THE DAMA 179 



the cage and in the aviary. It is undou- 

 btedly a 'beautiful songster'. Unfortunately 

 for me, the birds in my possession seldom 

 indulge in ecstatic utterances, though they 

 have often regaled me to soft, mellow, 

 almost whispering whistles. It is quite 

 possible, as suggested by Astley, that vocal 

 powers vary according to individuals. Like 

 this bird, its cousin, the White-throated 

 Ground Thrush, has also found admirers 

 in Europe. There the Dama is easily 

 acclimatized, and breeds freely in the 

 aviary. There are numerous instances of 

 its successful breeding. My specimens, until 

 recently, were confined in a small and 

 congested aviary. In July last, they were 

 introduced into a bigger bird-house. Here 

 they made an attempt to build a nest, 

 but nothing came of it because their 

 breeding season had been over. 



This year, I had recently the good 

 fortune to notice in my aviary how the 

 Dama makes love to its mate. Though 

 in other seasons the male seems to ismore 



