48 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



in the trade : and that, to his knowledge, only a single 

 example has been imported living to the Berlin Gardens, 

 where it still is ; he evidently overlooked the fact that 

 two specimens arrived at the London Gardens in April, 

 1890. 



STRIATED JAY-THRUSH (Gramma'optila stria/a). 



Above rufous-hrown Avith white shaft-streaks; heal 

 more umber-brown ; wings redder, tai] almost chest- 

 nut ; outermost primaries with ashy outer margins ; 

 under surface paler, with yellowish-white shaft-streaks, 

 those on abdomen wider ahd longer than those on the 

 back ; bill black ; feet dull leaden ; irides red-brown. 

 Hab., Bootan to Nepal; common at Darjeehng from 

 about 6.000 to 9,000 feet, according to Jerdon. He makes 

 the following remarks about the species (" Birds of 

 India," Vol. II., p. 12) : ''This bird has a remarkably 

 strong and Jay-like bill, and Avas originally described 

 as a Jay by Vigors. In its mode of coloration it ap- 

 proaches some of the Garrula.r series, viz., TrocAa- 

 lopteron liiimium, and T. iinlricatum." "It frequents 

 the dement thickets, in pairs, or in small and scattered 

 parties. It has some very peculiar calls, one of them not 

 unlike the clucking of a hen Avlrich has just laid an egg. 

 I found both fruit and insects in the stomach of those 

 Avhich I examined, chiefly the latter." 



The follo.viiu n tes are from Hume's "Nests and Eggs 

 of Indian Birds." 2nd eel., Vol. I., p. 67: The 

 Striated Laughing-Thrush." remarks Mr. Blyth. "builds 

 a compact Jay-iikr Qst. The eggs are spotless blue,_a5 

 shown by one of Mr. Hodgson's drawings in the British 

 Museum." 



"A nest of this species found near Darjeehng in July 

 was placed on the branches of a large tree, at a height 

 of about 12ft. 



" It was a huge shallow cup. composed mainly of moss, 

 bound together with stems of creepers and fronds of a 

 Selaginella, and lined Avith coarse roots and broken 

 pif-es of drv grass. A few dead leaves were incor- 

 porated in the body of the nest. The nest was about 

 8 or 9 inches in dial < about 2 in thickne.:r,,_the 



broad, shallow, saucer-like cavity leing about an inch 

 in depth. 



" The nest contained two nearly fresh eggs. The eggs 

 appear to be rather peculiarly shaped. They are mode- 

 rately elongated ovals, a good deal pinched out and 

 pointed towards the small end. in the same manner 

 (though in a less degree) as those of some PloA-ers, Sni;>e, 

 etc. I do not know Avhether this is the typical shape 

 of this egg, or whether it is an abnormal peculiarity of 

 the eggs of this particular nest. The shell is fine, but 

 the eggs Irive very little gloss. In colour they are a 

 very pale spotless blue, not much darksr than those o: 

 Z i >.</</< i /i* /ml jn-lt >(>- i< *. 



"The eggs measure 1.3 and 1.32 in length, and 0.89 

 and 0.92 in breadth." 



om further notes it is made clear that the eggs 

 above described are perfectly normal. 



llu that this bird' is extremely rare, and has 



only reached the largest Zo:i] :cr< al Gardens singly: a: 

 any rate, our Gardens seem to have possessed it more 

 than once, and these extremely rare birds have a trick 

 of turning up, now and again, in some numbers, in fie 

 bird-market. I Avell remember Avhen the late Mr. 

 ihams first impoitfd a few specimens of Bathilda 

 rufirctu'lri and sold them at 8 a pair he tried to per- 

 suade me to purchase a pair at 5 as a great favour, 

 telling me that in all probability I should never have 

 another chance; later on I bought a pair for 2, a-rl 

 in 1905 and 1906 they were down to 10s. a pair, many 

 hundreds being on the market. 



RED-HEADED LAUGHING-THRUSH* (Trochalopteron 



erythroce i>hal um) . 



Above greyish olivaceous; head and nape chestnut; 

 lores, chin, and throat black; ear-coverts reddish an I 

 dark brown ; neck at back olivaceous varied with black ; 

 lesser wing-coverts deep chestnut ; primaries olivaceous, 

 washed with rust-reddish ; breast greyish olivaceous, 

 spotted with black, especially at the sides ; abdomen 

 and under tail-coverts olivaceous ; bill greyish horn- 

 brown ; feet dull yellow; irides ? . HaV, N.W. 

 Himalayas and western districts of Nepal (Jerdon). 



"By no means uncommon in Kumaon. where it fre- 

 quents shady ravines, building in hollows and their pre- 

 cipitous sides, and making its nest of small sticks and 

 grasses, the eggs being five in number, of a sky-blue- 

 colour." (Shore, cf Jerdon, "Birds of India," Vol. II., 

 p. 43.) 



In Hume's " Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds," pp. 

 55. 56, we read: "From Kumaon westwards, at any 

 rate as far as the valley of the Beas, the Red-headed 

 Laughing-Thrush is, next to T. liin'-thim. the n:o-t 

 common species of the genus. It lavs in May and June, 

 at elevations of from 4,000 to 7.000 feet, building 

 low branches of trees, at a height of from 3 to K.I 

 from the ground. 



" The nests are composed chiefly of dead leaves boun 1 

 round into a deep cup with delicate fronds of ferns and 

 coarse and fine grass, the cavities being scantily lined 

 Avith fine grass and moss-roots. It is difficult by 

 any description to conA*ey an adequate idea of the beauty 

 of "some of these nests the deep red-brown of the 

 withered ferns, the black of the grass- and moss-roots, 

 the pale yellow of the bread Baggy graes, and 

 straw-yellow of some of the finer grass-stems, all 

 blended together into an artistic wreath, in the ce 

 of which the beautiful shv-blue and maroon-sp 

 repose. Externally the nests may .;hont 6in. 



in diameter, but the egg-eivity is comparatively lar^c 

 and very regular, measuring about 3^in. acr.iss and 

 fully 2^m. in depth. Some nests, of course, are le>s 

 regular and artistv in their appearance, but. as a rule, 

 those of this species are particularly beautiful. The 

 eggs vary from two to four in number." 



According to Colonel G. F. L. Marshall, the mark ; 

 on the eggs are usually confined to the larger end. 



This species has been represented in the collection o! 

 the London Zoological Gardens. 



THE SPECTACLED THRUSH (Trochalopterum canorum). 

 I have adopted the above as the most descriptive title 

 of the bird. Mr. Wiener calls it the ''Chinese Jay 

 Thrush," and scientists give to it the trivial name of 

 ' Chinese Laughing-Thrush," both of Avhich appellations 

 are more correctly applicable to the BlaH. 

 Laughing-Thrush. 



A specimen of this bird was given to me by Mi'. 



Abrahams in 1892. It is of a deep reddish brown 



colour: the head redder than the luck: this and the 



nape of the ne-k streaked with black shaft lin i s : the 



wing-coverts like the back; the quills sepia bro.vn, 



rc.ldish blown externally: the primaries reddish olive 



on the outer web; tail feathers olive-brown at the has 



on the .margins, dusky towards the tips, indis- 



ly barred; forehead brighter rufous than the 



I with distiu t black aks ; the lores, 



sides of face, and ear-coverts dusky, washed with tawny 



* In what respect the so-called Lau^'hii)!:- Thrushes of the Zoo- 

 lo'ical Society's List differ from the Jay-Thrushes (the Laughing 

 Thrushes of Jerdon and ether Indian authors) I do not know : I 

 expect they are all really Jay-Thrushes and that laughing is excep- 

 tional with them. 



