34 



rOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



WAGTAILS AND ALLIES {MotaciUidce). 



PiKD Gralli.na {Grallina australis). 



Jet black; head, tliroat, upper breast and ba«;k 

 clossed with blue; the fii-st tiifjhts and Uil with 

 LTfenish; an eyebrow stripe and a spat un each side ot 

 the neck pure white; wiiigis with a longitudiiKil white 

 stripe; second primary white tipped; rump upper 

 tail-coverts and under wing-ccvei-tis white ; Uil white 

 at base and lip; lower breast, sides, abdomen, and 

 under taJl-coverts white ; bill yellowish white ; feet 

 black; iris straw vcUow. The female may be distin- 

 Huished by its white forehead, loras, and chin. 

 Hab., Australia. . „ , , , 



Speaking of examples of this species Gould observes : 

 — ■■ Those that came under mv "h.servation in New 

 South Wales frequented alluvial flats, sides of creeks 

 aud rivulets. 



■• Few of the Australi;m birds are more attractive or 

 mart, elegant aiid graceful in (their) actions, and these, 

 txjmbined with its tame and familiar disposition, must 

 ever obtain for it the friendship and pi-otection of the 

 settlers whose venuid;dis and housetops it LX>nstunUy 

 visits, runnini; aloni^ the latter like the Pied WagUil 

 of our own Island. Gilbert staU>s that in Western 

 Australia he observed it congregated in large families 

 0;i the banks and muddy tints of the lakes around 

 Perth, while in the interior he only met with it in 

 !Jairs,'or at most in small group.s of not more than four 

 or five together; he fuither observes, that at Port 

 EEsingto5i,°on the north co.ist, it would seem to be 

 onlv an occasional visitant, for on his arrival there in 

 July it wa,s tolerablv abundant round the lakes and 

 Bwamps, but from the setting in of the rainy season 

 ia November to his leaving that part of the country 

 in the following March not an individual was to be 

 seen; it is evident therefore that the bird removes 

 from one locility to another according to the season 

 and the more or less abundance of its peculiar food. 

 I believe it feeds solely upon insects and their larvae, 

 particukrlv grasshopjiers and coleoptera. 



"The flight of the Pied Giallin.i is very i)eculiar— 

 unlike that of any other Australian biid that came 

 nnder my notice— "and is performed in a straight line 

 with a heavv Happing motion of the wings. 



" Its natural note is a peculurly shrill whining 

 ■whistle often repeated. It breeds in October and 

 November. ,. 



" The nest is from Sin. to 6'.n. in breadth, and Jin 

 in depth, and is formed of soft mud, which, sooii 

 becoming hard and eolid upon exposure to the atim - 

 sphere, has precisely the appearance of a massive clay- 

 coloured earthenware vessel ; and as if to attract notice, 

 Uiis singular structure is generally placed on some bare 

 horizontal branch, often on the one most exposed to 

 view, sometimes overhanging water, and at others in 

 the open forest. The c>)lour of the iie.st varies with tihat 

 of the material of whith it is fi>rined ; sometimes the 

 clay or mud is sutflciently tenacious to be used without 

 any other material : in "those situations where no mud 

 orclay is to be obtained, it is constructed of black or 

 broMTi mould : but the bird, appearing to be aware that 

 this substance will not hold together for want of the 

 adhesive qualitv of the cliy, mixes with it a great 

 <^uantitv of drie<l gra.ss, .«talks, etc., and thus forms a 

 firm and hard exterior, the inside of wliiih is slightly 

 lined with dried grasses and a few feathers. The egus 

 differ considerably in colour and in shape, some being 

 extremely hngtliened. -ivhile othere bear a relative 

 proportion; the ground-colour of some is a he:iulifnl 

 piiiirl white, of others a very pale buff; their markings 

 (Jso differ considerably in form and disposition, being 



in some instances wholly coniined to the larger end, 



in others distributed over the whole of the surface, but 

 always inclined to form a zone at the larger end ; in 

 some these markings are of a deep chestnut-red, in 

 otheis light red, intermingled with large clouded six>ts 

 of grey appearing as if beneath the surface of the 

 sliell. The eggs are gener:illy four, but sometimes only 

 two in number ; their average length is one inch and 

 three lines, and their breadth nine lines." 



A pair of these graceful birdo reached our Zoological 

 Gardens in 1863 : but for some reason or other they seem 

 to be rarely imported. 



CHAPTER rV. 



BULBULS (Pijcncnolidce). 



These birds hive always been great favourites ot 

 mine ; but when I first took up the study of foreign 

 birds thev were always so expensive that I hesitated 

 to purchase them. Eventually, I had one given to me, 

 and was much delighted with its tameness, and the 

 ease with which it could be kept and fed ; indeed, I 

 received so much satisfaction from the study of this 

 bird, that when a specimen of another species was 



HE.\D of I!KI)-VENT£D Bulbul 



offered to me, at what I should now consider a very 

 high price. I did not hesitate to purchase it. Sub- 

 sequently I bought a pair of a third sjiecies for just a 

 third of the ccst of my tecond Bulbul. 



Bulbuls are n.iturally chiefly frugivorous and in- 

 sectivorous, but, in confinement they readily take to 

 the usual soft food mixtures, and will even live for a 

 considerable time ujxin st;ile breadcrumbs, eg":, and 

 grated carrot, with a little fruit and c'hopi)ed lettuce 

 or rape seedlings for a change ; but to keep them iu 

 full he.ilth and song plenty of fruit dail.v is a necessit.v. 

 E:ich bird ivill consume dail.v a quarter of an orange 

 and an inch of banana or the efjuivalent in other soft 

 fruit, suth as pear, sweet ai)ple, strawberries, ripe tigs, 

 or something of that kind. I have not found them 

 at all eager for grape.s— fruit in which some insecti- 

 vorous birds greatly delight. 



Black Bulhul {Pt/rnnndtus pygceus). 

 Also called the "Bengal Hed-vented Bulbul"; it is 

 in fact, only one of the local races of the Red-vented 

 sjwcies; the.ie forms. thou,'h kept distinct in scientific 

 works, are admitted to jnss one into the other. In the 

 present form llie head, najie and back of neck, the chin, 

 throat, and breist are glossy black ; the ear-coverts 



