BLUETHROATS AND MAGPIE ROBINS. 



21 



most eggs, everywhere very fine, are often considerably 

 more dense at the large end, where they are not 

 unusually more or less underlaid by a pinkish cloud, 

 with which they form an irregular, ill-defined and incon- 

 spicuous cap. 



"At times, more boldly and richly marked eggs are 

 met with. One now before me is everywhere thickly 

 streaked with dull pink, in places purplish, and over 

 this is thinly but rather conspicuously spotted and irregu- 

 larly blotched (the blotches being small, however) with 

 light burnt sienna brown. 



"In length they vary from 1.18in. to 1.48in., and in 

 breadth from 0.92in. to lin." (Vol. I., pp. 124-7.) 



An example of this species first came to the London 

 Zoological Gardens in 1876. Whether others have arrived 

 since I cannot say, but must echo Dr. Russ's hope that 

 sooner or later they will do so. 



BLUETHROATS (Cyanecula). 



Dr. Russ, perhaps rightly, omits these birds from his 

 " Fremdliindischen Stubenvogel." Of course, they are 

 recognised as European species, and the Arctic Blue- 

 throat is admitted as a British species. 



The very rarely imported New Zealand Robins, so- 

 called, are referred to the Chats by him. He does not 

 mention the South Island species (Miro albifrons), of 

 which four examples were presented to our Zoological 

 Society in 1893, but he gives a very brief notice of what 

 he calls the "Long-legged Chat" (Miro longipes), a 

 specimen of which, he tells us, was received by the 

 Berlin Zoological Gardens in 1896. He says it is an 

 inconspicuous bird, which in behaviour, movements, and 

 song greatly resembles our Robin. For descriptions of 

 the plumage and wild habits of these birds, should any 

 of my readers ever be fortunate enough to possess them, I 

 must refer them to Buller's " Birds of New Zealand " ; 

 but it is not very probable that they will need to refer 

 to it. 



MAGPIE ROBINS (Copsyehus). 



THE DAYAL (Copsyehus saularis). 



The trivial name of this bird has been variously spelt, 

 but I have adopted Dr. Jerdon's rendering as being most 

 likely to be correct. 



The entire head, neck, breast, and upper parts of the 

 male (excepting the four outer tail-coverts, which are 

 white) are black, glossed with, blue excepting on the 

 wings. The remainder of the under surface is white. 

 The female is slate-grey above ; wings brown ; throat 

 and breast ashy; abdomen sandy brown, whitish in the 

 centre. Young birds have the upper parts brown, the 

 breast dusky with rufous spotting ; bill and feet black ; 

 iris brown. 



This species ranges over the whole of India and 

 Ceylon, and eastwards to Tenasserim, being chiefly met 

 with in well-wooded districts. Jerdon gives the follow- 

 ing account of its wild habits : " It is generally seen 

 alone or in pairs, usually seeks its prey on the ground 

 from a low perch, often hopping a few steps to pick 

 up an insect. When it returns to its perch it generally 

 elevates its tail, and often utters a pleasing warble. 

 Though it frequently raises and depresses its tail, both 

 when perched and on the ground, I cannot say that I 

 have observed the Wagtail-like flirtation of its tail noted 

 by Hodgson, or that it throws its tail back till it nearly 

 touches its head, as Layard has seen. Towards the 

 evening it may often be seen near the top of some 

 tolerably large tree, or other elevated perch, pouring 

 forth its song. I have always found its food to consist 

 of insects of various kinds, small grasshoppers, beetles, 



worms, etc. Hodgson asserts that in winter they like 

 unripe vetches, and such like ; but this is quite opposed 

 to the usual habits of this group. It breeds generally 

 in thick bushes or hedges ; sometimes in a hole in a 

 bank or tree, and occasionally in a hole in a wall, or 

 on the rafter of a house. The nest is made of roots and 

 grass ; and the eggs, four in number, are bluish ivhite 

 or pale bluish, with pale brown spots and blotches. 

 Layard says that the eggs are bright blue, and Hutton 

 that they are carneous cream colour, but these observers 

 must, I think, have been mistaken in the identity of the 

 owner of the nest. The Dayal is often caged, as well 

 for its song as for its pugnacious qualities, which, 

 according to Hodgson, are made use of to capture others." 



Mr. Hume observes (" Nests and Eggs of Indian 

 Birds," Vol. II., pp. 80-81) : "The Magpie-Robin breeds 

 throughout India. Many resort during the nesting 

 season to the Dhoons and Terais that skirt the Hima- 

 layas, and to the lower ranges of these latter, in which 

 they may be found nesting up to an elevation of at least 

 5 ; 000ft. 



" They lay from the end of March to quite the end of 

 July, but by far the majority of eggs are to .be found 

 alike in hills and plains during the latter half of April 

 and May. So far as my experience goes and I have 

 taken scores the nests are invariably placed in holes in 

 trees, banks, or walls, or under the eaves of huts. I 

 have never seen or personally heard of a well attested 

 instance of their breeding in bushes ; but it is still 

 pretty certain, from what Captain Beavan and others 



DAYAL BIRD. 



have recorded, that they do, at any rate occasionally, 

 nest in such situations. 



" In the plains the nest is generally composed of 

 roots, grass, fibres, and feathers, but in the hills moss 

 and lichens are largely used. In shape the nest is 

 typically a broad, very shallow, loosely-built saucer, 

 some 4in. or Sin. in diameter, and with a central de- 

 pression about an inch in depth; but they vary much, 

 according to the shape and size of the cavity in which 

 they are placed. Some are more regularly cup-shaped, 

 while many are mere pads. A few small twigs, or a 

 few dead leaves, may at times be found doing duty as 

 a foundation ; but whether placed there by the bird or 

 deposited by the wind anterior to the construction of 

 the nest, may be doubtful. Five is unquestionably the 

 full complement of eggs, although once or twice 1 have 

 taken four partially incubated ones." 



According to Hume, the eggs are greenish, greenish 

 white, pale sea-green, or pale slightly greenish blue, 

 streakily blotched and mottled with different shades of 



