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They are of daint}- build, action and ways; tail continually 

 flirted in true chat fashion, and I really think they are about 

 the most attractive birds I have kept. They certainly are 

 " rippers," but little beasts to meat off, but once meated off 

 keep very fit indeed. One pair to each aviary are quite enough 

 as the following will show. I have five in one aviary and they 

 each have a particular corner, it would l)e better if there were 

 only three, as there are onl\' three good corners and feathers are 

 apt to fly, for they are little demons to fight with each other 

 unless the)' have ample space. 



It took me about two months to meat one pair off", but they 

 are looking very fit now. They came through with a rush for 

 about a week, evidently on their way to scatter in the plains; 

 but unless one watched very carefully, you would hardly know 

 they were there, for they are ver}' shy, keeping to thick under- 

 growth and feeding almost entirely on the ground ; they are by 

 no means easy to spot till trapped. 



In the aviary they some become ver)' confiding (greed of 

 course), but when they want to disappear they beat a Rock 

 Thrush for vanishing ; luckily this is not often, as even when 

 full fed (greed then out of the question), they are such inquisi- 

 tive beasts, they hang round you till you leave the aviar}', and 

 then avoiding each other's pet places, they inquire into aviary 

 things in general, apparently without any question of food in 

 their minds. Then they paddle off to their corners and in- 

 dulge in a doze. I think insect-eaters even in wild life take a 

 doze between meals, if they cati get a heavy meal easih', e.g. 

 when a flight of White Ants occur and all do not get safely to 

 ground, or are otherwise accounted for, for a day or two. 



The}' look smaller than tlie measurements given, which I 

 surmise are taken from skins. The cocks should make good 

 exhibition birds as they soon get wonderfully steady in a cage. 

 The generic name was given by Hodgson, from the number of 

 insect nests and larvse he found in its stomach. Dr. Adams, 

 from his observations of this species in the forests of Cashmere, 

 states that it has the habits of a Redstart. 



Capt. Perreau hopes to bring some of these birds back with 

 liim in March next, so that some of our wealth v members at 



