84 THE SMALLER BRITISH BIRDS. 



or East Indian Nightingale; they feed it, when newly caught, upon 

 ants' eggs and mealworms, mixed witli tho universal paste, gradually 

 withdrawing the insect food until they are brought to feed upon that 

 alone; this is the course to be pursued with all the insectivorous birds, 

 especially the Warblers. The Redstart and some others may be induced 

 to take the paste by an admixture of elderberries; earthworms, however 

 small they may be cut, seldom agree with such delicate birds in confine- 

 ment; a great deal of motion is required to enable them to digest such 

 strong food. They frequently die of atrophy, for want of power to 

 assimilate even the milder kinds of nutriment generally given to them. 

 The Blackstart, like its two relatives, may be allowed the free range 

 of the aviary; if put into a cage, it should be a tolerably roomy one; 

 they should be protected from draughts, and great attention to 

 cleanliness is required. Few of the warblers will breed in confinement, 

 neither of the three species now under notice have been known to do 

 so. They sometimes live as long as eight years in confinement, but 

 not generally more than five or six. They all delight in bathing-, as 

 much as the Redbreast, and should be supplied with fresh water daily 

 when the weather is mild. 



