Sliaiiia, the /Scst Sung-bird. 75 



for the " Philosopher's Stone." If they only considered a 

 little more deeply and scientilically a subject on which in other 

 directions they will si)end hours of thougiit and labour and 

 money too, they would be well advised, for it is a physical 

 impossibility, just as much impossibility in fact as an attempt 

 to imitate the notes of the violin with a tromljone or cornet. 

 To those searching for the perfect songbird in captivity success 

 will never come until they turn their attention to the softbill 

 I am one of the seekers, and though perfection can only come 

 with years of training and selection I am sure tiiat it can be found 

 in the Indian Shama. 



If a search were made throughout the world to find hi 

 embryo a wonderful human voice which would by training reach 

 the nearest point to perfection the searchers would naturally 

 have to judge entirely by the range of the imperfect voice and 

 the number of notes it could compass naturally and without 

 effort. 'liiey would naturally also desire that the temperament 

 of the selected should be a suitable one to undergo tiie training 

 and change of environment. 



A comparison between tne song of the Nightingale and 

 the Shama always seems to me to suggest in fact that of a trained 

 and untrained human voice. I have often listened to the Shama 

 singing in its wild state — a kind of low sweet warble, to be broken 

 at intervals v\/ith those glorious liquid notes found ordy in the 

 song of these two birds. 



Unfortunately the Shamas brought to this country are 

 seldom good song specimens. They have passed through tlie 

 hands of the dealers, and in course of transit have learned o 

 imitate the notes of various other birds with which they have 

 been crowded. For instance the twittering of a Budgerigar 

 when once heard by a Shama is never forgotten and w-ill always, 

 sooner or later, be produced. Nearly every Shama which has 

 not been carefully trained and isolated has acquired notes of the 

 various Bulbuls, and these, too, when once learned will alwavs 

 form part of his repertory. 



It must be remembered that a Shama hand-reared from 

 the nest and carefully trained to sing from the finger more or 

 less at direction is always a very expensive bird. The price 



