All Rights Reserved. February & March, 1923 



BIRD NOTES. 



THE 



Journal of the Foreign Bird Club. 



Three Beautiful Niltavas. 



By Wesley T. Page, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U, 



The recent acquisition by the London Zoo of two Indian 

 Flycatchers of the genus Nilta^'a, which are on view in the 

 Small Bird House, inclines me to think a few notes on these 

 exquisite birds may not be out of place and of some interest. 



These two species are : 



The Rufous-bellied Niltava (Niltava sundara), fairly well 

 known to aviculturists in pre-war times, but always uncommon; 

 and the Lesser Niltava (iV. margrigoriae), which is very rare, 

 and may be new to aviculture, though I rather think Mr. Alfred 

 Ezra possessed one in pre-war times. 



Rufous-bellied Niltava. — A sketchy description of its 

 lovely plumage w^ould be — a robin-like bird with glistening 

 deep blue upper parts; crown of head, nape, rump, upper tails 

 coverts, lesser wing-coverts, and a small patch on each side of 

 neck silky cobalt-blue ; whole of under surface rufous-chestnut ; 

 beak and feet black. This specimen was imported by Messrs. 

 Gamage. 



This truly is a " feathered exquisite" in every sense of 

 the word; it is almost the last word in chaste and gorgeous 

 colouration, and is further endowed with graceful form and 

 charming characteristics. This is one species of the genus 

 Niltava with which I have had personal experience; the other 

 species are mere acquaintances of the Show-bench and other 

 aviculturists' collections. One could easily write an eulogy 

 of N. sundara pages long, but I am contenting myself largely 

 in these terse notes with quotations from others' writings. 



The late Col. Perreau wrote, in Bird Notes for 1915, 

 pages 26-8, a most interesting account of this species as one of 



