44 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



aurifron*. I have seen very few nests, and of these 

 it can only be remarked that two were deeper than 

 any I have seen of that bird, cue measuring over 1.8in. 

 and the other 2.05in. It builds in the same sort of 

 position also, but selects, higher trees, and I have not. 

 taken any nest below 25ft.. and one or two from very 

 much more lofty sites, whereas ('. aitri/'r<i-< serins to 

 prefer a height of some 121t. to 20ft. I do not remem- 

 ber seeing any nest of this < 'It[r<'/>-<i.< which contained, 

 amongst the materials of which it was composed, any 

 green moss. Both birds breed during much the same 

 period. The few eggs I have seen of this handsome 

 i : jilnrn/>*i* could not possibly be distinguished from 

 those of C. aurifron*, and differ from these of C. 

 ji rrloni only in their much greater size, averaging, as 



they do, O.Qlin. by 0.61in. I have one 

 among these seven which is exceptionally large, 

 suring 1.05in. by O.Tin., and it is \v: rtliy of 

 note that I shouxl have found abnormally lar^e 

 both of (.'. rnirii'r,ni.< a; d C. Jxi n! irlcl-ii , the n 

 especially as I have seen but very small series, of both.' 1 



Between the years 1879, when a single example cf 

 this species reached the London Zoological Can 

 liuss static that no specimens were imported until 

 18S4. when ('. I'os/. of Cologne, received a ! 

 siunment ; whether any of these specimens were for- 

 warded to the London market I don't know, but shortly 

 afterwards we began to see examples at our bird shows. 

 One specimen seems to have come into the hands of 

 Herr F. Weber, who fed it upi.n soft, sweat, co 

 pears, highly sweetened rice and mealworms. It refused 

 ants' cocoons, and looked with disdain at raw meat. 

 but delighted in egg-plums and soft, sw;vt finite 

 generally. 



In Tin' Artniltural Maij(r.'n;.<- for 1897 Mr. Russell- 

 Humphrys has given an interesting account of his 

 lovely and well-known example of this species. Accord- 

 ing to him it is of no use to offer mealworms t:> ( '. hnnl- 

 irii'kii, as it will not touch them ; though it is 

 clever in catching Mies. Mr. Humphrys also advo 

 the use of banana in preference to orange as an article 

 cf diet ; his example is a very clever mimic, bin 

 is a well-known characteristic of the species of 

 i 'hloropsis, and therefore not surprising. 'I he- 

 article is well illustrated by a coloured plate by 

 Frohawk. 



CHAPTKR V. 



BLUE-WINGED FRUIT-SU.JKKI;. 



BABBLERS ( ' 'rateropodidv. j. 



The Bulbuls, which Dr. Sharp? places in his expanded 

 T'tmi'liirhe, aie called by him Bubbling Thrushes: he 

 places the Mocking-birds and Bower-birds in the game 

 family; but in all their habits the Mocking-birds seem 

 to me to be true Thrushes, while the Bower-birds are 

 aberrant Crows ; with a few modifications., therefore. I 

 prefer to follow the Zoological Society's list. 



The Jay-Thrushes (I>i'i/nii<i.<f<.<. (,'cirniJn.r, etc.) ar3 

 mo''e or less predaceou.s birds, feeding partly upon N 

 birds and eggs, and probably, I think, upon email 

 ro Icnts. ;iud ceitainly leptiles. To keep them in health. 

 in captivity it is necessary occasionally to fi ,<! them 

 much in the same manner as the Crow family. i;ivin_: 

 them smail birds, mice, sparrows' eggs, etc. : when 

 these cannot be obtained, a little minced raw beef. 

 a week, should be given, but fur and feather are pi 

 able; in other respects they can be fed like true 

 Thrushes, on a good insectivorous food and a little 

 fruit ; when obtainable, grapes are preferred to any 

 other. 



CHINESE JAY-THRUSH (J.)ri/iiri*f<'.-< chinensis). 



Grey; head bluer; front of head, lores and eyebrow- 

 stiipc, chin and fro at of throat black; forehead and 

 check p.itch white : upper part of body, back, and wings 

 with a taint wash of olive-brownish; outer w-cbs <f 

 flights with paler margins inner webs blackish, with 

 .1 narrow paler margin : flights be'ow dark ash-grey ; 

 wing-coverts the same: tail feathers like the rest of the 

 upper surface, but a trifle darker, below black with 

 narrow pale tips to the feathers; under tail-coverts 

 brownish-grey: bill black: feet brown: iris deep red- 

 brown. Female smaller than male, and with slnnt.-r 

 bill. Hab., China and Upper Burma. 



Dr. Russ states that all that is known of the fiee life 

 of this bird is that according to Swinhoe its call-note 



