THE DHYAL, 53 



thrives so well in confinement, he has long been popular 

 in India, and a good many are now even sent home annually. 

 The shama is not found wild near Calcutta, and would not 

 come into the town if he were, being, like the nightingale, 

 rather a woodland than a garden bird ; but being so nearly 

 related to our pied songster, and so familiar a captive to 

 boot, it is hardly possible to leave him out of consideration. 



But a bird closely related to the true European robin 

 occurs in a wild state as well as the Dhyal, and thus de- 

 serves mention. This is the Red-breasted Flycatcher 

 (Siphia albicilla) a winter visitant. When he comes to us 

 his red breast is wanting or not much in evidence, but 

 except for this he is very like the English favourite, except 

 that he has longer wings and shorter legs, shows some white 

 on the tail, and is smaller altogether. This sounds as if 

 the resemblance were not very close, but the general atti- 

 tude and style of the bird make it so. As a matter of fact, 

 flycatchers and robins are very near relatives indeed ; the 

 red-breasted flycatcher being one of the links between the 

 two, and still retaining the habit of his robin relatives of 

 frequently coming to the ground, which the more thorough- 

 paced flycatchers have discarded. The real home of our 

 little bird is in North-East Asia, for he leaves us as the hot 

 weather comes in, like so many other birds both great 

 and small. So although he has just as much right to 

 the title of robin as the Dhyal, so far as appearances go, 

 his absenteeism during most of the year may fairly bar 

 his claim. 



As for the Dhyal, he is such a nice bird in every way that 

 I think some attempts should be made to encourage him to 



