122 GARDEN AND AVIARY BIRDS. 
up. With other birds they seem to be quite harmless, 
even with much smaller ones, but they are lable to 
fight savagely amongst themselves, so that it must 
not be expected that more than a pair will live together 
permanently ; and there is some risk even in putting 
cock and hen together. Pittas have never been bred in 
captivity, so that some interesting discoveries very likely 
await any one who will devote himself to the study of 
their breeding habits. 
They are not difficult to feed; ghee-and-satoo paste, 
with a little finely-minced raw meat worked up in it, will 
do very well as a staple food, and if plenty of maggots 
are available the meat may be omitted. But plenty of 
cockroaches, grasshoppers, etc., should always be pro- 
vided, and any fruit which they may show an inclina- 
tion for should be given. 
Pittas have been taken to England alive on a few 
occasions, but are never likely to become common with 
amateurs there, and so are always worth taking home. 
On account of their active habits and compact shape, 
they are easy to keep in good condition even in a small 
cage, but they must be kept warm. 
