MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 535 



If any member happens to know more about Teixeira, and especially about 

 the English translations of his book (hj Captain John Stevens, 1712 and 1715, 

 or thereabouts). I shall be much obliged for any information. I want the 

 translations which appeared in a collection of travels. 



W. F. SINCLAIR, 



late f. C. S. 

 London, October, 1897. 



No. IX.— THE LARGE PIFD WAGTAIL (MOTACILLA 

 MADERASPATENSIS, GM.) IN CAPTIVITY. 



I wonder how many of our members are aware what a charming and 

 interesting little pet our common pied water-wagtail makes. I must confess at 

 leist, it came as a surprise to me when one day in July I saw hung up in a 

 cage in the Nimach Bazaar two half-Hedged specimens of the bird in question. 

 They were being fed on a mixture of ground parched gram moistened with 

 ghi, called by the natives '' satu, " and on enq-siry I was informed that they 

 had been taken from the nest only a few days before, and fed on nothing 

 else. I passed on, thinking that of course such a pmely insectivorous bird 

 would never flourish on this diet. However, a fortnight afterwar 's, I found 

 one still living, the other having died. The owner seeing me interested in it 

 offered it to me, so I took it home and ha i a spacious wicker cage made for it. 



It became, or rather it always was, excessively tame, not to say fearlessly 

 contemptuous of man, and would at any time take insects from one's fingers 

 or if it found them empty atiack them with mock fierceness, opening its beak, 

 ruffling up its feathers and drooping its wings. I found that an effectual 

 way of feeding it was to sweep with a large net in long grass and then place 

 the cage over the mouth of it. As the nsects gradually extricated themselves 

 and struggled up to the light they were pounced upon and captured by the 

 expectant wagtail. It was interesting to note its preference for the different 

 kinds <if insects. Green ones of every kind, except Hemiptera, were invariably 

 first choice, then the or er was somewhat us follows : — rasshnppers, Mantidae 

 caterpillars, crickets, flies, butterflies, wasps. Haider insests, such as the 

 metallic coloured wasps, beetles, etc.. it did not care for, nor would it touch 

 cockroaches or bugs. The quickness and accuracy of its movements Were 

 something wonderful. It would sometimes watch a fly circling round its 

 cage, until in an unguarded moment the former would make a short cut 

 through, when a flicker, a swallowing motion - and the fly had disappeared 

 but the rapidity of the action was such that it was impossible to follow the 

 movements. It never by any chance used its claws to assist in tearing its 

 prey to pieces, but would go on hammering away and beating it from one 

 side to the other till something gave way and it could get the contents in 

 smaller detachments. It was a most indefatigable songster, with a loud clear 



