FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



"The sexes are alike in the colouiing of their 

 plumage, and are only to he distinguished by the female 

 being somewhat smaller in size. 



" The young have an irregular stripe of dirty white 

 down the centre of each feather of the upper surface, 

 and are mottled with the same on the under part of the 

 body." Gould. Hab., "Australia (except perhaps 

 North), nnd Tasmania, including islands in Bass Strait." 

 ( 'nni /ibt-ll. 



According to Gould, this species is strictly migratory 

 in Tasmania where it arrives in October, and after rear- 

 ing at least two broods departs again in a northern direc- 

 tion. On the continent of Australia it arrives rather 

 e.irlier, and departs later. Gould observes that the 

 Tasmanian specimens are invariably larger in all 

 measurement and of a deeper colour. 



A naturalist calling himself " Nemo " (writing in The 

 Australasian- of November 2, 1895) notes the dates of 

 arrival and departure of this species in South Victoria 

 for seven years, from which it appears that migratory 

 flocks arrive there between August 19 and September 9 

 and depart between the end of April and middle of May. 

 (Cf. Campbell "Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds," 

 pp. 472-3).* 



Gould remarks : " This Wood-Swallow must, I think, 

 ever be a geneial favourite with the Australians, not 

 only from its singular and pleasing actions, but from 

 its often taking up its abode and incubating near the 

 houses, particularly such as are surrounded by pad- 

 dccks and open pasture-land skirted by large trees. It 

 was in such situations in Tasmania that, at the com- 

 mencement of spring, I first had the opportunity of 

 observing this species ; it was then very numerous on 

 all the cleared estates on the north side of the Derwent, 

 about eight or ten being seen on a single tree, and half 

 .as many crowding one against another on the same 

 dead branch, but never in such numbers as to deserve 

 the appellation of flocks. Each bird appeared to act 

 independently of the other ; each, as the desire for food 

 prompted it, sallying forth from the branch to capture 

 a passing insect, or to soar round the tree and return 

 again to the same spot ; on alighting it repeatedly 

 throws up one of its wings, and obliquely spreads its 

 tail. At other times a few were seen perched on the 

 fence surrounding the paddocks, on which they fre- 

 quently descended, like Starlings, in search of coleoptera 

 and other insects. The form of the wing of the 

 Art am/us sordid it* at once indicates that the air is its 

 peculiar province ; hence it is, that when engaged in 

 pursuit of the insects which the serenity and warmth 

 of the weather have enticed from their lurking-places 

 among the foliage, to sport in higher regions, this 

 sp:cies displays itself to the greatest advantage. But 

 the greatest peculiarity in the habits of this bird is its 

 manner of hanging together in clusters from the branch 

 of a tree, like a swarm of bees. 



The season of incubation is from September to 

 December. The situation of the nest is much varied ; I 

 have seen ane placed in a thickly-foliaged bough near 

 the ground, while others were in a naked fork, on the 

 of the bole of a tree, in a niche formed by a portion 

 of the bark having been separated from the trunk, etc. 

 The nest is rather shallow, of a rounded form, about 

 five inches in diameter, and composed of fine twigs 

 neatly lined with fibrous roots. I observed that the 

 nests found in Tasmania were larger, more compact, and 

 more neatly formed than those on the continent of 

 Australia. 



* According to Mr. S. W. Jackson, they arrive in New South 

 Wales iii July or August and depart again in January or February. 



The eggs are generally four in number ; they differ 

 much in the disposition of their markings ; their 

 ground-colour is dull white, spotted and dashed with 

 dark umber-brown. In some a second series of greyish 

 spots appear as if beneath the surface of the shell ; 

 their medium length is eleven lines, and breadth eight 

 lines." "Birds of Australia," Vol. I., pp. 144-5. 



According to Mr. North (Cat. Nests and Eggs Aus- 

 tralian Birds, p. 43) " this species breeds from Sep- 

 tember till the middle of January. The young birds are 

 often found on the ground during December, having 

 left the nest before being able to fly, and are unable to 

 get back again." 



About 1898 Mr. Geo. Carrick imported two pairs of 

 this Wood-Swallow (parents and hand-reared young) 

 which later came into the hands of Messrs. Fulljames 

 and Fillmer. In 1899 Mr. Fulljames obtained three 

 other pairs from the same importer. In his article on 

 Wood-Swallows (Avi cultural Mayazinr, 1st series, 

 Vol. VI., p. 155) Mr. Fulljames remarks that " they 

 have been kept all together in a large open cage with 

 wire top as well as sides, and they spend quite a con- 

 siderable portion of their time hanging head downwards 

 from the top of the cage. They roost as closely as 

 possible together, always head downwards. When I 

 had my first pair I soon noticed that if anything was 

 accidentally left on the top of their cage they invariably 

 roosted directly underneath it, so their cage now is 

 always provided with a piece of flannel, which is 

 evidently appreciated." 



Mr. Fulljames fed his birds upon an ordinary 

 insectivorous bird-food ; probably, one would suppose, 

 that now known as "Century food." 



In 1900 (May) five examples of this species reached 

 the London Zoological Gardens. Dr. Russ says that in 

 1898 it was imported into Germany and reached the 

 Zoological Gardens of Berlin. 



ASHY WOOD-SWALLOW (Artaiint* /';/..<). 



General colour above soft ashy slate colour, the back, 

 scapulars, and rump somewhat reddish ; upper tail- 

 coverts whitish, largely concealed by the rump-feathers ; 

 wings and tail dark bluish-ash ; inner primaries and 

 secondaries with a narrow pale terminal edging ; central 

 tail feathers narrowly, the remainder broadly tipped 

 with whitish ; lores blackish ; throat somewhat dusky ; 

 breast ancT abdomen delicate reddish ash-coloured fading 

 to white on under tail-coverts ; bill milky blue, blackish 

 at tip ; feet dull bluish, with darker claws ; iris dark 

 brown. Female (according to Col. Legge) with the ba.se 

 of the month yellow, whereas in the male the inside is 

 wholly black ; iris paler or reddish-brown. Young, dull 

 earthy brown on head and back with paler edges to 

 feathers ; secondaries and inner primaries broadly tipped 

 with white; throat more dusky than in adult, blending 

 gradually with hue of breast, which is ruddier than in 

 adult. Hab., India generally and Ceylon. 



Dr. Jerdon says that this bird "is most abundant in 

 wooded districts, especially where palm-trees abound, 

 more particularly the palmyra palm, from which indeed 

 it takes several of its native names. Where they are 

 numerous, several may be seen seated on the same 

 branch, but they fly off independently of earh other, 

 and after a flight of .<;>me few minutes, return either 

 again to the same perch or to another tree. At times 1 

 have seen an immense flock in the a/ir all together, hunt- 

 ing for insects, and remaining on the wing for a much 

 longer period. A .small party may occasionally lie .-ecu. 

 skimming over the Mil-face of a tank, picking up an 

 insect now and then, .and returning to a hiuh lunmli nf 

 a tree, overhanging the water. They live entirely on 



