THE THRUSHES. 67 



best to leave him at liberty ; but it is well to remember 

 that he is appreciated in England, and hard to obtain 

 there ; and being purely insectivorous, would be a useful 

 bird to acclimatize in parts of the tropics where such birds 

 are needed. The bird has a wide range naturally, ex- 

 tending even into China, whence a good many speci- 

 mens are sent to Calcutta, being considered better than 

 Indian birds as songsters. 



THE SHAM A (Cittocincla macrura), being figured on 

 Plate III (Fig. 2), needs no long description ; the figure, 

 however, only represents the old male ; the female is 

 drab where the male is black, and the chestnut of the 

 belly is not so rich, nor is her tail quite so long. 

 Young birds are brown with buff spots, but have the 

 characteristic black-and-white tail. The Shama is a 

 jungle -bird, and does not come about houses like the 

 Dhayal ; but it is a common and widespread species in 

 our Empire, especially frequenting hilly ground, though it 

 does not ascend the hills to any great height. In Tenas- 

 serim the hens are often very dark, and thus tend to 

 resemble the cocks. This is a shy bird in the wild state, 

 and feeds entirely on insects ; it builds from April to 

 June, making a nest of grass, leaves, &c., in a hole in a 

 tree. The eggs much resemble those of the Dhayal, but 

 are not so numerous, four being the usual clutch. The bird 

 will very readily take advantage of a big bamboo with a hole 

 in it set up in any place near its haunts, and may thus be 

 encouraged, as it well deserves, on account of its beauty, 

 usefulness, and great power of song. I cannot agree 

 with those people who even prefer it to the Nightingale ; 



