30 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



males, which cannot be distinguished by these charac- 

 teristics. The only difference which appears to be 

 constant, apart from the song, is the -bright yellow 

 elliptical patch enclosing the eye of the male, which 

 in the female is either ashy or creamy-whitish. This 

 seems to me likely to be the character by which the 

 birds recognise one another's sex ; but the made always 

 answers the monotonous call-note of the female by a 

 short song of from seven to nine syllables. 



The Liothrix inhabits the Himalayas at an elevation 

 of from 5,000 to 8,000 ft., and from Simla it passes 

 eastward to China. With suoh a range the trivial name 

 Pekin Nightingale conveys a false impression ; but 

 it is in such general use that it is of little use to 

 protest against it. In its native haunts this species 

 usually frequents dense thickets and the underwood 

 which springs up in the cleared parts of the forest, and 

 is usually seen in parties of five or six individuals. It 

 is naturally a shy bird, usually avoiding observation, 

 and therefore the facility with which it becomes tame 

 and learns to fly to its owner for mealworms in the 

 aviary is the more remarkable. Its food consists of 

 fruits, berries, seeds, and insects. According to 

 scientific writers, its call-note is a chattering sound, but 

 this is a mistake. The chattering is a sign of dis- 

 pleasure either at being disturbed or at missing some 

 favourite article of food. A net introduced into the 

 aviary, or a new bird, the failure to give a mealworm 

 or spider when it was expected, will all produce this 

 form of bad language, in which both sexes will join 

 with equal vigour. Naturally, this bird builds a cup- 

 shaped nest of moss and dry leaves, bound together 

 with grass and roots, in some leafy bush at no great 

 height from the ground. From descriptions given in 

 Hume's " Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds," it would 

 seem that the nest is generally deep, and is fixed in 

 a fork and attached to three or four of the slender 

 prongs or twigs. In the aviary it will either build 

 in a bush or a cigar nest-box. It generally lays three 

 ci^s, rarely four, of a pale green tint, spotted and 

 otherwise marked with red, purple, and brown, and 

 incubation lasts about thirteen days. The Liothrix is 

 very fond of bathing, and therefore every facility 

 should be provided for this healthful amusement, in 

 which I have seen my birds indulge at short intervals 

 throughout the day during the hot weather. With 

 regard to food, the more variety the better, whether 

 as a mixture or separately ; bananas, oranges, or seed 

 will be eaten greedily, 'boiled rice sparingly, potato, 

 dry bread-crumbs, egg-food, and ants' eggs freely, 

 grated carrot with less satisfaction, insects greedily. 

 Mr. Keulemans, who bred this species in a conservatory, 

 told me that as soon as the young left the nest there 

 was a general battle, in which both old and young 

 pecked out one another's eyes, so that the majority 

 were maimed. This *-eems a curious thing, considering 

 that many pairs may be frequently seen living in 

 amity ; neither Dr. Russ nor Herr Wiener appear to 

 have had such an experience. 



Once or twice my birds have carried a little nesting 

 material into a box, but have made no further attempt 

 at breeding. As a rule, however, I have not found the 

 hens anything like so long-lived as the cocks, although 

 two which I still possess as I write have already been 

 in my possession for about seven years, and look like 

 living some time yet. My first male Pekin Night inga.le 

 died early in 1898, having been in my possession for 

 upwards of ten years. I lost my second male on the 

 opening day of the Crystal Palace Bird Show in the 

 same year. He was in perfect plumage, and singing 

 loudly to within half-an-hour of his death, which 



resulted from disease of the heart, all his other organs 

 being perfectly healthy. Without exception, thus was 

 the finest songster which I ever possessed, its ringing 

 flute-like notes being clearly audible all over the house. 

 One of this bird's phrase* sounded exactly like " Here's 

 your ginger-beer here, Teddy ; so it is Gerty " ; but 

 more frequently he stopped at " so it is," and sometimes 

 he rattled on into a much longer but untranslatable 

 song. By repeating the words to this bird I could 

 almost always get him to ping them, much to the 

 amusement and delight of visitors. He, however, had 

 another more varied, fuller, and longer song, which 

 I could only induce him to sing when I wanted it by 

 repeating the monotonous and almost metallic hen- 

 call in the usual high note, and then whistling it a 

 1 ittle lower. 



The song of the Liothrix more nearly resembles that 

 of the Blackcap than of any other British bird, but it 

 is more rapid, and frequently quite a.s loud as that of 

 the Blackbird. When in full form, this bird will sing 

 almost incessantly for hours together ; but at other 

 times, if it hears the call of the hen, it will repeat one 

 or other of its usual brief answers " C/ioo, choo : 

 achooy, tochoo" ; or "Choo, choo; aclwoy, chooy ; clii><>- 

 choo" ; both of which, from the measured manner in 

 which they are uttered, can be at once recognised as 

 mere musical calls, utterly apart from the full joyous 

 warbling of the species. 



Under the name of Llnthrlr Dr. Russ gives descrip- 

 tions of Siva ci/anuroptera, Mrxia nrr/rntauris, Mini*, 

 ignitlncta, Sittiparus <-u.tani<-i -y/.<, Lii>/>/in/.< rIiri/*/ni*. 

 and Proparits viniyectufi, of which only the first two 

 have been imported as cage-birds; thi&'is catering for 

 a future generation with a vengeance. 



SILVER-EARED MESIA (Mesia arf/enfauri*). 



Male. Head black; forehead, chin, and throat golden 

 cadmium yellow ; ear coverts silky-white ; nape golden 

 cadmium yellow shading into the green of the middle- 

 back ; remainder of back, wing-coverts, and greater part 

 of inner half of wing olive-green or greenish-slate ; 

 primaries internally similar, but externally golden- 

 cadmium, fading into clearer yellow and with a con- 

 spicuous crimson patch at the' base; upper and under 

 tail-coverts crimson ; tail olive-greenish, with the 

 lateral feathers yellow externally ; breast brilliant 

 golden yellow, continuous with that of the throat ; 

 abdomen olivaceous ; .bill bright yellow ; feet flesh 

 yellow ; iris of eye (according to Jerdon, brown) as 

 figured by Mr. Gfonvold from living examples, yellow. 

 The female has the forehead yellower, less orange, and 

 the upper and under tail-coverts orange instea'd of 

 crimson (as pointed out by Hodgson, but contradicted 

 by Jerdon). Hab. " Eastern Himalayas, throughout 

 the hills of North-Eastern Bengal and Burmah to Ten- 

 asserim." (Brit, Mus. Cat. VII., p. 643.) 



The following notes on the nesting of this species are 

 from Oates's edition of Hume's "Nests and Eggs," Vol. 

 I., p. 160: "According to Mr. Hodgson's notes, the 

 Silver-eared Mesia breeds in the lowlands of Nepal, 

 laying in May and June. The nest is placed in a. 

 bushy tree, between two or three thin twigs, to which 

 it is attached. It is composed of dry bamboo and other 

 leaves, thin grass-roots and moss, and is lined inside 

 with fine roots. Three or four eggs are laid; one of 

 these is figured as a broad oval, much pointed towards 

 one end, measuring 0.8 by 0.6. having a pale green 

 ground with a few brownish-red specks, and a close 

 circle of spots of the same colour round the large end." 



"From Sikhim, Mr. Gammie writes: 'I have taken 

 about half a dozen nests of this bird. They closely 



