12 GARDEN AND AVIARY BIRDS. 



our hills. They are birds with moderately long tails 

 like Crows, but short wings like Magpies. Like the 

 Magpies also, they are very ornamental, and rather useful 

 than harmful. Most of them have a strong general 

 resemblance to the English Jay, but one common species 

 is very distinct and striking. 



THE BLACK-HEADED JAY (Garrulus lanceolatus), is 

 called Ban-sarmh by the Simla hill-men. I saw it com- 

 monly about Mussoorie. It is about the size of a pigeon, 

 of a delicate pinkish-drab, with black head, and wings 

 and tail most beautifully barred with black and blue, 

 and tipped with white. It is a showy bird, exposing 

 itself freely and often playing on the wing above the 

 trees. It is found all over the Himalayas, ranging to 

 8,000 feet in summer, and coming as low down as Dehra 

 in winter. It builds an open nest in medium-sized trees 

 and lays greenish-white eggs with brown spots. Some 

 birds are brought down alive to Calcutta every winter. 



Magpies and Jays make the best of aviary birds ^ for 

 cages they are too large and dirty. They can be kept 

 together, and with other birds well able to take care of 

 themselves, such as the larger Mynahs and Babblers ; 

 small birds they would eat without compunction. They 

 should, indeed, always have some raw animal food, as 

 noted in the final chapter on management. Fruit is also 

 needful ; but almost any cooked food will do as the daily 

 diet for these omnivorous birds, and an aviary can be 

 kept going on house scraps. Inch-mesh wire-netting will 

 be suitable for birds of this size, and any mice or sparrows 

 that get through will stand an excellent chance of never 



