XVlll 



at scientific caofino: and breedino^ of Indian 

 birds are on record. Modern vernacular 

 literature is utterly barren of books on 

 ornithology generally, not to speak of 

 a special branch of it regarding the cage- 

 birds. 



The ideal and the methods of enquiry 

 of the European Aviculturists are almost 

 unknown to the Indians who, however, 

 appreciate the possibilities of many Indian 

 birds for growing into valuable cage pets 

 by virtue of their song, beauty and other 

 attractive features. Europeans have not 

 yet had ample opportunities for examining 

 them thoroughly but the conclusion that 

 would be reached by such an investigation 

 in regard to the song-birds, would not, 

 I think, be different from the opinion of 

 Douglas Dewar that "song-birds are nu- 

 merous in India... India possesses some 

 song-birds which can hold their own in 

 any company. If the shama, the magpie- 

 robin, the fan-tailed fly-catcher, the white- 

 eye, the purple sunbird, the orange-headed 



