202 PET BIRDS OF BENGAL 



''Through Mr, Phillips' courtesy I be- 

 came the possessor, last September (1902) 

 of two Blue Whistling Thrushes (Temmi- 

 nck's) which at that time, and indeed it 

 may still be the case, were, I believe, the 

 only specimens in Europe. 



*'Both birds were in a precarious condi- 

 tion. Mr. Phillips wrote to me that the 

 bird he considered the male was less shy 

 than the other (whose sex he was doubtful 

 about), which was terribly timid and suffered 

 from fits. Both the birds underwent rapid 

 recovery to robust health. The bird which 

 was evidently a male had a half-inch of 

 broken stump instead of tail. I removed 

 these stumps. 



''On the following day, he very much 

 enjoyed a bath in the sunshine. I had 

 named him Tommy. Two days after they 

 arrived, I let Tommy come out of his cage 

 in the dining room. He hopped about the 

 floor as if he had been there all his life. 

 A small piece of cheese was thrown to 

 him, which he at once swallowed. After 



