All righls tesetvedy [FEBRUARY, 1907. 



BIRD NOTES: 



THE JOURNAL OF 



THE FOREIGN BIRD CEUB. 



^be Superb Ztanager. 



Calliste fastosa. 

 By C. CASTLE-Sr.OANE, F.Z.S. 



This gorgeously - feathered Tanager makes a 

 delightful cage bird if kept in a fairly large cage, 

 soon becoming very tame. He is not much of a 

 songster, but makes up for it in the extraordinary 

 beaut}^ of his plumage. The one I possessed soon 

 became familiar with me, and would come to the door 

 of the cage with a chirp and a flit of his tail, as much 

 as to say " What are you going to give me to-day? " : 

 he would take mealworms from the hand, and after 

 swallowing one or two would hold the next one in his 

 beak, uttering short chirps of delight and flitting from 

 perch to perch, then, swallowing it, would dart down 

 for another, going through the same performance. 

 His other food consisted of banana, orange, dried flies, 

 ant eggs and powdered biscuit in equal proportions, 

 which he appeared to thoroughly enjoy. He was 

 always a lively bird, and when the sunlight caught his 

 wings he was a thing of beauty and a jo}^ — (I use my 

 discretion by curtailing Keats's beautiful line). Fond 

 of bathing he certainly was, taking a bath ever}^ da3^ 

 His cage was three feet long, about the same height, 

 and two feet broad. 



The true Superb Tanager has the upper surface 



