20 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



year. I was surprised to find some British settlers 

 eating it in the belief that it is a ' Blackbird ' — as, of 

 course, it is, in colour at any rate. Usually it is met 

 with in companies of half a dozen or more. It perches 

 freely on bushes, and is a vociferous songster. If 

 one of a company takes wing, all follow ; and again 

 congregate closely, singing vigorously. They have a 

 habit of coming to one from a distance, and sometimes 

 follow one in this way again and again. This is 

 nothing more than friendly curiosity; for they alight 

 quite close in the most confiding manner, and at once 

 burst out into song — one bird leading off and all joining 

 in. 



" On one occasion, I remember sitting down amongst 

 scattered bushes in a steep gi'assy valley to get my hand 

 camera into position to take a picture; and, as I was 

 waiting for the light to improve, a flock came and 

 perched quite close all round me — some on bushes, some 

 on the ground — and remained while I was there, singing 

 lustily. 



"Principally this Starling seeks its subsistence in 

 moist, spongy ground. Larvae and mature insects are 

 its food." 



Mr. Ambro.=e A. Lane {The Ibis. 1897, pp. 27, 28) 

 gives a more complete account of the species : " This 

 species is abundant throughout centr'al and southern 

 Chili, and is generally known as the ' Toi'do ' (Thrush). 

 " The sexes are similar in colour, and differ little in 

 size. These birds prefer agricultural districts, and in 

 winter time are usually seen in flocks. They feed 

 chiefly, if not altogether, on the ground, eating insects, 

 grain, and fruit, and are very rapacious. I had one 

 alive for some time in an outhoiise in Rio Bueno ; it 

 was much like a specimeir of the Corvidte, being rather 

 familiar and cunning ; it did not appear afraid of 

 other birds, and could defend itself ably with its 

 powerful bill and claws. The rats did not take it, 

 although I believe only for its strength and pluck they 

 would have done so, as it had been winged slightly, 

 and could fly little in consequence. However, one day 

 it got out and made good its escape into some dense 

 covert in spite of determined pursuit. 



" They nest in thick shrubs or bushes about 6 to 

 8 feet from the ground. I found only one clutch of 

 eggs, which were broken. The average number is 

 four or five ; they are of a light bluish ground, with a 

 few black patches or specks. 



" Of the three Chilian Icterid.-c, this is the most 

 vivacious and familiar, as it is more frequent around 

 dwellings. It is extremely voluble, having some notes 

 not unlike those of our Starling, and a somewhat similar 

 method of singing. In this respect, however, these 

 birds almost excel the latter, and their performance is 

 pleasing and frequently heard. In Arauco they com- 

 menced singing early in August. They have some 

 (iretty notes, and individuals develop capital variations 

 in their song, as they have considerable ability in 

 mimicking the notes of other birds. I once heard one 

 imitate exactly the call-notes of Colaptcs' pitius. They 

 are very sociable among themselves, and keep up a 

 good deal of chattering and chuckling when together. 



" In winter I have watched a flock on ploughed land 

 grubbing busily in the clay for worms, etc. 



"They are frequently kept in cages in the central 

 provinces." 



If Mr. Lane had only described the character of 

 the nest this account would have been all that could 

 be desired. Dr. Russ publishes no field-notes respecting 

 the species. Two examples were in the London Zoo- 

 logical Gardens in 1855, and two arrived in 1871. In 

 1891 the dealer Fockelmann imported two more. 



Red-headed Mabse-Tkoupial (Amhlyrhamiihus 

 holosericeua). 



Black ; the entire head, neck and upper breast and 

 thighs scarlet or orange-vermilion ; bill and feet black. 

 Female not differentiated in scientific works; she has 

 a smaller and more slender bill than the male. Hab. : 

 Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay. 



Hudson says {"Argentine Ornithology," Vol. I., pp. 

 101, 102) : " Azara named this species Tordo negro 

 cabeza roxa; it is also called Boyero (ox-herd) by 

 country people, from its note resembling the long 

 whistle of a drover; and sometimes Chisel-bill, from 

 the peculiar conformation of the beak, which is long, 

 straight, and has a broad, fine point, like a chisel." 



"These birds are lively, active, and sociable, going 

 in flocks of from half a dozen to thirty individuals ; 

 they remain all the year, and inhabit the marshes, from 

 which they seldom wander very far, but seek 

 their insect food in the soft decaying rushes. They 

 are common on the swampy shores of the Plata, and 

 when seen at a distance, perched in their usual manner 

 on the summits of the tall rushes, their flame-coloured 

 heads shine with a strange glory above the sere, sombre 

 vegetation of the marshes. The long whistling note 

 above mentioned is their only song, but it varies con- 

 siderabh-, and often sounds as mellow and sweet as 

 the whistle of the European Blackbird. 



"The nest is an ingenious structure of dry grasses, 

 fastened to the upright stems of an aquatic plant, 3 or 

 4 feet above the water'. The eggs are four, in size and 

 form like those of the English Song-Thrush, spotted 

 somewhat sparselv with black on a light-blue ground. 



" The young birds are entirely black at first, and 

 afterwards assume on the head and neck a pale terra- 

 cotta red, which gradually deepens to vivid scarlet." 



Russ says : " With us this Starling is not so rare 

 in the trade ; but we usually find it only in zoological 

 gardens. It was also present in the collections of E. von 

 Schlechtendal and A. F. Wiener, but, unhappily, very 

 trivial observations were made. The latter possessed 

 a pair in 1875 ; he stated that in July, 1876, a pair 

 in the London Zoological Gardens built a nest in a 

 hollow branch, but laid no eggs. With me these birds 

 developed great delight in chipping away the bark 

 of trees, and as a short time ago I saw one of thc'^e 

 birds at a dealer's, the bill of which, in the course of 

 six months, had become entirely distorted, I should 

 advise all aviculturists to give them plenty of gravel, 

 and twigs with the bark on, whereby the bill may 

 receive the pioper amount of work. My !Marsh- 

 Starlings ate soft fruit and mealworms with pleasuie. 

 In England this bird appears occasionally at bird shows, 

 and. considering its beauty, it is a wonder that we do 

 not see more of it than we do." 



Typical Troupials {SlumfUiiur). 



Lonisi-tNi.A.N TnotrpiAL [Sturnella ma^na). 

 Above brown, streaked with black and bufiish; head 

 blackish, with a pale buff or buffy-white median streak ; 

 eyebrow-stripe yellow in front, buffy-white behind ; 

 bend of wing yellow ; lesser coverts broadly edged with 

 grey ; rump and upper tail-coverts more buff in tint 

 than the back, broadly streaked with black; both 

 flights and tail-feathers more or less barred ; central 

 tail-feathers black in the middle, greyish at the sides, 

 as also are those next to them ; the three outermost 

 largely white, the outermost and sometimes the next 

 pair almost wholly white ; under-surface bright yellow ; 

 chin whitish; a broad crescentic black patch on chest, 

 joining a black spot behind the cheeks; sides of breast 



