62 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



also stated to eat the fruit of a small Indian black- 

 berry. It is moderately gregarious, but extremely 

 active, and as it flits hither and thither it is isaid to 

 twitter incessantly. The nest is a neat deep cup, 

 usually fixed in the fork of a berberry or other low 

 bush ; the eggs, two to three in number, are greenish- 

 'bltie, or pale blue inclining to whitish. 



The song, according to Dr. Russ, resembles that of 

 the Grasshopper Warbler ; the species -was bred by Mr. 

 'Oesterlin, of Mannheim, but not successfully, one young 

 one being hatched from the first nest, which died when 

 eight days old. A second nest was built, and three 

 eggs laid, when the hen died, and the cock bird 

 wearied of the task of incubation after four days. 

 Probably a garden aviary in a sunny position would be 

 the most suitable place in which to attempt to breed 

 Zoster ops. 



This bird appears to have been more freely imported 

 into Germany than England. 



CHINESE WHITE-EYE (Zosterops simplex.) 



Above it is olive-green, somewhat tawny on the 

 crown ; chin and throat, as well as under tail-coverts, 



THE CHINESE WHITE-EYE. 



bright yelloAv, remainder of under parts white, greyish 

 on the flanks ; lores blackish, a ring of white feathers 

 encircling the eye ; iris amber, bill 'blackish, feet leaden 

 .grey. Hab., China, Hainau, and Formosa. 



Mr. E. W. Styan ("On the Birds of the Lower 

 Yangtse Basin." The Ibis, 1891, p. 352) says: "I met 

 with large flocks during the last days of October, when 

 it was probably preparing to move south. A pair 

 nested in a garden at Kiukiang in June a small cup- 

 shaped nest, hung in a bush, about 4ft. from the ground. 

 I did not see the eggs." 



Mr. J. C. Kershaw (" On the Birds of the Quangtung 

 Coast, The, Ibis, 1904, p. 236) says : " Very common, 

 -moving about the country in little flocks. Resident, 

 and nesting about end of April." 



Messrs. La Touche and Rickett (" On the Nesting of 

 Birds in Fohkien," The Ibis, 1905, p. 31) give more in- 

 formation : " Common and resident on the low grounds, 

 but apparently rare on the higher levels. 



" The nests vary a good deal in the amount of 

 materials employed in the construction, some being little 

 more than a frail network of fine dry grass bound to- 

 gether and secured to the supporting twig by cobwebs, 

 while others are quite substantial little cups of moss, 

 fine dry grass, roots, and fibres. They are either slung 

 like a hammock in the fork of a twig or attached to the 

 side of one. They measure about 2in. in diameter. 



"The eggs are pale greenish bine, and average 

 .60 x -47 in. There are three or four in a clutch. 



" Some caged birds of this species kept by La, Touche 

 became grey above in the place of green ; the reddish 

 "flanks turned deeper in shade, while the yellow throat 

 faded almost to white." 



Of my pair, referred to below, which I received about 

 1894 or'l895, the female died on December 12th, 1898, as 



the first volume of my " Foreign Bird-Keeping " was 

 preparing for the press. At the tame of her death all 

 the orange tinting had disappeared from the forehead 

 and throat, the latter and front of breast having become 

 pale primrose, the flanks also had become a little deeper 

 in tint, as noted by Mr. La Touche. I feel certain that 

 when they first came into my hands the sexes were mnch 

 more alike and that they do not naturally dill 

 strikingly as shown in my skins. The male died about 

 a year after it came into my possession, and thei 

 was presumably normal in colouring. 



Although unnamed until 1862, this is the most freely 

 imported of all the " White Eyes " or Spectacle-birds, 

 yet Dr. Russ does not recognise any imported Chinese 

 species. 



Mr. Joseph Abrahams generously presented me with 

 my pair of Zosterops, which, at the time, he told me 

 were Chinese. Spectacle-birds, and the day I received 

 them I nearly lost them both, owing to their having 

 taken the earliest opportunity of having a. downright 

 good bath. They came out of it shivering and appa- 

 rently with only a few scattered strings sticking on a 

 naked body in place of plumage. The male tn- 

 get up the wires, then suddenly turned faint, hung 

 backwards from hLs claws, and fell gasping an the 

 sand. I picked up both birds, held them in my hands 

 until they were a little warmer, when the hen began to 

 -struggle, so I released her, and she wa.s soon on the 

 perch, combing out her straggling feathers. The cock 

 seemed little, if at all, better, so I put him into a 

 small travelling cage, and stood it near the fire. Pre- 

 sently he got on the perch, and a minute later had a 

 sort of fit. I snatched up the cage, and found it too 

 warm, so took out the bird and held it in my hand. Its 

 head hung sideways, with the bill wide open and the 

 shut. Presently the bill closed with a snap, and 

 the claws clutched my little finger. 1 thought the 

 bird was at its last gasp, when suddenly the head was 

 lifted, the eyes opened, and the bird began to look 

 about. I now took it out. and placed it on the perch 

 beside its mate, who began to preen its feathers. Half 

 an hour later both birds wei*e lively as ever. One 

 thing specially noticeable about these birds is that the 

 process of moulting is i-o gradual as to be practically 

 imperceptible. The birds, whether moulting or not, 

 are always, to all appearance, in the pink of perfection. 



THE WHITE-EVE. 



This is the more extraordinary as I had been led to 

 believe that during their moult they Ix-came perfectly 

 bare of feathers, dropping the whole crop simul- 

 taneously. 



It is rare to hear the song of this bird, though one 

 is familiar with its excited, reedy /.-//>, /,<!/>. t*lp, re- 

 peated as it flits about its cage ; this is doubtless its 

 call-note. The true song I never heard until February, 



