264 LORD LILFORD 



was procured from the neighbourhood of the 

 monastery of Mar-saba, not far from Bethlehem. 

 The monks protect and encourage these birds, 

 which become quite tame and nest in the 

 caverns and fissures of the cliffs in the gorge 

 of the "Brook Kedron," and similar localities 

 in Southern Palestine. Mar-saba is somewhat 

 difficult of access, but frequently visited by 

 tourists in the Holy Land, to whom the bird to 

 which I am referring is generally known as the 

 Golden-winged Blackbird. Canon Tristram tells 

 us that the male has a loud and melodious 

 whistle, but my bird was a female, and almost 

 silent. 



* Amongst my most beautiful cage-birds I 

 must note two species of South American Jay, 

 the Common Blue Jay of North America, the 

 so-called "Blue Robin " from the same country, 

 the Green Leaf-Bird from South India, and a 

 Troupial from Brazil. 



' In what we at Lilford specially designate as 

 the aviaries I have a considerable variety of 

 birds from different parts of the world. Amongst 

 those most likely to arrest the attention of 

 visitors unlearned in birds are a group of 



