265 



very strong and swift, yet almost silent ; he is fully as 

 large as our native Blackbird. 



Dr. Butler has succeeded in rearing a hybrid 

 between this species and the English Blackbird, and 

 I hope to do so myself this coming season. 



This bird is frequently kept in cages in India, 

 where it is fairly common, yet it is one of the rarest 

 foreign visitors to our markets, and according to Dr- 

 K. Russ this is also the case on the continent. 



In conclusion ; he ceases his fine song on com- 

 mencing to moult. During the moult he hides away 

 under the bushes, and is seen but little until it is 

 complete ; during the winter he only mutters a few 

 notes, but usually by early April he is in full song 

 again and also in breeding condition. I have not 

 given any notes as to the wild life of this species, this 

 being so fully described in " The Fauna of British 

 India "and other works and journals as not to need 

 repeating here. At the same time I trust the fore- 

 going account will interest, and perhaps induce some 

 of my readers to take up the keeping of this family, 

 for they are all equally desirable birds for cage or 

 aviary, providing they have ample space in which to 

 live. 



a Biblioarapbv of Caae BirDs- 



up to A.D. 1900. 



By E. HOPKINSON aud W. Geo. Creswei.1,. 



(Continued from page 243^. 



TiMBS, John. Manual of Cage Birds, British and Foreign, 

 with directions for Breeding, Rearing, and Keeping them. 

 iSwo. wipp. i/-. London: D. Bogue. 1847. 



VAI.E, w. H. Hybrid Birds, commonly called Mules, 



their breeding, keeping, and exhibition. Illustrated. 

 2nd Edition, enlarged and revised. 

 Paper i/-. London : F. IV. Office. ? 1895. 



