Warblers. 87 



female has paler tints of the same colouring. Its song 

 is very lively and pleasing. These birds are now 

 frequently imported into this country ; they do well 

 either in a bird-room or in a cage, and breed easily. 

 Their food should be the same as for other soft-billed 

 birds, sopped bread, mealworms, ants' eggs, berries 

 and fruits, and occasionally a little fresh cheese and 

 egg food, especially while rearing their young. 



The PEKIN NIGHTINGALE, JAPANESE ROBIN, or 

 SUN BIRD (Leiothrix luteus\ but lately introduced into 

 England, bids fair to become a very favourite cage bird. 

 It is lively and amusing, has much beauty of plumage, 

 and seems hardy, and likely to do well in captivity, if 

 properly fed and provided with a sufficiently large cage, 

 for it is too active to be kept in a small one. For some 

 time it was classed by naturalists among the Titmice ; 

 indeed, one of its many names is the RED-BILLED HILL 

 or FORK-TAILED TIT, but it has a greater resemblance 

 to the Robin, both in shape and movements. They 

 are now generally admitted to form a distinct family 

 the Liotrichidce. The upper part of the body is 

 olive-green, tinged with yellow on the head ; a dark 

 line passes from the lower mandible to the ear-coverts, 

 which are dusky green ; there is a diamond-shaped 

 patch of yellowish-white round the eyes ; the wings 

 are very dark green ; the primaries edged with deep 

 yellow and red, forming distinct bars on the wings; 

 the forked tail is black above and slate-coloured 



