60 GARDEN AND AVIARY BIRDS. 
season, and coming down to winter in the plains. I 
found it common about Darjeeling, and noticed it had a 
pretty song of its own. 
It nests from April to July, building in any sort of hole, 
in which it makes a moss nest. The eggs are four in 
number, and may be either plain, pinkish-white or 
speckled with red. 
This is one of the very few Flycatchers I have ever seen 
in captivity; several specimens have been brought 
down from the hills with consignments of small insecti- 
vorous birds. They seem to do well enough ona diet 
of satoo and maggots. 
The Verditer Flycatcher must not be confused with 
another small blue Flycatcher sometimes seen, the Black- 
naped Flycatcher (Hypothymis azurea). This is of a 
darker and purplish blue, with a black spot at the back 
of the head. 
THE THRUSHES. 
The Thrushes form a very large family of birds, for 
in addition to the fairly large species to which the term 
Thrush is usually applied, the small Robins, Chats and 
Redstarts are included in it. All these birds have a 
strong family resemblance, but their general appearance 
is hard to describe. They have a neat well-proportioned 
form, with wings, tail, and legs, all of moderate length as 
a rule; and their bills are small and slight. The Night- 
ingale on Plate III (Fig. 4) will give a good idea of the 
appearance of most of them as far as shape goes. Few | 
are so plainly coloured as this bird, however, and some 
