Mr. A. D. Bartlett on preparing Birds fur Shipment. 13 



mage bright yellow, with an olive tinge on the neck ; under wing- 

 coverts yellow; bill black; irides brown; legs and feet black. 



The female is similar to the male in size and plumage. 



Length 3| m.; wing If; tail 1|; tarsi \. 



IV. — Remarks on the Mode of preparing and keeping living 

 Thrushes and other Birds intended for Shipment to Australia. 

 By A. D. Bartlett, Supermtendent of the Zoological So- 

 ciety's Gardens, Regent's Park. 



In attempting to carry out this object, the greatest attention to 

 the comfort and wants of the birds is essentially necessary to 

 secure success. 



They must be provided with sufficient good and suitable food, 

 and with changes of food, and also with such cages as may best 

 enable the persons who take charge of them to keep them clean 

 and feed them with the least difficulty. By these means they 

 may be preserved in good health during their captivity. 



Before obtaining the birds, it is necessary to have a small 

 room or aviary prepared for their reception, as follows : — Place 

 in and about the room perches or bushes, especially in the cor- 

 ners, for the concealment of the wild birds; have a fine net 

 strained over the window, to prevent them striking against the 

 glass. Let the floor be sprinkled with grit or coarse gravel. 

 Throw about the floor fruit (apples or pears ; and if decayed, the 

 better), chopped meat, bread-crumbs, worms, snails, &c. One 

 or two shallow pans of water must be placed in the lightest 

 parts of the room or aviary. One or two tame Thrushes, accus- 

 tomed to the food, will be found a great advantage in the room. 

 Everything thus ready, the birds cannot be too recently caught. 

 They should be placed in the room as few hours after their 

 capture as possible. Before turning them loose into the room, 

 cut, with a pair of scissors, the first six feathers of the wings, 

 and also the tail. Do not, however, cut them too short, so as to 

 injure the hollow quills. The object in cutting the wings and 

 tail is, first, that you prevent the birds dashing about and injur- 

 ing themselves; and secondly, they get tame sooner, and are 

 ready to go into a small cage without getting the tail- and wing- 



