62 



FOREICiN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



also stated to eat the fruit of a small Indian black- 

 berry. It is moderately gregarious, but e.xtreniely 

 active, and a.s it flits hither and thither it is said to 

 twitter incessantly. The ne>t is a neat deep cup, 

 usually fixed in the fork of a berberry or other low 

 bush ;" tlie eg^s, two to three in number, are greenish- 

 blue, or pale blue inclining to whitish. 



The song, according to Dr, Russ, resembles that of 

 the Grasshopper Warbler; the species -was bred by Mr. 

 Oesterlin. of Mannheim, but not successfullv, one young 

 one being hatched from the first nest, which died when 

 eight days old. A eccond nest was built, and three 

 eggs laid, when the hen died, and the cock bird 

 \vearied of the task of incubation, after four days. 

 Probably a garden aviary in a sunny position would be 

 the most suitable place "in which to attempt to breed 



This bird appears to have been more freely imported 

 into Germany than England. 



Chinese White-Ete {Zosterops simplex.) 



Above it is olive-green, somewhat tawny on the 

 ■crown ; chin and throat, as well as under tail-coverts, 



The Chinuse White-Eyf. 



bright yellow, lemainder of under puts white, greyish 

 <m the Hanks ; loreis blackish, a ring of white feathers 

 encircling the eye ; iris amber, bill blackish, feet leaden 

 grey, llab., China, Hainau, and Formosa. 



Mr. E. W. Stvan (" (In the Birds of the Lower 

 Yangtse Basin." The Ibis. 1891, p. 352) says:— "I met 

 with large flocks during the last days of October, when 

 it was probably preparing to move soutli. A pair 

 nested in a garden at Kiukiang in June — a small cup- 

 .shaped neet, hung in a bush, about 4ft. from the ground. 

 I did not see the eggs." 



Mr. J. C. Kershaw (" On the Birds of the Quangtung 

 Coast, T/k" Ihis, 1904, p. 236) says: — "Very common, 

 moving about the country in little flocks. Resident, 

 and nesting about end of April." 



Messrs. La Touche and Rickett (" On the Nesting of 

 Birds in Fohkien," Thn /6i.s, 1905, p. 31) give more in- 

 formation : — " Common and resident on the low grounds, 

 but apparently rare on the higher levels. 



" The nests vary a good deal in the amount of 

 tUntcrials employed in the constructinn, some being little 

 more than a frail network of fine dry grass bound to- 

 gether and secured to the supporting twig by cobwebs, 

 while others are quite substantial little cups of moss, 

 fine dry grass, roots, and fibres. They are either slung 

 like a hammock in the fork of a twig or attathed to the 

 side of one. They measure about 2in. in dip meter. 



"The eggs are pale grecnivh blue, :.ncl average 

 .60 X .47 in. There are three or four in a dutch. 



" Some caged birds of this species kept by La Tonche 

 became grey above in the place of green; the reddi.sh 

 flanks turned deeper in shade, while the yellow throat 

 faded almo.st to white." 



Of my pair, referred to below, which I received about 

 li394 or'l895, the female died on December 12th, 1898, a.s 



the first volume of my " Foreign Bird-Keeping " was 



preparing for the press. At the time of her death all 

 the orange tinting had disappeared from the forehead 

 and throat, the hitter and front of breast having become 

 pale primrose, the flanks alto had become a little deeper 

 m tint, a.s noU'ti by Jlr. La Touclie. 1 feel certain that 

 when they firet came into my han<ls the sexes were much 

 more alike and that they do not naturally differ so 

 .strikingly as shown in my skins. The male died about 

 a year after it came into my possession, and therefore 

 was prei-umably normal in cTjIouring. 



Although unnamed until 1862, this is the most freely 

 imported of all the " White Eyes " or Spectacle-birds, 

 yet Dr. Hu.ss does not recognise any imported Chinese 

 species. 



Mr. Joseph Abrahams generously presented me with 

 my pair of Zosterops, which, at the time, he told me 

 were Chinese Spectacle-birds, and the day I received 

 them I nearly lost them both, owing to their having 

 taken the earliest opportunity of having a downright 

 good baih. They came nut of it shivering and appa- 

 rently with only a few scattered strings sticking on a 

 naked body in place of plumage. The male tried to, 

 get up the wires, then suddenly turned faint, hung 

 backwards from hi^ claws, and fell gasping on the 

 sand. I picked up both birds, held them in my hands 

 until they were a little wanner, when the hen began to 

 struggle, so I released her, and she was soon on the 

 perch, combing out her straggling feathers. The cock 

 seemed little, if at all, better, so I put him into a 

 small travelling cage, and .stood it near the fire. Pre- 

 sently he got on the perch, and a minute later had a 

 sort of fit. I snatched up the cage, and found it too 

 warm, so took out the bird and lield it in my hand. Its 

 head hung sideways, with the bill wide open and the 

 eyes shut. Presently the bill closed with a snap, and 

 the claws clutched my little finger. I thought the 

 bird was at its last gasp, when suddenly the head was 

 lifted, the eyes opened, and the bird began to look 

 about. I now took it out, and placed it on the perch 

 beside its mate, who began to preen its feathers. Half 

 an hour later Ixith birds were lively as ever. One 

 thing specially noticeable about these birds is that the 

 process of moulting is >o gradual as to be practically 

 imperceptible. The birds, whether moulting or not, 

 are always, to all appearance, in the pink of perfection. 



Till-: W'lHTE-EvE. 



This is the more extraordinary as I had been led to 

 believe that during their moult they became perfectly 

 bare of feathers, dropping the whole crop simul- 

 taneously. 



It is rare to hear the song of this bird, though one 

 is familiar with its e.xcited, ree<ly fsip, Isip. Isip, re- 

 peated a.s it flits about its cage; this is doubtless its 

 call-note. The true song I never heard until February, 



