THE SHAMA 11 



to such an extent that it would at first 

 refuse to chum up with a female Shama if 

 introduced into its dwelling'. The male does 

 not seem to be at all anxious for a feminine 

 companion. You can never thrust a female 

 Shama near a male without a lengthy intro- 

 duction. The female, knowing well the 

 tyrannical temper of the male, will at first 

 shrink in fear. Both should at first be kept 

 in different cages inside the same aviary. 

 Occasionally, they may be let loose. At 

 first there is sure to be trouble, but the 

 male will begin to tolerate the female gra- 

 dually, and may even mate in the long run. 

 Indian experience has seldom recorded 

 any instance of the Shama breeding in cap- 

 tivity. A couple of years back I noticed a 

 pair trying to build a nest in the hollow of 

 a stump inside an aviary of the Calcutta 

 Zoological Gardens, but nothing came of it. 

 A pair of Shamas, in the aviary of Mr. G. C. 

 Mandal of Calcutta, built a nest and hatched 

 their young which, however, did not survive 

 long. But we find mention of several instan- 



