^akloh Aviary Notes— 1916. 7 



the plains and in the hills up to 5.000 feot. it's' native 

 name is pidha and it is often kept for its song. It used to 

 be usually procurable in the Calcutta and (longer ago) Bom- 

 bay markets. I fancy like most insectivorous birds there, 

 it is kept in condition with grasshoppers and many maggots, 

 satoo is put in many cages as a make-bc-lic\e. or ])t'rhaps 

 a fili-up, live insects being really the staple. It does eat a 

 little fruit and cake in the aviary, and is easily kept alive fon 

 good insect food and a few live insects, but I cannot be- 

 lieve that satoo is a good staple diet for any insectivorous 

 birds but the hardiest, and even then it has to be well mad?. 

 Our Punjab satoo is a good bird' killer, even Ouzels do 

 better on other foods. 



The cock is all black, except undcrparts below breast, 

 and wings, and rump, which are while The hen is brown, 

 " hen robiny," lighter beneath. About the size of a .Stone- 

 chat, of which they are not far distant relations. Ihf cock 

 when silting still, often looks all black, but shows very much 

 as black and white in flight. 



Tailor Birds {Orthotomas sutorius)- I have already 

 wriilen about in " Bird Notes," but am not sure whether I 

 had kept them at that time, and it is a hmg lime ago. They* 

 arc small slim birds, greenish yellow above, and ashy white, 

 beneath, forehead chestnut. Tail is long, and that of cock 

 in breeding season becomes very long. They are smiiller 

 than wrens, and have the same liabit of cocking their tails. 

 The bill is slender, and rather long. I'hcy sew leaves together 

 to form receptacles for their nests, hence their po])ular name. 

 With us the wild fig and the loquat are favourite trees. They 

 are resident with us, though I thijik we get summer visitors 

 in addition. They have a very wide distribution and brei'd 

 both in the plains and the hills up to about 3,000 feet. 



'llie call note, frequently repealed, j> extraordinarily 

 loud for such a small bird, Jerdon. (I think). iKits it as: 

 Too-whii ! Too-whit 1 ;and sometimes VVhii-tool Whit-to ! and 

 that well describes it. When ailling, ihe cock 'ihows two 

 pulled uj- black marks t>n the bides of ihe throat. Willi us the 

 breediiiii season lasts from .\pril lo ,S(.[)kniber ; nesis seem 



