The Rev. Hubert D. Asteey,



196



so close to the edge that he sometimes has to spread his wings

to prevent himself from falling in. Before he was pinioned, he

used to fly on to the rocks' in the centre of the pool, and

made a beautiful picture standing there flapping his large white

wings.


Cranes are wonderfully intelligent! As an instance of

this, my bird has learnt to pick up with his beak a string which

is tied to the lid of a tin box, in which his seed is kept; the

other end of the string is fastened to a window, from which it

can be pulled to shut the box when the Sparrows come in flocks

to steal the grain. At first the Crane stood patiently by waiting

for me to do this for him ; now he has learnt to open the box

himself ; perhaps some day he will close it after him ! !


My last remark is, I am astonished that these particular

Cranes are not more frequently kept in captivity. They have

not a single fault as far as I can discover. Unlike other

members of the family, they do not dig up newly planted turfs,

destroy borders, and root out bulbous plants. Above all, their

almost musical and seldom sounding voice makes them

irreproachable pets where neighbours have to be considered.



THE BLUE WHISTLING THRUSH*


Myiophoneus temmincki.


By The Rev. Hubert D. Asteey, M.A.


Through Mr. Phillipps’ courtesy I became the proud

possessor, last September (1902), of two Blue Whistling Thrushes

(Temminck’s) which at that time, and indeed it may still be the

case, w 7 ere I believe the 011I3 7 specimens in Europe.


Mr. Phillipps most kindly sent them to me in Italy at the

hands of a friend, who must have wished me, or at any rate the



* Mr. Astley’s name of Blue Whistling' Thrush belongs to Af. cceruleus (Avic. Aiag.

VII., 209), a Chinese species very like it but with a black bill, which has been repre¬

sented at the Zoo. Mr. Astley’s species is Temmiuck’s or The Himalayan Whistling-

bird.


I have before remarked (VII., pp. 203-4) that the usual name of Whistling “Thrush ”

for birds of the genus Myiophoneus is incongruous and misleading, That of “ Whistiiug-

bird ” would be better, and would readily lend itself to adoption from its similarity to the

other.—R. P.



