfortunately he lost his speci-
men.

When the Tuti arrives in India in the
months of September and October, it has
already discarded its summer suit.
Coloration Its forehead, crown, and neck
are then dull crimson ; wings and
tail brown ; lower back rosy red ; cheeks,
chin, throat, and upper breast beautiful
rose-colour ; lower breast pale rose, fading
off into albescent on the abdomen and un-
der tail-coverts. After Christmas, owing
to the wearing away of the margins
and the deepening ot the colour of the
feathers, the whole head, neck, chin,
throat, hud upper breast become bright

THE TUtI 283

crimson ; the back, wings, rump, and upper
tail-coverts become very dark crimson.

The hen is an olive-brown bird with
brown streaks, the wing-coverts being
broadly tipped with yellowish. The
youngsters are like their mother in appear-
ance and retain such looks during the
first summer.

The Tuti's iris is dark brown ; legs
and feet are dusky brown, and the bill is
dark horny brown. The bird is a little
above six inches in length.

THE KOEL AND ITS ALLIES

,w

■m

The English
reader will perhaps
wonder at the in-
clusion of the much-
despised Koel (^Eudynainis kouorata) among
son^r-birds. But as I am writin<^ of the
song-birds that are common cage-favourites
in Bengal, I cannot but include this bird in
my list. Indian poets, ancient and modern,
have immortalised this bird in their writ-
ings. They like to paint how the cuckoo's

THE KOEL AND ITS ALLIES 285

iiotes^ are most tantalizingly pleasant to
the i ver-wrought imagination of a pining
lover. The Indian thrills at the high-
pitched call of the Koel and gives himself
up to the sweetest day-dreams. The
European staying in India, on the other
hand, has not a single good word for this
bird. In summer, when the cool morn-
ing is trying to soothe him into sleep
after a night's restless tossing in bed, the
koel's sudden torrent of loud hilarity jars
on his tired nerves and fills him with
resentful intentions ; unable to get at his
tormentor, he breaks into words which,
instead of hitting their objective, hit
King's English very hard. These un-
pleasant associations have lowered the
cuckoo in his estimation. The deliberate
opinion of an English writer is, *'The
villainy of the cuckoo is most thorough-
going and consistent... He begins his days
with a sin and passes through life steeped
in iniquity." This judgement is not likely
to be reconsidered, since the Koel will lead

286 TRT BIRDS OF BENGAL

an absolutely Bohemian life in utter
disregard of all public opinion. Its iniqui-
tous life did not escape the notice of the
Sanskrit poets, who expressed their convic-
tions in no less uncertain terms. But
with all its faults, the Indian loves it
dearly, and will continue to do so.

Four species of the Cucididae are
commonly caged in India. These are —
(1) the Koel (Eudynamis honorata), (2)
the Papiyil or the Hawk-Cuckoo (Uiero-
€occyx varius)y (3) the Bou-Katha-Kao or
the Indian Cuckoo (Cuculus mio'opterm)
and (4) the Shah-bulbul or the Indian
crested Cuckoo {Coccystes jacohmu^).
Among these, the Koel and the Bou-
katha-kao are the most popular eage-
favourites, the other two being next in
importance.

The Cuckoos form a large community
among the aves of India. The total num-
ber of the various species of the cuckoo
is more than fifty. Many of them have
a wide range of distribution, while some

THE KOEL AND ITS ALLIES 287

are locally distributed. The four species
mentioned above are Partial

tion^ ^^^^^'^^^^'^' "^^^^ expression has a

specific application in Indian
Ornithology. Migratory birds have been
placed in three classes — (1) The Ti^ue
migi'antff, — those palsearctic species that
chiefly breed beyond Indian limits ; (2)
Migrants, — those Palsearctic species that
chiefly breed in the Himalayas ; and (3)
JPartial migrants, — those that confine their
movements in India. It is to the last class
that the cuckoos described here belous;,
but the Hawk-cuckoo or the Papiya.
{Sierococcyx varius) appears to be a resi-
dent bird throughout its range except in
Ceylon, where it goes in November and
whence it comes back to the continent
with the approach of summer. It is found
everywhere in India up to Kajputana in
the west and East Bengal in the east.
On the one hand, its range does not
reach the Punjab and Sind, on the other,
Assam and Burma. Instances of its occur-

288 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

rence in Burma have been reported, but
they are, as Blanford says, '^probably due
to error." The Indian Cuckoo {Cuculus
micropterus) is commonly found all over
continental India except the driest provin-
ces of the Punjab, Sind, and Rajputana.
In Peninsular India, it is not uncommon.
Stuart Baker says that ''it doubtless breeds
over the whole of its habitat, ascending
higher up at the breeding season and
migrating locally from places where there
are no suitable forests or hills." In
Ceylon it is a winter migrant. Oatea
supposed that it went to China, Japan
and Eastern Siberia in summer. But it
has been reported from Travancore in
April and May, and has been noticed
to be very common all along the Sahyadri
Range, where also it is supposed to be
a resident bird.

The range of the Koel — Eudynamis — is
much wider. Six species of this bird in-
habit the oriental regions. India possess-
es one of them — Eudynamis honor ata —

THE KOEL AND ITS ALLIES 289

which, though the Enghsh residents of
this country would be incHned to consider
to be one too many, is yet the bird of
Indian romance. Its range extends all
over India except the western provinces
of the Punjab and Sind, where it is very
rare. It is not known to occur farther
west. Eastwards, however, its habitat
includes China and the Malay Archipe-
lago.

The most handsome of the four
Cuckoos is the Pied Crested Cuckoo or
Shah-bulbul {Coccystes jacohinus) which
also has a range all over India. In Ben-
gal and other parts of Northern India^
it is common during the rains. Gates
says — ''Although there is no reason to
suppose that it migrates out of India, it
moves about a great deal at different
seasons ; and in some parts, e.g., in Sind,
Indore, parts of the Deccan, around
Calcutta, at Faridpur and at Shillong,
it is either met with only during rains
or more abundantly in that period." It
19

290 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

is no doubt a partial migrant in this
country. It visits the Deccan only in the
rains. It is generally distributed through-
out that region but is much more common
in the north than in the south. In fact,
in many of the southern districts e.g.,
Ratnagiri, Belgaum etc., it is found only
as a straggler. Fergusson, however, writ-
ing in the Journal of the Bombay Natural
History Society ( Vol. xv, p. 655 ), of the
birds of Travancore, says — "(7. jacolimts
is a resident and is fairly common in the
low country, more specially in the ex-
treme south." In Ceylon also, it is resi-
dent, but its movements about the island
seem to depend on the rains.

Sometime back, the Bombay Natural
History Society issued an appeal to its
members to note the movements of birds
in this country. They appended thereto
a list of migrants in which we find that
the Koel and the Papiya have been
placed among partial migrants. But in
some places in the district of 24 Per-

THE KOEL AND ITS ALLIES

2^1

gannahs in Bengal, I find the
two species resident. At
Agarpara, a village seven
miles to the north of Cal-

cutta, and

in the vil-

lao^es about it,

I have noticed

both the said species all

through the year.

The Koel (B, honorata)

is the most common and

widely known cuckoo in

India, and it is also the most vociferous.
There is perhaps not a garden,
grove, avenue or jungle in India
where this bird is not found.

Field

Notes

292 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

Of course its presence depends on the
nature of the trees constitutmg the groves
and gardens. Leafy trees affording effec-
tive cover are necessary for protection
against the wrath of crows. And as it
is pre-eminently a frugivorous bird, with
a predilection for jiciis fruits — these
trees also are indispensable. If these
conditions are fulfilled, the Koel will feel
itself quite at ease. During a certain part
of the year, another condition has got to be
fulfilled- — the existence of a goodly number
of corvine households. The crows have an
instinctive aversion to the Koel and always
give it chase but they are never able to
come to grips. The Koel's cleverness in
dodging pursuit increases its impudence, and
all through summer, it laughs merrily
from thick covers, booing derisively at all
the grey-necked crows that happen to be
busy with their domestic duties in the
neighbourhood. From man's standpoint
the crow is perhaps the most clever and the
most nefarious bird in existence. But the

THE KOEL AND ITS ALLIES 293

Koel out-crows the crow in cunning and
stratagem : and its iniquities seem to
be a sort of nature's revenge on the
iniquitous life of the crow. While all
other parasitic cuckoos select weaker
and inoffensive birds on which to foist
off their eggs, the Koel only finds
delight in incurring the risks of imposing
on a laro'e, and more vioforous bird. Ins-
pite of all their faults, the crows are fond
parents and devote themselves heart and
soul to the nursing of their children, only
to find out that all their labours have been
in vain, that those they were nursing and
feeding with so much care and attention,
are not their own flesh and blood but the
offspring of their detestable enemies. They
are unable to fathom how this calamity
comes to pass and how they are tricked
into brino^ins: ud the children of others.
They, therefore, nurse in their bosom bitter
hatred against the Koel, which they
pursue in rage at the very sight. The
cuckoo never tarries to make a stand but

294 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

takes to its wings. Though the ordinary
flight of the Koel is slow, clums}^ and
shuffling, it always evades pursuit. The
crow's habit of pursuing the Koel at
sight affords the latter the opportunity
to hoodwink the former. In the nesting
season, the male cuckoo tries to become
very prominent. When the female Koel
feels like laying, the male presents itself
before a crow's nest and flings a volume
of outrageous vocabulary at the corvine
pair, while the soberly clad female lurks
in some neighbouring leafy cover. As
soon as the crows catch sight of the Koel
they start out in hot pursuit. The male
Koel flees before them, keeping a very
slight lead. The crows, hoping soon to
overtake their enemy, dog its heels and
are thus led far away from their nest.
This gives the female the desired oppor-
tunity to carry out its nefarious scheme.
The male Koel seems to possess a precise
idea of the time the female will require to
accomplish its purpose, for it invariably

THE KOEL AND ITS ALLIES 295

keeps the crows engaged just sufficiently
to allow the female to finish its job.
When it thinks that the chase has been
sufficiently long, it swerves to one side
and takes cover in a thick foliage, whence
it quietly escapes. The baffled crows
return to their nests to hatch to life the
eggs of their arch-enemy. Sometimes it
happens that the crowds return before
the female Koel has finished its task
and it is then that the crows get their
opportunity for wreaking their vengeance.
The female Koel is not as swift a flier
as its husband, and has occasionally to
pay with its life for its foul deed. CoL
Butler once saved a fugitive female Koel
from a pair of crows. Other observers also
have recorded instances of similar catas-
trophies.

When the male Koel has enticed away
the crows, the female bird, while depositing
her own eggs, destroys the eggs of the nest-
owners. Blyth held to this view, while
Oates denied that the Koel did anything

296 PET BIRDS OP BENGAL

of the kind. But since then, so many ob-
servers have seen the female Koel actually
committing the felony that no ground for
doubt remains any longer. Dewar says, "1
consider it proven that the Koel undoubted-
ly destroys or tries to destroy some of the
crow's eggs it finds in the nest. My idea
is that, given the opportunity, the Koel will
destroy all the crow's eggs." It is not the
Koel alone that does this. Other cuckoos
also have the same habit. The Shah-bulbul
or the Pied Crested Cuckoo has also been
known to act similarly. At Durbhanga,
Lindsay Harvey once noticed a Babbler's
nest which contained three eggs of the
bird, all of which he marked with pen-
cil and retired to a distance to watch
another bird. Suddenly he heard the
Babblers making a tremendous noise. Tur-
ning round he saw a Coccystes jacolinvs
seated on a twig near the nest and the
poor owners of the nest hopping around
it, chattering. The cuckoo hopped on to
the nest and after a while flew down to

THE KOEL AND ITS ALLIES 297

the foot of the tree where the observer
lost sight of it in the long grass. Al-
most immediately after, it flew up again
to the nest and remained about half a
minute, and then flew away. Mr. Harvey
walked up to the foot of the tree and
looking down to where the cuckoo had
settled, saw an egg on the ground ; it
was one of the Babbler's he had marked.
He got up to the nest and found three
eggs ; the third, a large one, was un-
marked. It may, therefore, be presumed
that destruction of the eggs of the host
is a common habit with the parasitic
cuckoos.

It has been asked whether the Koel
lays its egg elsewhere and carries it in
its beak to place it in position. This
question has yet to be definitely answered
from actual observation. Except the Koel,
the other cuckoos select nests which are
too small for them to sit comfortably with-
out damaging them to some extent. So,
as Stuart Baker puts it — "We must take

298 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

it for granted that the cuckoo lays its
egg on the ground and then places it
in the nest selected for its reception. In
no case have I found a nest in any way
damaged by the cuckoo and often the
only way it was possible for the egg to
have been deposited in the nest, without
considerably spoiling it, would have been
in this manner." The Koel, we must re-
member, victimises a strong and vindictive
bird. The fear of being caught at the
game is always present in its mind and
the only way in which it can hurry
through the operation is by bringing the
egg in its beak after laying it elsewhere
on the ground.

Another matter of controversy is whe-
ther the young Koel ejects the children
of its foster-parent. Gates thought that
the young crows are probably got rid of
by the young Koel. The young of the
Common Cuckoo ( Cucidns canorus ) is
in the habit of doing this. Stuart Baker
says that ''it has practically been as-

THE KOEL AND ITS ALLIES 299

certained that the young cuckoo turns
out the fellow nestlings/' Cuckoos are
generally brought up in nests which are
too small for their body. It is quite
possible that being sardine-packed into a
small nest, the nestlings struggle for
room, and the cuckoo nestlings being the
stronger and generally earlier-born win
the day and the others are thrown out.
That this is not invariably the case is
proved by the fact that in the majority
of instances both the cuckoo and the
children of the real owner of the nest
successfully grow up to be reared and
fledged. People have urged that the
parasite youngster has a sensitive back,
and when its foster-brother comes to sib
on it, the former instinctively pushes out
the latter. This may be true in the case
of Cuculus canorus but, according to
Dewar, not true of the Koel. He says,
"The young Koel does not eject its fellow
nestlings. It is true that many young
crows disappeared but in every case this

300 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

disappearance can be otherwise accounted
for."

With regard to the nursing of young
Koels, Oates writes, '^I have never seen
crows feeding fully fledged Coels out of
the nest, whereas I have repeatedly
wititched adult female Coels feeding young
cries of their own species. I am pretty
nearly convinced that after laying their
eggs the females keep somewhere about
the locality and take charge of the young
directly they can leave the nest." This
supposition can be true if the female lays
only one egg in only one nest, so that
it may be on the look-out for that one
alone. What actually happens is that
the female Koel lays more than one egg
in more than one nest. Does it keep an
eye on all the nests ? What Oates says
cannot be accepted as a general rule
but only as an exception. It is a
wonder that Oates never saw crows
feedins: fullv fledo-ed Koels out of the
nest. I have and many others also.

THE KOEL AND ITS ALLIES 301

But neither any one else, except Gates
so far as I know, nor myself have yet
seen a female Koel feeding her nestlings,
I have seen young Koels fed assiduously
by their foster-parents at a time when
they are just begining to fly from tree to
tree. The young Koels keep up an in-
cessant whimpering for food and more food.
They do not allow their foster-parents,
the crows, a minute's rest, and probably
the latter have to deny thomselves many
a tempting morsel to quiet the unruly
children. It is a wonder that the crows
continue to feed the Koels even when
the latter are in full plumage and have
developed the characteristic cucuUne
movements and even their specific calls,
Dewar says that when the young Koel
first leaves the nest, it tries to imitate the
call of its corvine fellow-nestling, but
this has never come to my notice, nor
have I found it recorded anywhere else.
The difference in the coloration of the
male and the female Koel is connectedj

302 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

according to Cunningham, with their para-
sitic tendency. Says he, *'The possession
by the male cuckoo of an insistent and
distracting call is not enough to give the
female such a good chance of doing her
part, as it will where she has to deal with
birds of lower mental and physical power ;
and it has accordingly been reinforced by
the evolution of differences in plumage,
serving to render the one sex very cons-
picuous, and the other protectively obs-
cure. The shining black plumage and
bright red eyes of the male Koel are
specially adapted to attract attention in
the sites he chooses to call from, while
the subdued greenish- grey tints and white
spots and bars of the feathering of the
female serve to make her almost invisible
among the broken lights and shades of
the coverts in which she lurks when await-
ing a chance for depositing her eggs".

If this sort of 'adaptive' coloration be
true of the Koel, it is not true of the
common Hawk-cuckoo — our Papiya, {Hiero-

THE KOEL AND ITS ALLIES 303

coccyx varius) which is the ^'Brain-fever
bird" of Europeans residing in this coun-
try. When on the wing, it looks like a
Shikra fAstur hadiusj but its accipitrine
looks do not save it from being pur-
sued and mobbed by smaller birds, speci-
ally by Babblers who have an innate
repugnance for it, just as the crow has for
the Koel. But the w^ary and alert Bab-
blers, though they move about in flocks
and parties for the sake of safety, are
outwitted by this double-faced cuckoo.
This bird keeps to our gardens and
avenues and its presence in any locality
depends on the number of Babblers there.
However much it may ape the hawk
in looks while flying, it cannot keep up
the deception when it comes to perch.
''It has all the furtive, peering ways of
common cuckoos when it sits down,
constantly jerking itself from side to side
as Koels do and, at the same time, puffing
out its throat in a strange way. The
Common Indian Cuckoo or Bou-katha-kao

304

PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

( Cuculus micropterus )
avoids inhabited local-
ities and confines itself
to jungly tracts or to
large unfrequented gar-
dens. It is more
shy and retir-
ing than the
two foreejoino: ]

birds, ; and
hence in our country-
side, it is rarely seen.
It generally selects the
top-most bough of a
large tree and keeps calling for a quarter of -J
an hour or more. Both this bird and the
Papiya dislike conspicuous positions. The
Shah-bulbul or the Pied Crested Cuckoo
resembles the Koel in this respect. In

THE KOEL AND ITS ALLIES

305

Bengal it arrives in May and is in
evidence up to the rains, after which, in
September, it moves down probably to-
wards the south. I have noticed that
grassy and cultivated plains with small
trees and bushes scattered about are
its favourite resorts. ^^

But Stuart Baker writes,
*'It haunts mdiff- ' /

n
1

erently lof-
tiest of trees

'^'HM-'{%^'^,m'^^

secondary growth and small saplings or
mere scrub jungles". It is most numerous
in the more wooded districts. It hunts
singly or in pairs, and unlike the last three
Cuckoos, it generally feeds on the ground.
Somehow or other, Coccystes jacobinus also
is an eyesore of the crows, though they
20

306 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

have no real grievance against it, and is
persistently attacked by the latter. Even
Bulbuls dislike it and raise a hubbub
at its approach, probably with a good
reason.

The Koel or, as it is called in
Bengal, the Kokii is a very insistent
caller ; it calls at all times, by day and
by night, as also does the the Papiya ;
and we, in Bengal, hear it in most sea-
sons, even in winter. Generally it begins
as early as Eebruary to find its voice
which from March onwards works in full
swing and breaks in September and
then gradually ceases. Englishmen do not
like its music, which some characterise
as 'an introductory poem to Hades !'
But many of them have to admit that
*when heard sufficiently far off it is not un-
melodious. It has three distinct calls. One
is what Cunningham chooses to style its
'nest-note' or name-call, i.e., from which
it o'ets its name. This rises in a slow
crescendo and wlien the highest pitch has

THE KOEL AND ITS ALLIES 307

been reached it is finished off in a rapid

downward scale, thus — Ku-ooo, ku-ooo

ku- 000, kooo, kooo, kooo and so on. If this
note is mimicked the bird answers with
gusto, and our village boys often tease
it by so doing, with the result that it
becomes more insistent and vociferous.
Its second note is a series of shrill nn-
melodious kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk which is
generally to be heard at dawn. The
third is an ear-splitting shriek of terror,
uttered by both sexes, specially on the
wing when pursued by the crow.

The Papiya has two distinct notes, one
of which is its name-call, which has earned
for it the name of ^'brain-fever bird". This
sounds like pa-pee-ha. This trisyllabic
cry is "repeated many times in as-
cending semitones until one begins to
think that the bird is going to burst".
The other call begins with one or two
of the trisyllabic utterances and then
passes on into a volley of single descen-

308 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

ding notes, or sometimes consists of the
latter alone. The cry of the above two
birds is connected with the spring season
from which Indian poetry weaves a halo
of romance round them and, Mrs. Sarojini
Naidu, the Indian poetess of European
fame, has immortalised the Brain-fever
bird in English poetry in one of her
loveliest of love-songs — 'Pajpeeha.

The call of Cuculus micropterus is
regarded by all as sweet. According to
Stuart Baker, "it is very melodious and
distinctly cuckoo-like in sound but the
bird reiterates it with so great persever-
ance that it becomes monotonous. Bou-
katha-kao in Bengali and 'Broken-pekoe' in
English are two of the best representa-
tions.'^ According to Tickell, its note
may be styled a melodious deep-toned
whistle, agreeable to hear despite its
monotonous reiteration.

While all the above Cuckoos utter
their characteristic caJls from a fixed
position, the Pied Crested Cuckoo becomes

THE KOEL AND ITS ALLIES 309

silent when it finds a perch, and cons-
tantly calls only when flying. Its flight,
on account of its long crest, beautiful
pied coloration, and its long tail, is very
graceful. Its cry is a whistling sort of

trisyllabic pee-pee-pee which, being deli-
vered from a pretty great height when
the bird flies through space, hears quite
melodious.

All these birds, except the Koel, are
regarded as economically very beneficial ;
they need all the protection we can give
them. The cuckoos of the Cuculinm
group are the only birds that habitually
eat hairy caterpillars which, being mostly
defoliators, are very injurious to crops.
The Hawk-cuckoo is undoubtedly benefi-
cial. Only a few, if at all, beneficial in-
sects are taken by this bird, its food
consisting almost entirely of injurious
insects or those allied to them. The
fruits that are eaten are mostly fici. By
the examination of the stomach of seven-
teen specimens, it was found that, of 300

310 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

insects taken by them, 253 were injurious
and only 1 beneficial. Both Cuculus
micropterus and Coccystes jacohiniis are
similarly beneficial. The young of the
latter bird have been observed to be fed
on caterpillars by its foster-parents, the
Babblers. How is it that the foster-
parent selects insects suited to the stomach
of its foster-child instead of selecting
those that are agreeable to itself ? The
Koel, however, is not insectivorous, but
lives exclusively on fruits. It generally
feeds on ficus fruits, specially those of
banian {ficus indica) and peepal {ficus
religiosa), Ficus nitida, Ficus comosa^ wild
date palms, berries of various species of
Livistona, red-coated seeds of Amoora
rohituka, and berries of Bokul {Ilimusops
elengi). Of cultivated fruits it has been
known to devour Litchies, Mulberries and
Guavas. Mason is of opinion that "it is
only of economic importance in that
it has the habit of depositing its Qgg^
in the nest of the common species of

THE KOEL AND ITS ALLIES 311

erows and may thus help to limit their
numbers to some extent".

All the Cuckoos under review shirk
parental duties and get other members

of the bird-world to bring up
Nests and ^j^^-^, children. Parasitic Cuckoos

are therefore regarded as social
pests by other birds which, though fully
conscious of the stratagem played on
them, are yet helpless and become unwi-
lling dupes at the hands of the Cuckoos.
Birds are strangely lacking in a sense of
proportion and, unable to discriminate
between their own eggs and those of
their deceivers, unconsciously rear up the
children of the latter. Nesting operations
and the nursing of the young are a
blind instinct with birds. They are im-
pelled to these actions by Nature, and
engrossed in them, they never stop to
see whom they are bringing up. Other-
wise, how can the crow which is otherwise
a very clever and cunning bird fail to
notice its mistake and feed the young

312 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

Koel even when the latter has attained
full plumage ? The Koel victimises the
two common crows — Cor mis splendens and
Corvus macrorhyncus. Cuculus micropteriis
uses the nests of the Indian Blue-chat
(Larvivora brunnea), the Himalayan Str-
eaked Laughing Thrush {Trochalo]3terum
lineatum) and the Western Variegated
Laughing Thrush {T» simile) as also those
of the Brown Hill Warbler {Suya crini-
gera), the Golden Bush-Robin {Tarsiger
chrysocus) and Niltava sundara. Both
the Hawk-cuckoo and the Pied Crested
Cuckoo invariably deposit eggs in the
nests of the Argya or Crateropus group
of Babblers, the species being apparently
a matter of indifference. Eggs of the latter
bird have also been taken from nests of
Bulbuls {Molpastes hengalensis), the lora
(Aegithina tiphia) and oi Alcippe nepalensis.
The eggs of the Koel roughly resem-
ble crow's eggs, but are smaller and
broader. The ground-colour is a tint of
green or greenish yellow, densely marked

THE KOEL AND ITS ALLIES 313

all over ivith blotches. The eg^o^s of
Bou-katha-kao are a very pale hedge-
sparrow green -blue, some rather more
blue, varying but little in the range of
colour. The eggs of the Pied-Crested
Cuckoo are a good deal darker and
deeper blue, the intensity varying little
in different eggs, As to the eggs of the
Hawk-cuckoo, Stuart Baker says ^'I do
not think they can be discriminated with
any certainty from those of Coccystes
jacohimis, though they average larger
and perhaps average lighter."

As to the question whether the colour
of the eggs of Cuckoos has any rela-
tion to the colour of the eo^scs of the hosts
selected, Stuart Baker gives an affirmative
answer. In his opinion our Cuckoos
which lay blue eggs — H. varius and C
jacobinus and also C micropte7^us, — almost
invariably deposit their eggs in the nests
of such birds as themselves lay blue
eggs. Of course there are exceptions but
these are few.

314 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

In India there is perhaps not a more
common cage-bird than the Koel. As
with the Tuti, the food pro-
Cage-life blem of the Koel is not a
problem at all. Boiled rice in
milk with a few bananas is all that is
required to satisfy its taste and keep
it in health. Being as inexpensive to
keep as the bird described in the last
chapter, it has a favoured place in the
home of the poorest of the poor. Though
a favourite of the proletariat, the doors
of the rich are not closed on it. Its
presence is welcome everywhere.

Indians do not generally catch adult
birds for caging them. They know from
experience that such birds refuse to
reciprocate the kind attentions of the
keeper, and most of them pine away in a
short while. Therefore nestlings are pre-
ferred almost in all cases, as they grow
up into very confiding pets. The Koel fed
on Satoo pulp developes into a very bold
and faithful creature. Young Koels re-

THE KOEL AND ITS ALLIES 315

quire hand -feeding for a longer period
than other birds. As they grow old,
their food is varied with various fici,
the fruit of Bokul {lUmusops elengi) and
Telakucha {llomordica monadelpha ), — a
sort of creeper which grows wild in this
country during the rainy season and the
fruits of which become cherry -red when ripe.
The Koel is a perfect gourmand and, when
feeding, devours more than the capacity
of its stomach. But as it soon disgorges
much of what it has eaten, the habit
results in little harm. The Cuckoos are
kept in this country in large, round,
bamboo cages, which are generally cover-
ed up. In the case of the Papiya
(Hawk- cuckoo) or the Bau-katha kao (Indian
Cuckoo), this covering is a necessity, for
they are delicate birds and, unless kept
warm, are not able to bear the exteme-
ly humid atmosphere of this country
during the rains. The Koel, however,
is a wonderfully hardy and long-lived
bird and has been known to live up to

316 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

fourteen years in captivity. It seldom
suffers from any disease. The Papiyas,
on the other hand, generally suffer from
cold and rheumatism- — the results of careless
feeding and exposure.

The Papiya and the Bau-katha-kao are
not frugivorous like the Koel. They
are delicate birds and their diet-supply
becomes a problem to their keeper.
Grass-hoppers, insects and Satoo form
their menu, the basis of food being
the insects. They are kept in large
and costly cages. Both these birds
call freely in covered cages but as
the Bau-Katha-kao has a sweeter voice,
it is held in o^reater esteem. The
Koel is a vociferous singer and sings in
all seasons. When it begins calling, con-
versation becomes impossible in the house.
The Shah-buibul (Pied Crested Cuckoo)
is never available for sale in this pro-
vince in large numbers, and is, therefore,
less commonly seen as a captive. For
that very reason it is a bird for which

THE KOEL AND ITS ALLIES 317

one has to pay a handsome price. How-
ever much ordinary people may covet to
possess this bird, its high price serves
as brake on their inchnation. It is be-
sides an insectivorous bird and as it
does not take to Satoo as kindly as the
other Cuckoos, it is difficult to keep it
alive. If a proper and constant supply
of insects can be maintained, these Cuc-
koos turn out to be excellent cage-birds.
The Koel is probably a bird fit for
aviaries ; but in India it is so common
that it is a superfluity to keep it confined
for show purposes in the aviaries of the
Zoological Gardens. The Papiya has the
risk of being harassed by other birds on
account of its unhappy resemblance to
a hawk ; its presence in a mixed company
may also lead to the disquietude of
very small birds. The Bau-katha-kao
is too secretive for open aviaries. But if
proper arrangements are made according
to the habits of these birds, providing
thick cover and choosing: for their com-

318 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

panions a few of the hosts upon which
they usually foist off their eggs, I expect
that much about their life may be re-
vealed to us.

The Papiya and the Koel are poles
asunder in plumage. In the case of the
former the sexes are like ; but
Coloration male and female Koels have
different dresses. The male
Koel is altogether black with a bluish-
green gloss, a stout bill, and a bright
crimson iris. The female is less showy,
being of brown body-colour with white
spots on head, neck, back, and wings.
Its quills and tail are barred with white,
with similar bars on the glossy brown
surface of the breast and abdomen. The
common folk of this country are under
the impression that the female is a differ-
ent bird, and call it "Tilia-kokil" or the
''Spotted cuckoo" .

The nestling Koel is born with a black
skin. According to Dewar, its earliest
feathers are tipped with white or a kind

THE KOEL AND ITS ALLIES 319

of reddish fawn. Those with white tips
are females. But he is not sure if the reverse
is true viz., whether all birds, whose
early feathers are tipped with reddish
fawn, are females. It seems that the
nestlings assume the adult female coloration
from which both sexes pass into adult
plumage without moulting. A full-grown
Koel is seventeen inches in length, of
which about half is taken up by the tail.
About the coloration of the Papiyas,
Gates says, "The coloration is remarkable
even amongst cuckoos for its close imita-
tion of Hawks and Ealcons The

resemblance is quite unexplained, though,
as it is sufficient to cause great alarm
to small birds in general, it is probably
connected with breeding habits." Grey
predominates in its upper plumage. Sides
of head are ashy with whitish lores and
cheeks ; chin and throat white with an
ashy tinge ; foreneck and breast rufous
with an ashy admixture ; lower breast
barred. The abdomen is white with bars,

320 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

and the under tail-coverts, like the edge
of the wings, are white. Quills of the
upper plumage are brown with broad
white bars on the inner webs. The tail
is grey with rufescent tips and with four
or fives bars beyond the upper tail-
coverts, where there is some white.

The young are dark brown above with
rufous cross-bars and white below, tinged
with rufous and spotted brown ; but the
tail is barred as in the adult. The bill
of the adult is greenish except the tip
which is black; iris yellow or orange
in the adult and brownish in the young ;
feet and claws yellow, pale or bright
according to age. The Papiya is thirteen
inches in length, the tail taking up half
that length.

The Bau-katha-kao — the Indian Cuckoo
— is a rich brown bird with a dark-
ashy head and neck. The tail has a
broad sub-terminal band of white, and
white tips. Chin, throat, and upper
breast are pale ashy, the rest of the

THE KOEL AND ITS ALLIES 321

lower parts being creamy white with
Hack cross-bars. The female differs only
in having the throat and breast browner.

The young have head and neck broadly
barred with reddish white or white ;
feathers of the upper plumage are tipped
with rufescent ; the lower plumage is
buff, barred broadly with dark-brown.
The tail of the young has more rufous
spots than, there are bands in the adult.
Nestlings that leave the nest in May
get full plumage in October. The upper
bill of adult birds is horny black, the lower
dull green ; iris rich brown ; legs yellow.
The size of the Indian cuckoo equals that
of the Papiya.

The Shah-bulbul is so called because
of its beautiful pointed crest. As our
common bulbuls have crests, ordinary folk
are under the impression that all birds
with a crest are Bulbuls. The colour
arrangement of this bird is much as in
the Dhayal. Its upper plumage is through-
out black with a cjreenish oloss. The

322 PET BIRD3 OF BENGAL

quills are dark brown with a broad
white band near the ' base across the
inner webs of all except the innermost
and across the outer webs of all except
the first. The tail has w^hite tips, these
being very broad on the outer feathers^
and narrow on the middle pair. The
lower parts are white.

The young are brown above, buff
below, the chin and throat being grey.
The bill of an adult bird is black ^
iris red -brown ; legs leaden blue. Sexes
are alike. Coccystes jacobinus is of the
same size as Cuculus micropterii^.

APPENDIX

Shama and nest

Additional aviary Notes

1. THE SHAM A

A male and a female Shama were inmates
of adjacent aviaries. They were kept separate
because I found that in the non-breeding sea-
son the male refused to keep company with
the female. In March 1923, noticing an amor-
ous change in their attitude, I brought them
together in the hope of raising a brood of
young Shamas. The hen showed no fear
of the male ; on the contrary, in a few
days she seemed to order the cock about.
The latter had evidently lost all his imperious-
ness. But, however gentle he was to his
mate, he was most overbearing towards strong-
charactered and sturdy birds like the Dhayal.
Chats also and even the gentle Dama — Orange-
headed Ground Thrush — seemed to irritate him
and had to be removed elsewhere. But small-
er birds like the Finches were never molested.
The male was a very jealous husband, and

326 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

if he heard, or fancied he heard, the voice of
another male Shama close by, he worked him-
self up into a great fury. A friend of mine
took it into his head to whistle the Shama's
love-notes when he came to my aviary. When-
ever he did this, the cock Shama would at
once stand up alert and give out his peculiar
notes of anger — fchat fchat. As my friend
continued, the anger of the bird increased. It
puffed out all its feathers, furiously worked its
tail up and down and peered around for the
supposed rival. The first day my friend be-
gan the game, he was outside the aviary and
noticed that the bird became very restless
and flew about the aviary occasionally going
to the female, as if, to protect her from the
advances of the invisible lover. The next day
he went into the aviary and the Shama was
not long in finding out whence the notes
proceeded. But the bird's uneasiness was not
removed. It probably thought that my friend
had a male Shama concealed somewhere on
his person and flew up to very hear him and
stood in an attitude of defiance, calling as
loudly as it could in order to outdo my
friend. Not satisfied with wordy combats, it
began to sweep down on my friend trying to

ADDITIONAL AVIARY NOTES 327

peck at his head as it flew past. My friend
liad to throw up his hands to save himself
from being scratched by the bird. At times
he would extend his hand towards the bird
which spent its fury on the fingers of my
friend by pecking them with all its might.

But to return. When the hen was intro-
duced into the aviary, the cock began to
court her favour in right earnest. His song
iDecame loud and insistent. Besides the usual
call-notes, he used to utter a very loud
tremolo whistle with a sharp and sudden en-
ding. This evidently used to excite sexual in-
clinations in the female ; for these calls generally
•excited the latter very much. At the time of
pairing, the male used to shoot down like an arrow
from a high perch with such a call, and then
-uttering a short, sudden whistle, he sprang
upon the hen. Among his coquetish displays,
one of the attitudes was to drop suddenly down
in front of the female ( if she were on the
ground ) with a loud whistle. Then he would
stretch out his head and gradually bend it
till the chin and bill rested on the ground
while the hinder parts went up, the tail being
held straight uplifted. The hen would remain
still all the while.

328 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

To afford them a suitable nesting site I
nailed up in the wall a long piece, of very
fat bamboo with three holes in it, one above
each joint. The male bird, after inspection^
fixed upon the middle hole and invited the
female to have a look at it. In a short
time I noticed the latter carrying nest materi-
als which consisted of fine cocoanut fibres.
The upholstering of the cavity began on the
25th March and continued till the 30th. The
hen Shama became so bold as to accept
cocoanut fibres from my hand. If I gave a
rough one, she would smooth and clean it by
beating it on the ground. She would carry
to the nest four or five fibres at a time and,,
after arranging them in the hole, invariably
came back with one in her bill.

On the 31st the hen laid the first egg and
on the 4th April she completed a clutch of
five. I removed one and left her four to
hatch. She alone incubated. The first egg was
hatched out <jn the 14th and the rest by the
1 6th April. After this the behaviour of the
fefnale was most unmotherly. She beat one
nestling to death and killed the others by drop-
ping them from a height.

On April 22nd the hen began nest-building.

ADDITIONAL AVIARY NO^ES 329

again. Strangely enough, she carried materials
to three different holes in none of which a nest
was completed. On the 27th I found two eggs
in two different holes and another lying broken
on the floor. I placed the eggs together but
the next day, they were thrown out bs' the
bird !

I gave the bird one more chance to raise a
brood, as, even after the above two abortive
attempts, the hen still seemed to possess a
strong inclination for nesting. But, this time again,
the eggs were destroyed as on the previous
occasion. Thereupon I locked the female bird
up in a cage. I had another hen which had
come to me as a nestling. I introduced her tO'
the cock bird's aviary on the 9th May.

This bird was able to rear up two young
ones sucessfully. It was a better-behaved bird,
sat on the eggs more closely and took greater
care of its children. It laid twice, — the first
clutch consisting of four and the second of
three eggs. The first clutch began on the 13th
May. One egg was destroyed. On the 27th
the first young came out and two more followed
the next day. One of these died and was remov-^
ed from the nest by the mother. On the 8th June,
the two surviving nestlings were completely

330 PET BIKDS OFBKNC.AL

feathered and tlie next day they left their nest.
I confined them in a large cage with the mother-
bird. On June 12th, the youngsters began to
feed themselves, and I observed that thenceforth
their mother occasionally fed them on egg-food
and satoo. Before this date no artificial food was
given. The hen used to show great care and
discrimination in feeding the young. For the
first two or three days after birth, the mother
fed them only wath ants' eggs. Then for a few
days beetles, ants' grubs and a few grasshoppers
were given. As the chicks grew older, ants'
eggs were discarded and grasshoppers and
beetles only composed their diet. Not until
a fortnight after their birth did the mother give
them prepared food.

From the 14th June, the youngsters
began to emit fchat fchat sounds. At this
time the cock began to court the hen again
and the latter responded from within the
cage. So, I let her loose with the children.
On the 15th she began nest-building. The
youngsters fed themselves but were still impor-
tunate. So. the cock used to feed them at
times. The youngsters used to sit on a high
perch crying for food. The cock used to fly
up with a grasshopper and as there was no

\

^w

Shania feeding young*

Sliama nestling

Photo by S. C. Law.

ADDITIONAL AVIx^llY KOTES o3l

room beside the young birds for him to sit, he
"thrust insects into the baby's mouth as he
flew past. How deftly he did this !

On June 19th the hen began her second
■clutch. On July 3rd, one young appeared and
two more (3n the next day. Unfortunately
all the nestlings died for some unaccountable
reason. This catastrophe marked a distinct
change in the conduct of the female. Up
till then she was bold and fearless, taking food
from my hand. Now she suddenly became
morose, retiring and shy, shunning human proxi-
mity. She also ignored all the amorous advan-
•ces of the male and soon after began to moult.

Elsewhere I have noted that according to
Mr. Reginald Phillips the incubation period of
'the Sham a was twelve days. But I find that
'with my birds the period wsls /o2frU'cn days each
•time, neither more nor less.

2. THE DHAYAL

Two pairs of Dhayals in my aviary^ raised
a brood each. The nestlings, unfortunately, did
not live long. One of the pairs was lodged in
the same room with the Shama and another
In an adjoining room. The hen of the first

832 PKT BIRDS OF BENGAL

pair was rather shy and, though the breeding-
season was on, showed no sign of taking
advantage of tl:e cock's restlessness to become
a mother. But I noticed that the hen of the
second pair in the adjoining room frequently
flew up to the wire-netting separating the two
compartments ; and her behaviour clearly showed
that she wanted the company of the first cock-
bird more than that of the one with which she was
lodged. Thinking they might pair up, I let this,
flirt into the first cock^s room. It seems that a
female bird occasionally declares her love to a
cock and persists in it even though beaten and
insulted. The cock seemed in no mood to-
respond to the advances made b}- the forward
female and became more irascible. Fights with
the Shama became very frequent, and so I moved
the three Dhayals into the second compartment
which now contained two pairs of these birds.
This arrangement led to more unpleasantness.
The two cocks frequently indulged in free fights
with serious consequences to the original occupant
of the room — the second cock. The first and stur-
dier cock, furious with jealousy, began also tO'
chase both the hens. The second cock was there-
fore removed to a third compartment which ad«
joins the second one. The first cock showed his.

ADDITION i^L AVfARV NOTES ooo

favour to the shy hen by displaying before iier
and singing at his loudest But the hen held him
in dread and always fled in terror whenever he
approached. She was in evident danger of losing
her life from extreme exhaustion. Therefore,
I shut her up in a cage.

Her rival being thus confined, the other bolder
hen now had the cock all to herself. The cock
tried to handle her also roughly. But this wily
bird stood the cock's browbeating admirably,
eluded all attacks and even freely indulged in
coquetry, whistling persistently all the while. As
the cock evidently paid no heed to her overtures
I re-introduced the shy hen to see if she could
shake off her fear. As soon as she was let loose,
the cock flew towards her with a joyful whistle ;
but the hen fled in sheer funk and, after being
pursued around the aviary, fell panting to the
ground. I had no alternative now but to take
her out of the room and try if she could pair
with the other cock.

After her removal the first cock would fre-
quently cling to the wire-netting separating him
from the shy hen and burst into rapturous melody.
This naturally provoked the wrath of the second
cock which also would fly up to the wire-netting
and sing defiantly ; and the two spent their

334 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

time in hurling loud abuses at each other. When-
ever the first cock bird flew to the wire-nettings
the bolder female would fly up to its side and
whistle, as if to attract it away from its rival
hen. At last the persistent attentions of the
bolder female overcame the cock's dislike for
her. The shy hen in the adjacent cc)m{)artment
responded, in the meantime, to the second cock's-
wooing and made up a good match. In a short
while both pairs began to build nurseries for
their coming offspring.

The first cock chose an aperture in the wall
and began to enter it frequently on the 22nd
April 1923. On the 3rd May the hen was
noticed to follow suit. On the 14th she began
to carry cocoanut fibres. A semi-circular wall
of these fibres was built up around a corner of
the selected aperture, leaving some space in the
middle. The eggs were laid here on bare floor^
no padding being used.

The cock used to indulge in frequent displays
about this time. He would crane his neck forward
and sing with all his might after swelling him-
self out. On the 13th June the hen laid the first
egg. In the next two days she completed a
clutch of three. I left her two eggs to hatch.
On the 27th the first young came out and the

ADDITIONAL AVIARY NOTES 335

other on the following day. The period of
incubation was 14 days. Two days later one
youngster disappeared and on the 2nd July
the other was found in a decapitated condition
on the floor.

The second pair chose a cavity in a bamboo
pole similar to the one used by the Shamas.
They merely padded the floor of the cavity with
grass and a few cocoanut fibres and thereon laid
the eggs. This pair began to build their nest on
the 17th May. I used to look in occasionally
for the eggs ; but none were laid during the month.
In June I could not inspect the nest in the first
week and on the 8th I discovered three eggs.
I removed one from this clutch also. The eggs of
this clutch differed from those of the other in that
the speckles were not sprinkled all over the
surface but were concentrated in a zone at the
thick end. The eggs were hatched out on the
"i6th and 17th June. But on the 19th I missed
the young ones. I strongly suspect, though I
have no actual ocular proof, that in both cases
the male parents were responsible for the death
and disappearance of the nestlings. On p. 32,
I have already stated that cock Dhayals kill
their own young. That the cock has carnivorous
tastes was apparent from his conduct in my own

336 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

aviary. A pair of Bulbuls {Molpastes leucotis)
nested and raised two nestlings in the aviary
in which the first pair of Dhayals was breeding.
One day I noticed the cock Dhayal on the
floor beating to death a Bulbul's nestling. The
Dhayals are, therefore, not fit to be in a mixed
aviary containing inoffensive birds ; and, as the
cock is an unnatural father, he should be
segregated as soon as the young ones come out
of the shells.

3. HAREWA

On p. 100 I have quoted a passage from
the new edition of the Avi-fauna of British India
( edited by Mr. Stuart Baker ) in which it is
stated that Gold-fronted Chloropsis {C. aurifrons
aurifrons) becomes gregarious in the non-breeding
season. But the male Harewa has been known
to be a very sturdy little creature with an auto-
cratic temper and never associates with others
of his ilk (vide p. 104). According to Legge
we find that females of C. Jerdorii collect in
small flocks. Since the habits of closely related
species are generally the same, I made bold to
suggest the possibility of Mr. Baker having seen

ADDITIONAL AVIARY NOTES 337

.parties of female Harewas only. Since writing
the cliapter six months ago, I got half a dozen
of these birds for my aviary and had ample
opportunities to observe their habits on this
point. I find that the males assume a stand-
offish attitude towards each other not only in
the breeding season but in the off seasons for
breeding as well. They are impatient of each
•other's company and can not be lodged together.
But my four female Harewas associate together
and live in the same aviary in admirable
harmony. It is very likely that regarding
gregariousness the habits of Jerdon's Chloropsis
and the Gold-fronted one are similar viz., that
the females only collect in small parties in the
3ion-breeding season.

4. THE DAMA

In describing the coloration of the female
•Orange-headed Ground Thrush in the Fauna
of British India (Birds, Vol. II., p. 140), Gates
writes, "the back and scapulars greenish brown
with yellowish margins". I possess two pairs
of Damas and I notice that the yellow to the
of the back and scapulars is put

3o8 PET BIPwDS OF BENGAL

on during the breeding season, and is not retain-
ed all through the year. The yellow splash,,
therefore, indicates breeding plumage.

In distinguishing males and females, the
colour of the lower body does not seem to be
the criterion, for I have found that the female
of one pair has the chestnut colour deeper than
the male. So, when bu}'ing these birds or
choosing pairs reliance should not be placed
on this point.

5. TICKELL'S OUZEL

I have two specimens of Merula unicolor. Up
till last spring they were kept separately in differ-
ent aviaries. But in June last I heard ox\^ of
them attempting to sing. The attempt resulted
in short and frequently-uttered whistles which
were a mixture of guttural and sibilant sounds.
Hoping that the season might not pass in vain^
I brought the above two birds together. For
the first few days, I noticed the male chasing
the female about. The hen was evidently
dallying with the male. In a short while there
was no more pursuit and dodging ; the birds
lived together quite peacefully in evident harmony.

ADI)1TI0NA.L AVIARV NOTES 331*

For a long time I did not see them making
any attempt at nesting. Late in July, on the
27th, I saw the female perched on the top of
a long bamboo-pole. Entering the aviary, I
went up to the pole but the bird did not move.
Curious to see what made the erstwhile sh\'
bird so indifferent to my proximity, I brought
a ladder and placing it against the pole, climbed
up to discover the bird sitting in a beautiful
nest. The top of the fat pole had a slight
depression in the middle. Around this depression
the bird had created a wall of soft grass and
the cavity had been upholstered with very fine
coir-fibres. That very day the two birds m^ited
in my presence. The restless male was in evident
heat. It was following the female everywhere.
They were first on the ground. The hen sudden-
ly flew up to the nest. The male came up to
her with a loud note and perched on the edge of
the nest. The female moved off and flew on
to the top of a hanging cage. The male followed
her there with a strange guttural sound and, with
mouth agape, attempted to pair. The female
however, slipped down to the ground. The cock
followed and, alighting at a little distance, made
a quick run towards the hen. When close up
to her side the cock opened his mouth again and

340 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

I heard a distinctly audible sound, such as that
mentioned above, issuing from his throat. In
a second they mated. N^^xt day I found an
egg in their nest. The hen laid three eggs
oonsecutively and sat very close. During this
period I noticed a change in the conduct of
these extremely shy birds. They became quite
bold and fearless. If I climbed up to inspect
the nest, the female bird would not stir till I was
actually upon it. On its leaving the nest, the
cock would fly up and sit in front of my nose
and make a noise. Though not actually aggressive
towards other birds they jealously guarded their
nest at this time from intrusion. For over a
fortnight the hen sat on the eggs but un-
fortunately these proved to be clear.

As in the case of the Shama, the female
Ouzel alone built the nest and took part in
incubation. The cock, though not obsequiously
attentive, kept watch over the nursery and,
whenever the hen was away, he went up close
to the nest and sometimes perched on its edge.
But I never found him brooding on the eggs.

GLOSSARY

Biri

Bunds

Indigenous cigarettes
Embankments between
two plots of cultivated
land marking their
boundary

Chenna

Gram

Ekka

A two- wheeled horse-

driven gig

Ghee

Clarified butter

Jheels

Large water-s h e e t s,

natural or artificial

Jhora

A hill-stream running

through a gorge

Khuskhus

A kind of sweetly-scen-

ted grass

Knnkur

Gravel for metalling

roads

Lal-pugrec

Lit., red turban ; police-

\

man, so-called from

the head-gear

Lepcha

A hill-tribe of Sikkim

Pan

Betel

342

PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

PurdaJi
Rahar
Satoo
Svayambara

Screen

A kind of cereal

Flour of grarn

Ancient Indian cere-
mony of selecting bride-
groom by the bride

SCIENTIFIC NOMENCLATURE

According to Oates

^githina tiphia
Alauda arvcnsis

Alauda gulgula
Alaudula raytal
Alcippe tiepalc?isis

Asiur badius

Calliope camatschatkensis
Carpodacus eiythrinus

Cercomela fusca
Chimarrhornls icuace-
phalus
Chloropsis anrifrons

Chloropsis hardwickii

Chloropsis jcrdoni
Cittocinda vi acru ra

According to Stuart
Baker

^'Egithina tiphia tiphia
Alauda arvensis cineras-

ceiLs
Alauda gulgula gulgula
Alaudula raytal raytal
Alcippe nepalcnsis ncpa-

Icnsis
Astur badius dussjimieri
Callliope calliope
Carpodacus crythrinus

roseaius

Cercomela fusca
Chaimarrornis Icucoce-
phala
Chloropsis aurifrons au-

rifrons
Chloropsis hardivickii

hardwickii
Chloropsis ferdoni
Kittocincla macroura

tricolor

B44 PET BlllDS

OF BEXGA.L

According to Oat es

According to Stuart:

Baker

Copsychiis saularis

Copsychiis saularis saula*

Coccystes jacobinus

Clamator jacobinus

Corvus inacrorhynchus

Corvus coronoides kvail-

lanti

Corvus spUndens

Corvus splctideiis splen-

dens

Crinigcr flaveolns

Crinigcr tcpJirogenis fla"

vcolus

C^iculw^ canorus

Cncnlus canorus telephon--

Cuculns micvoptcrus

us
Cuculns inicropterus mi^

croptcrus

Cfanecula succica

Cvanosylvia succica sue*

cica

Disseinurus paradlseus

Disseniurus paradlseus

grandis

Eiidynamis Jionorata

Eudynamis scolopaceus

scolopaccus

Galcrita cristata

G alert da cr is fata chen-

doola

Garrulus laiiceolatus

Garrulus lanceolaius

Geocichla citrina

Geocichla citrina citrina?

Geocichla c\>anonot7is

Geocichla citrina cyanotic

SCIENTIFIC NOMENCLATURE
According to Oates

34S

Hierococcyx varlits

Larvivora brunnea

Merula boidboul
Merula botirdilloni

Merula kinnisi

Merula siniillima

Merula unicolor
Mirafra affinis
Mirafra assaniica

Mirafra cantillans

Mirafra etythroptcra
Molpastcs bengalensis

Molpastes leticotis
Motacilla alba

Motacilla vtaderaspatcn-
sis

According to Stuart
Baker

Hierococeyx varitis

Larvivora cyajze cyane

Planesticus boulbotd
Planes liens siinillima

bc2irdillo7ii
Planesticus simillima

kinnisi
Planesticus simillimus

simillimus
Planesticus unicolor

Mirafra assaniica affinis

JMirafra assaniica assa-
niica

Mirafra cantillans canti-
lla7is

Mirafra erythroptera

Molpastes haemorrhous ■
bcjigalensis

Molpastcs Icucoiis

Motacilla alba dukhu-
nensis

Motacilla alba maderas--
patens is

:346 PET BIRDS

According to Oates

JMotacilla melanope
.Myiophoneus cn^euii
2Iyiophonens liorsjleldi
Myiophoneus toii ininckii

Niltava sundara

Prat'mcola caprata
Pratincola luaura
PyctorJiis nasalis

Py dor his si/i.cfists

Rhyacovnis fidigitiosu s

Suya crinigcra

Tarsiger crysaus
Thanmobia cambaieusis

Thaninobia fnlicata

Trochaloptcruin liucalniii

OF BENGAL

According to Stuart
Baker

Motacilla cinerca melan-
ope

Myiophoneus horsfieldi
eugenic

MyiophoTieus horsfieldi
horsfieldi

Myiophoneus horsfieldi
teniini7ickii

Niltava sundara

Saxicola caprata bicolor
Saxicola torquata indica
Pycotrhls sinensis nasa-
lis
Pyctorhis sinensis sinen-
sis

RJi) 'acornis fuliginosa
Suya crinigcj'a crinigera

Tarsiger crysccus

1 Jiamriobia fulicata cani-
baiensis

Thamnobia fulicata fuli-
cata

'1 yochalopteruni lineatum
gtiseiccntior

SCIENTIFIC ^■OMENCLATURE 347

According to Oates According to Stuart

Baker

Tfochaloptcrinn simile Trochalopteruui vanega-

turn simile

INDEX

JEgithina tiphia, 1 1 o,
125, 312

Aggia, 128, 130 ; colora-
tion 162-64 ; flight
142 ; ground-feeder
145 ; habitat of Ben-
gal Bush-Lark 130 ;
habitat of Madras
Bush-Lark 131 ; nidi-
fication 150-53 ; perch
142 ; resorts 143 ;
song 142

Aggin, 128, see Aggia ;
habitat 130-31 ; song
143-44 ; mimic 143

Jilauda a vvensis^ 1 2 J,
129, 137

Alciuda gulgiila^ 127,
137, see Bharat

Alaudula raytal, 132

Alcippe ?iepale?isis, 3 1 2

Amsler, Dr., 167

Argya, 312
Astley, 179, 201
Astur badius, 303
Avicultural Magazine

167, 201

Babbler, 81, Z2y 296,

303> 3io> 312
Babbler, Golden-eyed,

see Gu lab-chasm
Babbler, Yellow-eyed,

77-91 ; S9
Balder, E. C. Stuart,

100, 125, 224, 243,

288, 297, 298, 305,

308,313, 336
Ball, 130
Barnes, 133
Basil-Edwardes, Mr. S,,

198
Bee-eater, 97
Bliaradwai, 128

350

PST BiuDS OF be:ngal

Bharat, 126-165 ; alti-
tude of flight-ascent
139-40 ; coloration
162 ; compared with
European Sky-Lark
137 ; dust-bath 142 ;
flight 138-39 ; habi-
tat 129 ; nidification
151-52 ; resorts 140-
41 ; roosting 141 ;
Sanskrit name 128 ;
sings under fear and
excitement 140 ; soar-
ing compared with
birds of prey 140 ;
sociability varies with
season 141 ; song

137-39
Bhimraj, 222-39, 271 ;
albinism 237-38 ; at-
tacking a dog 227-28 ;
attractive character
and plumage 223 ;
captivity 232-35 j care-
less about territorial
rights 228 ; colora-
tion 235-39 ; differ-

ence between birds
from Northern and
Southern India 235-
36 ; dislike for
Wood-pecker 226 ;
division into species,
of the genus diss-
emnrus 224-25 ; food
230; food in captivi-
ty 234, 235 ; flight
229 ; habitat 225-26;
idea of fun 227 ;■
Indians adept in
bird-keeping 222-23 ;
manner of preying
228-29 ; mimicry

231, 233 ; nidifica-
tion 231-32 ; not
unsociable 228 ; pre-
datory nature 226-27;
resorts 226 ; song
230-31 ; tail 229-30 ;
tameness 233 ; unfit
for mixed aviary
232
Bingham, Major, 227
Blackbird, Ceylon, 212

INDEX

351

Blackbird, Grey-winged,

see Kasturi
Blackbird, South-Indian,

211

Blanford, 288

Blue-throat, Indian, 67,
73, see Hussaini
Piddah

Blyth 35, 130, 149, 276,
295

Bombay Natural His-
tory Society 290
„ Journal of, 183, 23/,
243, 261, 290

Bou-katha-kao, 286 ;

beneficial bird 309-
10 ; birds generally
victimised by it 312 ;
call-notes 308 ; cap-
tivity 315 ; coloration
320 ; cover for cages
a necessity during
rains 315 ; eggs 313 ;
food in captivity 316 ;
habitat 288 ; held
in great esteem 316 ;
resorts 304 ; sweeter

voice 316 ; too secre-
tive for aviaries 317 ;
winter migrant inv
Ceylon 288
Brain-fever bird, 303,.

307. 308
Brooks, 138
Bulbul, 92, 94, 98, 122,.

306, 312
Bulbul, Bush, 122
Bulbul, Gold-fronted

green, 92
Bulbul, Green, 99, 102
Biitea frondosa^ 60
Butler, Dr. A. G., 104,

217, 258, 276, 280.
Butler, Dr. Fanny, 276-

Calliope camatschatken-

sis, 73
Carpodacios erythrimis^

265
Carpodacus oythrinus

roseatiis, 265
Cerconiela fusca, 184
Chat 48, 7^, 325
Chat, Common Pied

Bush,35-47, 53, 54

:352

PET BIRDS OF Bt'SCA.h

Chat, Indian Blue, 312
Chat, Indian Bush, 49,

see Kher-piddah
Chat, The Brown Rock,

184

Chat, Stone, 55

Chatak 115, 123

Chendool, 128 ; colora-
tion 164-65 ; flight
145-46 ; food 148 ;
habitat 131-32 ; mi-
gratory 153 ; mimi-
cry 146 ; nidifica-
tion 153-54 ; not
gregarious 148 ; resor-
ts 145 ; song 145-48

■X^Jihnarrliomis leucocc-
phahiSy 197

Chloropsis, 122

Chloropsis auvifrons^
92, 92-109, 107, 336
•Chloropsis, gold-fronted,
100, see Harewa

Chloropsis hardwichii^
107

Chloropsis }erdoni, 97,
100, loi, 336,

Cittocliicla iiiacrura, r
Coccystcs jacobiims^ 115,
286, 289, 290, 296,
305, 310, 313, 322
Copsyclius saularis^ 19

CorvHs inacrorJiyncuSy
312

Corvns splcndc7iSy 3 12

Crateropns, 312

Criniger jiavcolus, 184

Crow, 292 ; attacking
Shah-bulbul 306 j
hatred against the
Koel 293 ; how out-
witted by the koel
294-95 resemblance
of its eggs with
those of koel 312 ;
two species victimi-
sed by koel 312

Cuckoo, 284-321 ; rela-
tion of the coloration
of their eggs with
those of their hosts
313 ; four species
commonly caged in
India 286

INDEX

Cifckoo, Hawk, see

Papiya
Cuckoo, Indian, see

Bou-katha-kao
Cuckoo, Pied Crested,

see Shah Bulbul
Cuculidae, 286
Cuculus canorus, 298,

299
■Cuculus micyopterus^ 231,

286, 288, 304, 308,

310, 312, 313, 322
Cunningham, 302, 306
Cya7iccula suecicay 67

Dama, \66-Z6, 187, 195,
208, 219, 325,337-338;
abnormal form 1 83-
84 ; beneficial bird
174 ; breeding in
captivity 179 j cap-
tivity 177-82 J colo-
ration 183-84, 338;
coloration of White-
throated Ground
Thrush 175 ; court-
ing habits 179-81 ;

feeding habits 173-

74 j food in captivity
178 J habitat 168-
(X) ; Indian style of
caging ijy-'jZ ; Is it
a mimic ? 182
mating season 176
movements 170, 172
nidification 17^77
not strictly a ground
bird 169 ; partial
migrant 170; protec-
tive coloration 171-
72 ; quarrels between
males 181-82 ; resorts
169-70 ; shy and cau-
tious 1 7071 J so-called
Dama 184-86 ; soli-
tary and silent 174-

75 ; song 167, 175,
178-79 ; song of
White-throated Grou-
nd Thrush 175 ;
White-throated Grou-
nd Thrush a mimic
182 ; why called a
Ground Thrush 172

354

PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

Davison, 274

Dewar, 59, 114, 132,185,
296, 299, 301, 318

Dhayal, 19-34, 35, 36,
37, 42, 45, 50, S3,
56, 59, 61, 64, 66,
77, 83,92, 174, 241,
242, 263 325, 331-
36 ; always nests in
the same locality
29 ; argument against
caging 31 ; bath 30 ;
beneficial 28 ; breed-
ing in captivity 31-32,
331-36.J captivity 30-
32; cock killing nestl-
ings 32, 336 ; colora-
tion 32-34 ; favourite
haunts 19, 20, 22,
26 ; feeding habits
23. 25 ; fighting bird
in Nepal 21 ; fights
with the Shama 332 ;
flight 27; gregarious-
ness 24 'f habitat 2 [ ;
idea of territory 27 ;
incubation period

335 ; love-displays
by a hen 332 ; by
cock 334 ; mating
period 28 ; mimic
20 ; monogamous-
29 J nesting in cap-
tivity 334-35 ; nidi-
fication 29-30, 334-
36 ; pugnacity 20,
23, 24, 25-26, 332-
33 ; pugnacity lead-
ing to capture 24-
25 ; song 19-20, 22-
23, 26, 28 ; tail-play
26; tournament 24 ;.
why called Magpie-
Robin 19
DisseTmiriis alcocki, 238
Disscmurus paradiseuSy
222, 224

Diss emu ms pa radiseus

grandzs, 225
Drongo, 99
Drongo. Racket-tailed,.

222, see Bhimraj

Eha, 114, 119, 133

INDEX

855

Eudynamis 288
Eudynamis honor ata, 331,
284, 286, 288, 291

Fatik-jal, 110265 an-
cient classification
with Chloropsis 112 ;
beneficial 117 3 cap-
tivity 120-23 ; cclora-
tion 123-26- conduct
when disturbed 118 5
controversy about
breeding plumage
124 26 ; family party
1 16-17 J flight 117,
118 3 food 117 ', habi-
tat 111-12 3 habits
1 15-18 ; haunts 112-
73 , identity with
Chatak 115 3 lan-
guishes in captivity
no, 120-21 ; mating
period 119 j meaning
of the name iiOj
nidification 1 19-20 ^
roosting 117 3 soft
feathers 121 3 song

III, 1 13-14 3 strange
way of drinking 123 ;
two moults a year
122; whether a
songster 114
Fauna of British India,

224, 336, 337
Fergusson, 290
Finch, Hobson'^ Rose,

265, see Tuti
Finch, Rose, 26S
Finch, Scarlet Rose,

see Tuti
Fitzgerald, Miss., 192,

201
Flacourtia ramontchiy 99
Fly-catcher, ^j
Fringillidae, 275, 278

Galerita cristata, 131
Garrulus lanceolatiis, 211
Geocichla citrina^ 166,

17S: 183, IS4, 187,

„ cvationotuSy 175
Gould, 20
Gulab- chasm. 77-91 3 bold

356

PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

in captivity 79, 88 5
captivity 88-90 ; co-
loration 90-91 ; esprit
de corps 83-85 ; food
in captivity 90 j
gregariousness 'jZ,
83 'y habitat 79 ;
habits 78 ; how cap-
tured 89 ; mating
season %6 ; meaning
of the name jS ;
nidification 86-88 ;
quarrelsome temper
90 5 resorts 79-81 ;
shyness 78 j song
and call-notes 81,
83, 85, 89 ; way of
feeding 82-83

Harewa, 92-109^ 336-37
bath 105 ; beneficial
in tea-plantations 96 -,
cage vs aviary 104-
05 5 captivity 102-
07 J chlorcpsis hard-
wickii 107 J colora-
tion 107-09 ; disease

in captivity 107;
effect of light on
plumage 105-06 ;

food 95-97 ; food in
captivity 106 ; gre-
garious or not 100,
336-38; habitat 93-94;
haunts and habits
94-95, 97-98 ; Indian
way of caging 103 ;
markets for sale
104 ; merits as cage-
pet 102-03 ; mimi-
cry 92, 99, 102, 103 ;
nidification lOO-CJ ;
protective livery 93,
95 ; quarrelsome

104. ; scuffles with
parrots 99 ; song 92,
98-99 ; term 'green
Bulbul' a mistake
93 ; unsociability 99

Harvey, Lindsay, 296,
297

Hawk-cuckoo, see Papi-
ya

Henderson, 270

INDEX

S57

Hierococcyx varius, 286,

287.302,313
Honey-sucker, 106
Hornbill, Malabar Grey,

231
Hume, 52, 136, 257, 270
Hundred-tongued, 15
Hussaini Piddah, 67-72 ;
captivity 70-71 ; co-
loration 71-72 ; habi-
tat 68 ; migration
68 ; mimic 69, 70 ;
movements 68 ^ re-
sorts 68 ; song 69 ;
song-flight 70 ; stea-
dying new captives
71 ; tail-play 68-69

Inglis, 183

lora, no, 110-26, 112,
312, see Fatik-jai

Jay, Black-throated ,
211
„ Blue, 64
Jerdon, 130, 133, 219

Kala-piddah, 36, 48

Kali-Shama, 56-66 ;

appearance 57, 63 ;
bath 63 ; boldness 6r,
64, 65 ; captivity 63^
65 ; coloration 65-66 j
comparison with the
Piddah 57-58 j dis-
tribution of Northern
and Southern species
58-59 ; habitat 58-
59 3 interpretation
of the name 57 ;
manner of insect-
catching 60 ; nest-
ing period 62 ; ni-
dification 62-63 • pro-
tective coloration 65 5
resorts 59-61, 6'^^
64 ; song 61 ; sun-
bath 61, 64. ; tail-
play 59, 61, 64; un-
sociability 61-62, 64

Kastura, 187, 188-205,
207, 209, 271 3 bath
200 ^ captivity 200-
04 ; carnivorous tas-
te 193 : coloration

358

PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

20405 3 contrast with
Dama 195-96 • feed-
ing habits 194, 195 ;
fisher 194 ; food in
captivity 200, 204 •
habitat 190-91 -, idea
of territory 196 -, mi-
mic 201 j murderous
inclination in aviary
200 ', nidification

197-200 j resorts 193-
95 • secretive 195 •
song 188, 192 ; tail-
action 195 ; tame-
ness 201 ; thrush
and not babbler 189-
90 j whisth'ng note
191-92
Kasturi, 188, 205-18 ;
attacks Himalayan
Whistling Thrush
211 ; attractive qua-
lities as a pet 206 ;
bath 215 j captivity
214-18; coloration
218 3 food in capti-
vity 215 ; habitat

206 07 ; how caged
in India 214^ hybrid
with English Black-
bird 217-18 J mann-
er of bathing 209 ;
mimicry in nature

207 ', nidification
212-143 pugnacity
210-11, 216 ; resorts
207 ; secretive 208-
09 ; solitary habits
209 ; song 207, 209,
215-16 ; song con-
nected with sound
of falling water 215-
16 3 tail-play 209 3
vulgar ^^ay of feed-
ing 215

Khanjan, 240-64 ; cap-
tivity 258-63 ; colo-
ration 263-64 3 cross
between Pied and
Grey Wagtails 261 ;
flight 251 ; flirtation
249; food 253-54;
gait 251-52 ; grega-
rious ness 249-50 3

INDEX

359

liabitat 244-46 ; idea
of territory 254 ;
ideal aviary bird
258 ; Indian cages
259 ; Indian pre-
judice against caging
it 241; Is Motacilla
inaderaspatensis a
sub-species ? 243-44 ?
love-song and song
contests 246, 250 ;
nidification 255-58 ;
queer nesting sites
25^57 ; quest for
food 254 ; resem-
blance with the
Dhayal 241 ; resorts
246-48 ; restricted
application of the
term to a particular
species 240 ; restrict-
•ed range in Bengal
242 ; song 241, 243 ;
super-abundance of
•energy 253 ; uncom-
panionable with other
Khanjans 260 j un-

like Its European con-
gener does not use
the nests of other
birds 257

Kher-piddah,49-55 5 app-
earance 50 ; captivity
53-54 ; coloration in
summer 54, in winter
55 ; habitat 52 ; mi-
gration 51 ; nesting
time 52 5 nidification
52-53 ; resorts 50 ;
song 49, 53, 55 ;
tail-play 50

Koel, 284-322 ; and its
allies 284-322 ; bene-
ficial bird 309- 10 ;
call 306-07 ; captivi-
ty 314-16; colora-
tion 318-19 J colora-
tion connected with
parasitism 302 ; cunn-
ing 293 ; does young
koel eject foster-
brothers ? 298-300 ;
disliked b)^ English
residents 285 ; female

360

PET BIRDS OV BENGAL

destroying eggs of
hosts 295-96; female
takes charge of you-
ng, according to
Gates 300-01 ; flight
294, 295 ; food in
captivity 314, 315 ;
frugivorous 292,310 ;
habitat 288-89 ; In-
dian cages 315 ; me-
thod of outwitting
crows 294-95 ; popu-
lar with Indians 284-
S5, 314 ; resemblan-
ce between koel's and
crow's eggs 312;
resident in some
places of Bengal
290-91 ; resorts 291-
292 ; song in captivi-
ty 316; superfluous
in aviaries of Indian
Zoo Gardens 317 ;
victimises two speci-
es of crows 312 ;
whether female carries
eggs in bills to place

in nest 297-98 ; ycung-
hand-fed for longer
period 315 ; young
very clamorous 301
Kokil, 306

Lark. I2(>65, 258, 259 ^
adaptibility to cli-
matic conditions 136-
37 ; breeding in capti-
vity 158-61 ; capti-
^'ity 155-61 ; eco-
nomically beneficial
150 ; Eha on the
field -observation of
Larks 133-34 ; first-
hand field observa-
tion meagre 133-34 >
food 149 ; food in
captivity 157 ; Indi-
an cages 155-57 J
intimate with keeper
157 ; Is caging Larks
a cruelty ? 128-
29 ; Larks as food
137; mock-combats^
136

XJTDEX

36t

Lark, Bengal Bush, see
Aggia
„ Crested, see Chendool
„ Ganges Sand, see

Retal
„ Madras Bush, see

Aggia
,) Red-winged Bush, 131
„ Singing Bush, see
Aggin
Larvivora bnmnca, 312
Layard, 20, 114
Leaf-bird, 95
Legge, 6, 20, 100, 114,
122, 124, 137, 151,
169,246,257, 336
Leothrix, 122

Magpie, 19

Magrath, Major, 216

Mandal, G. C. , 1 1

Mason, 310

Meriila boulboul, 187, 205
„ hourdillonl, 207

Menila kinnisi, 212
„ simillima, 206
,^ untcolor, 218, 338

Migrants, 287

„ partial f 287

„ irtie, 287
Mirafra afflnisy 131

„ assamicay 130

_,, cantiUaftSy 1 30

„ crythroptera^ 131
Molpastes lengalensiSy

312
Molpastes Iciicotis 336
Motacilla alba, 260

„ alba madcraspatcnsiSi.

243
„ higubris, 257
,_, maderaspatcnsis, 240,-.

242, 244, 250, 263
„ melanope, 257
Munia, 281

Munn, P.W.,74, 118, 124
Myiopho7tetis eugenii, 191
„ Jiorsfieldi 191
., tcmniinckii, 187, 191^,
207

Naidu, Mrs. Sarojini,3o8
Nightingale, i
Nilkanthi, 6^

^62

PET BIRDS OF BEXuAL

Niltava sundara, 312

Gates, 42, 74, 100, 123,
124, 130, 132, 133,
138, 148, 149, 152,
168, 187, 189, 224,
243, 288, 289, 295,

300, 30i> 3195 337

Ornamojit of the forest,
102

Ortolan, 137

Ouzel, Grey-winged, see
Kasturi
„ Tlckell's, 218-221,
339-41 ; breeding in
captivity 338-40 ;
captivity 220-21 ;

coloration 221 ; habi-
tat 219, 220 ; manner
of feeding 219-20 ;
nidification 220, 339-
40; song 219,220,339

Palas, 60

Papiya, 286 j ailments
316 ; beneficial 309-
10 ; birds victimised
by it 312 5 call 306,

307-08 ; captivity
315 ; coloration 319-
20 J covering for
cages a necessity du-
ring rains 315 ; eggs
313 ; food in capti-
vity 31 6^ habitat 287-
88 ; may frighten
smaller birds in avia-
ries 317; mobbed by
Babblers 303 ; per-
ching habit 303 5 re-
semblance with As-
iur haditis 303 ; resi-
dent bird 287 5 risk
of being mobbed in
aviaries 317; "^i^-
timises Babblers 303
Parrots, 20, 99, 100
Phillips, Reginald, 12,
172, 175, 181, 182,

235,331
Piddah, 35-48, 50, 56, 57,
58, 64, 66 y appear-
ance 36 j boldness
39 ; captivity 44-46 ;
coloration 46-47^ food

INDEX

363

39; habitat 36-37 ;
movements 39-40 ; ni-
'dlfication 42-43 ; pug-
nacity 41, 45 ; re-
• sorts 37-39 ; song 35,
41-43 ; sounds of an-
ger 40 ; tail- pi ay 40
.„ Hussaini, 67-72
„ Kala, 36, 48
„ Kher, 49-55
P ra£i?icola cap rata, 35,

48, 57
„ mauray 49
Protective coloration, 65,

93» 95, 171-72, 272
Futtoo, 167
Pyctorhis nasalis^ 79
„ smc?isis, 77

Red-start, 45, 186
Red-start, Plumbeous,

197
„ White-capped, 197
Retal, 128 J adaptibility
to climatic conditions
136 } coloration 165 ;
flight 1-^9 ; habitat

132-33 ; nidification

154 ; resorts 148 ;

song 149
Rhyaco mis fidiginosus^

197
Robin, 14, 19, 35, 45>4S,

61,67
„ Golden Bush, 312
„ Indian, 56-66
„ Indian Black-backed,

58

„ Brown-backed, 5^

„ Magpie, 19, 232, see
Dhayal

Ruby throat, the Comm-
on, 72i'7^^ 'i captivity
76', coloration 74-76 ;
liabitat 74 ; shyness
74 ; song 74 ; winter
visitor 74

Russ, Dr. , 279

Ruticillas, 45

Sand-Lark, see Retal
Sanyal, 107

Satoo, 13, 14, 54,63, 106
Seebohm, 276

364

PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

Selous, 135, 278

Seven Sisters, 83

Shah-bulbul, 2865 arrival
in Bengal 305 ;
attacked by crows
306 ; beneficial 309-
10 ; birds victimised
by it 312 ; coloration
321 ; disliked by bul-
buls 3065 eggs 313 J
feeds on ground 305 ;
flight 309 ; food in
captivity 3175 habitat
289-90 J habit of des-
troying eggs of hosts
296-97 J insectivorous
3175 notes 309;
partial migrant 290 -,
rare as a captive 316 ;
resident in Ceylon
290 ; resorts 305 ;
silent when perching
309 J young fed on
caterpillars by foster-
parents 310

Shama, 1-18, 19, 20, 22,
23, 30, 33. 34, 35, 37,

45, 53, S7> 64, 77, 83,
92, 103, 122,133,140^
174, 186, 222, 233,
325-331, 340 } bath
15 ; breeding in cap*
tivity 1 1- 12; capti-
vity 9-16 ; coloration,
male 16 17, female
17-18, young 18 ;
coquetish displays
327 ; courtship 327 ;
diseases 14 ; fights
with Dhayal 332-33;
flight 6, 7 ; food 7 -^
food in captivity 12,

14 ; food of young
12-13, 330 ; habitat
4-5 ; incubation period
12, 331 ; idea of
sanitation^! 3 ; Indian
way of caging 2-3 j
manner of feeding
7 ; manner of feeding
young 331 ; mating
period 8 ; meaning of
the name 2 ; mimicry

15 ; nests in captivity^

INDEX

365

. 328; nidification 8-9,
328-331 ; resorts 5-^ ;
f^ong 1*2, 6-7, 14-
15, 327; tail-play
7, 10 ; winter visi-
tant to Cachar 5 ;
unmotherly hen-bird
328-29 ; unsociability
y-S, lo-ii, 15-16

Shikra, 303

Shrike, 123

Sky- Lark, 127, 129, see
Bharat

Sonepur fair, 104

Stone-chat, 55

Sunbird, 97

Suya crinigcra^ 312

Sylvidac, 122

Tarsi^er ciysocuSy 312
Ihamnobia^ 45, 48, 58,

S9, 66, 171
Thatnnobia camhaiensisy

56, 56-66, 68
„ fulicata, 58
Thrush, l -round, Dusky,

219

Thrush Orange -headed
Ground, see Dama
„ White-throated, Grou-
nd 175, 179, 182
„ Himalayan Streaked
Laughing, 312
„ Himalayan Striated
Laughing, 312
„ Himalayan Whist-
ling, 187, 208,211, see
Kastura
„ Malabar Whistling,

189
„ Western Variegated
Laughing, 312
Ticehurst, Mr. Claude

B., 243
Tickell, 308
Tit, 97, ii5
Trochalopterum linea-

tutn, 312
„ simile^ 312
Tutif 265-83 J breeding
in captivity 279; cap-
tivity 280-82 ; colo-
ration 282-83 ; food

274-75 ; ^00^ i"* ^^p-

366

PET BIRDS OF BENGAL

tivity 281-82 ; gre-
gariousness 270-/ 1 ;
habitat 268-70 ; loss
of colour in captivity
280-81 ; mass-favou-
rite 266 ; migratory
movements 268 70 ;
nidification 278-80 ;
no protective colora-
tion 272 ; pugnacity
274 ; resorts 274 ;
song 275-76, 277 ;
song and beauty
united in it 277-785
timidity and alert-
ness as protective
characters 272-73

\VagtaiI,68, 70, 71, I4J^

169
„ Grey, 257
„ Large Pied, see
Khanjan
Warbler, 123

„ Brown Hill 312
White- eye, 115
Wood-pecker, 226

„ Malabar Blacky.
231

Zoological Gardens,

Calcutta, II, 107^
234

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