176 Dr. E. Hopkinson—The White-crowned Chat-thrush


swinging flight is more rapid than hers. She looks very imposing, the

dark blue and scarlet of her wings showing to great advantage, but she

is no song-bird; her cries with few exceptions are loud, dismal, and

discordant, and at times she is very loquacious !


Although her late master considered her sensitive to cold, I intend to

try and winter her at liberty. So far she has proved decidedly hardy

and she has a tremendous lot of down under her thick plumage. For the

present, anyhow, she is renewing her youth like the proverbial Eagle.



THE WHITE-CROWNED CHAT-THRUSH


By Dr. E. Hopkinson, D.S.O.


Last April when at Sukuta in the Gambia, I caught two of these

birds (presumably a pair) in a trap-cage set for Waxbills. I put them

in a cage together, and crammed them with a few grasshoppers ; next

day they were eating white ants readily and would take grasshoppers

alive or dead, so I decided to try and keep them. Then came

the question of what was to be the staple food when live food would

no longer be obtainable. The choice was limited and practically

confined to biscuit and milk. This, fortunately, they soon took to,

eating it greedily in a few days, especially when the milk had gone sour,

as it so quickly does in the tropics. The birds travelled with me on my

usual round till the end of June, when I came to headquarters to catch

the steamer home. Here the trouble began ; insect food, even cock¬

roaches, was difficult to get, and no cow’s milk at all was obtainable

only “ Ideal ”, which never sours properly. They took this because

there was nothing else, but most certainly noticed the difference, and

very soon it became obvious that all was not well “ with their little

insides ”. They, however, both lived to get on ship-board, but one (I

think the hen) died the first day out. The other, however, lived, in spite

of the fact that it was an almost cockroachless ship, and in due course

reached home. Then, thanks to helpful parcel-clerks at Lime Street and

Euston, to an early Sunday morning visit to the Zoo, and a curatorial

motor-bike and side-car, I had the pleasure of seeing this rare bird

(probably a first importation) in a cage de luxe in its new home in Surrey,



