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 com- 

 mon species is very distinct and striking. 



THE BLACK-HEADED JAY (Ganulus lanceolatus), is 

 called Ban-sarrah 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 to- 

 gether, and with other birds well able to take care of them- 

 selves, 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 getting out 



