IX. THE DHYAL. 



A ! Robyn, joly Robyn .'Old Ballad. 



A " ROBYN," as our ancestors called him, seems strange 

 at first in black and white instead of russet and red ; but 

 half-an-hour's acquaintance with our Dhyal (Copsycfius 

 saularis) will show that his English name of Magpie-robin 

 was well bestowed. Nevertheless, this name has not 

 gained much ground in England, where the Dhyal is occa- 

 sionally seen as a cage-bird a rare and much-prized one, 

 it is true and has even been bred in captivity. Here he 

 is not very commonly held in durance vile ; chiefly, I 

 suspect, because of the deservedly greater popularity of his 

 gifted kinsman, the Shama (Cittocincla macrura). This 

 is just as well, for thus more Dhyals are left to grace our 

 gardens with their beauty and song. For the Dhyal is an 

 exceptionally pretty bird ; he is just of a nice sizein- 

 termediate between the English robin and blackbird; his 

 pied plumage is striking, yet tasteful ; and his movements 

 are particularly graceful and animated. His mate also, 

 although not exactly resembling him like the home Cock 

 Robin's wife, is nevertheless very nearly as pretty, merely 

 showing iron-grey in her plumage instead of black. She 

 is much more retiring in her habits, and thus one sees many 

 more cock Dhyals than hens : though, of course, it is also 

 possible that the hens are actually less numerous as well as 



