34 GARDEN AND AVTARY BIRDS. 



ordinarv lon,i;th. loss than seven inches lon^-. The big 

 side-streamers are not fully developed the first season, 

 and, of course, are usually broken off in the miserable little 

 ca^es in which these poor birds are usually kept. 



The |)luma<ie of the Bhimraj is of the usual Drongo blue- 

 black, younii birds havino- a few white spot^ under the 

 wiuLi. The bill and feet are also black ; but once I saw 

 in Mr. Rutled.jje's possession a most curious variety 

 which had an ivory-white beak, contrasting; very well with 

 the black plumaue. The only other sign of albinism the 

 bird showed was that some of its secondary win o-f eat her 

 and its two hind-claws were also white. White claws 

 and white feathers are not so very uncommon among 

 these birds, I fancy ; but I never saw any such variation 

 in the humbler King-Crow, though Mr. B. B. Osmaston 

 once showed me the two wings of an ash-gTey specimen 

 of the latter bird which he had shot. 



The Bhimraj is found over a large part of India and 

 extends east through Burma to the Malay Peninsula. It 

 is a jungle-haunting bird, and more sociable than Dwngos 

 generally. Mr. Gates states that it is probably the finest 

 song-bird in the East. In confinement it is very friendly 

 and fond of notice, and the best of all pet birds. But it 

 mxist have a large cage — about three feet square — and 

 plenty of live insects, or it will not thrive long. It is 

 well worth taking trouble over, as it is a most perfect 

 mimic, giving the cries and songs of all sort of birds and 

 other animals, whistling tunes [>erfectly, and occasionally 

 even talking. It is a very good aviary bird if kept along 

 with such birds as Javs, large liabblers, etc., for it is too 



