THRUSHES AND THRUSHLIKE BIRDS 



377 



of live gontlcs be added until they eat the 

 ordinary mixture freely. Close attention in 

 this way for a few days prevents many losses. 

 When the birds have steadied down, they can 

 be kept in the stock cage for small insectivorous 

 birds illustrated on p. 375 (20 inches long, 

 13 inches high, and 10 inches deep). Some 

 ■wild caught specimens, though to all ajjiiear- 

 ances males, never break out into song in 

 captivity, while olliers sing cpnte freely soon 

 after being caught. 



The exhibition properties of a Nightingale 

 are good size and colour, witli a nice sheen 

 over its siu'face ; steadiness and perfect plumage, 

 feet and toes. For many years a class has 

 been given for Nightingales and Blackcaps at 

 the Crystal Palace, and when so classified it is 

 an excellent exhibition bird ; but when com- 

 peting in a mixed class against rarer birds 

 in equally good condition its chance of success 

 is not so good. The show-cage illustrated on 

 p. 376, answers well for the Nightingale ; but 

 should not be less than 18 inches long, 14 inches 

 high, and 9 inches deep. If preferred, the 

 top portion of the wire front may I)e made bow 

 shape, and form the front jiortion of the top 

 of cage for aliout an inch and a half, as shown 

 in the illustration of a Wagtail or Pipit show- 

 cage. It should be enamelled light holly 

 green inside, and black outside, a piece of 

 blotting-paper should cover the bottom of the 

 cage to absorb the drojipiugs, which should 

 be renewed daily. The rule holds good par- 

 ticularly with this bird, that the nearer the 

 food assimilates to that it would obtain when 

 wild the more healthy the birtl will lie, and 

 the better its song. In such circumstances a 

 Nightingale will live as long as fifteen years, 

 and in rare cases even longer. 



The general colour of the Red-Spotted 



Blue Throat, Cyunccula siiecica (Dresser), is 



dark brown above with olive 



The ^■^J■^^^ ^^^^ Ijasal half of tail 



^f'*'®^^"^'* feathers orange-chestnut, ter- 

 Blue Throat. i i i* i i i • , ■ 



minal half blackish-brown, ex- 

 cept the two centre ones, which with the 

 tail-coverts are all dark brown. Wing-coverts 

 dark brown and scapulars paler ; crown 

 of head verging into umber-brown; lores 

 black with an eye streak of buffy white ; 

 feathers below the eye and ear-coverts light 

 brown. Throat rich azure-blue extending down 

 the sides of the neck, and crossing the fore-neck 

 so as to enclose a large chestnut spot on the 

 lower throat ; the blue band on the fore-neck 

 is succeeded by a black collar which is again 

 succeeded by a white one, then a broad chestnut 

 one which covers the breast. This blending of 

 colours has a very pleasing elfect ; the lower 

 48 



The 

 Wheatear. 



breast and abdomen is a dirty white or what 

 might be called smoky-grey ; sides of body 

 olive-brown ; thighs and under tail-coverts 

 whitish. The throat and chin of the female 

 is white, not blue as the male, surrounded by 

 deep brownish-black, each feather having a 

 pale margin. 



This charming little songster, though listed 

 as a British bird is not recognised by the 

 National British Bird and ISIule Club as a 

 British bird. At their competitions it must 

 therefore compete in a Continental class. Its 

 occurrences in England have usually been in 

 the southern and eastern counties, generally 

 on the autumn migration, though we remember 

 a very fine specimen being cauglit near Shields 

 a few years ago on some waste land. It breeds 

 in the high north of Europe, and loves swampy 

 situations. It is a fluent little songster with 

 good variety of song. It takes kindly to cage life, 

 and does well on the diet and in the cage 

 recommended for the Wheatear. 



To the ornithologist the Wheatear, Su.iicola 

 cenanthe (Macg.), is an interesting bird ; it is 

 one of our first spring migrants, 

 arriving early in March, often 

 before the last snow showers of 

 spring have left us. It frequents waste land, 

 pastures, and rocky places, where it may be 

 observed perched on a stump, wall, mound, 

 or stone, on alighting on which the Ijird 

 has a peculiar bobbing movement of the tail. 

 On approach the bird drops down behind the 

 wall or hedge, flies low, and again appears on 

 the top a few yards in front, only to disappear 

 once more, to rise behind the intruder, and 

 alighting on another of its favourite perches. 

 The young birds never go far from the spot 

 where they were bred during their sojourn here, 

 and though it breeds throughout the British 

 Isles, the Wheatear is more common in the 

 north than the south. The nest is built in 

 holes, disused rabbit burrows, old cpiarry w;ills, 

 beneath a ledge of rock, and amongst heaps of 

 rough stones. The eggs are four, five, six, and 

 sometimes even seven in a clutch, and are a 

 delicate greenish-blue of exquisite tint. 



Tlie Wheatear's adult plumage harmonises 

 beautifully, though giving plenty of contrast. 

 Tlie adult male is about 6 inches in length ; the 

 liill is black ; from its base to the eyes, and 

 thence to the ear-coverts, runs a band of black, 

 over wliich is a similarly shaped streak of white ; 

 the forehead is also white ; the head, neck, and 

 back are a delicate light slaty-blue grey ; the 

 wings are blackish-brown ; the upper tail-coverts 

 white ; the tail-feathers blackish-brown, those 

 on the outside edge being white towards the 

 roots ; the chin, breast, al.'domen, and under tail- 



