34 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



WAGTAILS AND ALLIES (Motacillidce). 



PIED GRALLINA (Grallina australis). 



Jet black; head, throat, upper breast and back 

 glossed with blue ; the first flights and tail with 

 greenish ; an eyebrow stripe and a spot on each side of 

 the neck pure white ; wings with a longitudinal white 

 stripe ; second primary white tipped ; ruinp, upper 

 tail-coverts and under wing-ccverte white ; tail white 

 at, base and tip ; lower breast, sides, abdomen, and 

 under tail-coverts white ; bill yellowish white ; feet 

 black ; iris straw yellow. The female may be distin- 

 guished by its white forehead, lores, and chin. 

 Hab., Australia. 



Speaking of examples of this species Gould observes : 

 " Those that came under my observation in New 

 South Wales frequented alluvial flats, sides of creeks 

 and rivulete. 



" Few of the Australian birds are more attractive or 

 more elegant and graceful in (their) actions, and these, 

 combined with its tame and familiar disposition, must 

 ever obtain for it the friendship and protection of the 

 settlers, whose verandahs and housetops it constantly 

 visits, running along the latter like the Pied 'Wagtail 

 of our own island. Gilbert states that in Western 

 Australia he observed it congregated in large families 

 oa the banks and muddy flats of the lakes around 

 Perth, while in the interior he only met with it in 

 pairs, or at most in small groups of not more than four 

 or five together ; he further observes, that at Port 

 Essington, on the north coast, it would seem to be 

 only an occasional visitant, for on his arrival there in 

 July it was tolerably abundant round the lakes and 

 awamps, but from the setting in of the rainy season 

 ia November to his leaving that part of the country 

 in the following March not an individual was to be 

 seen ; it is evident therefore that the bird removes 

 from one locality to another according to the season 

 and the more or less abundance of its peculiar food. 

 I believe it feeds solely upon insects and their larvae, 

 particularly grasshoppers and coleoptera. 



" The flight of the Pied Grallina is very peculiar 

 unlike that of any other Australian bird that came 

 ander my notice and is performed in a straight line 

 with a heavy flapping motion of the wings. 



" Its natural note is a 'peculiarly shrill whining 

 whistle often repeated. It breeds in October and 

 November. 



" The nest is from Sin. to 6in. in breadth, and 3in 

 in depth, and is formed of soft mud, which, soon 

 becoming hard and eolid upon exposure to tihe atmc- 

 sphere, has precisely the appearance of a massive clay- 

 <X)loured earthenware vessel ; and as if to attract notice, 

 this singular structure is generally placed on some bare 

 horizontal branch, often on the one most exposed to 

 view, sometimes overhanging water, and at others in 

 the open forest. The colour of the nest varies with that 

 of the material of whiclh it is formed ; sometimes the 

 clay or mud is sufficiently tenacious to be used without 

 any other material ; in those situations where no mud 

 or clay is to be obtained, it is constructed of black or 

 brown mould ; but the bird, appearing to be aware that 

 this substance will not hold together for want of the 

 adhesive quality of the clay, mixcis with it a E 

 quantity of dried grass, stalks, etc., and thus forms a 

 firm and hard exterior, the inside of which is slightly 

 lined with dried grasses and a few feathers. The e^s 

 differ considerably in colour and in shape, some being 

 extremely lengthened, while othere bear a relative 

 proportion ; the ground-colour of some i,s a beautiful 

 pearl white, of othere a very pale buff ; their markings 

 ftlso differ considerably in form and disposition, 1 



in some instances wholly confined to the larger end, 

 in others distributed over the whole of the surface, but 

 always inclined to form a zone at the larger end ; in 

 some these markings are of a deep chestnut-nd, in 

 others light red, intermingled with large clouded spots 

 of grey appearing as if beneath the surface of the 

 shell. The eggs are generally four, but sometimes only 

 two in number ; their average length is one inch and 

 three lines, and their breadth nine lines." 



A pair of these graceful birds reached our Zoological 

 Gardens in 1863; but for some iva.-on or other they seem 

 to be rarely imported. 



CHAPTER IV. 



BULBULS (Pi/cnonotido). 



These birds have always been great favourites of 

 mine; but when I first took up the study of foreign 

 birds thev were always so expensive that I hesitated 

 to purchase them. Eventually, I had one given to me, 

 and was much delighted with its tameness, and the 

 ease with which it could be kept and fed ; indeed, I 

 received so much satisfaction from the study of this 

 bird, that when a specimen of another species was 



HEAD OF I!KI>- VENTED BULBUL. 



offered to me, at what I should now consider a very 

 hiLjh price, I did not hesitate to purchase it. Sub- 

 sequently I bought a pair of a third species for just a 

 third o-f the cost of my second Bulbul. 



Bulbuls are naturally chiefly frugivorous and in- 

 sectivorous, but in confinement they readily take to 

 the usual soft food mixtures, and will even live for a 

 considerable time upon stale breadcrumbs, egg, and 

 grated carrot, with a little fruit and chopped lettuce 

 or rape seedlings for a change ; but to keep them in 

 full health and song plenty of fruit daily is a necessity. 

 Each bird will consume daily a quarter of an o: 

 and an inch of banana or the equivalent in other 

 fruit, such as pear, sweet apple, strawberries, ripr ti^s. 

 or something of that kind. I have not found them 

 Oi all ea-ger for grapes fruit in which some insecti- 

 vorous birds greatly delight. 



BLACK BULBTTL (Pycnonotua pi/yam*). 

 Also called the ''Bengal Red-vented Bulbul"; it is, 

 in fact, only one of the local races of the Red-vent td 

 .-pcries; these forms, though kept distinct in scientific 

 works, are admitted to pass one into the other. In the 

 present form the head, nape and back of neck, the chin, 

 throat, and breast are glossy black; the ear-cm 



