5GG JOUENAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XIY- 



British India, " the scientific nomenclature of which I shall employ, inter-^ 

 polating the exotic forms under the names employed in the British Museum- 

 Catalogue of Birds. 



Family C o R v I D jE. 



Considering the popularity of the members of the Crow-tribe in England,. 

 I was rather surprised to find that in Clacutta they did not commonly figure ' 

 as pet birds. The Magpie {Pica rustica) may, however, occasionally be met 

 with, usually as a Chinese importation, and the common Indian Tree-Pie 

 (^Dendrocitta rufa) is often to be observed in the Bazaar, A few Himalayan 

 forms are also pretty regularly brought down — the two species of Urocissa 

 (most often D. occipitalis), the beautiful Cissa sinensis, Garrulus lanceolatus,. 

 and sometimes G. hispeeularis ; while Mr. Euteldge ocxsasionally gets a few 

 Red-billed Choughs {^Fregilus graculus\ which actually do not seem to suffer' 

 from the heat, I noticed that these birds looked distinctly larger than the 

 European specimens I used to see at the London Zoological Gardens, and. 

 had deeper red bills and feet. 



Of exotic Corvidse I have seen at Mr. Kutledge's establishaient Cervus^ 

 australis and the Chinese Corvus torquatus, while quite lately he had a fine 

 specimen of the Brazilian Cyanocorax cyanopogon. 



Among the Tits the only species I have met with in confinement is Mach- 

 lolophus xanthogenys, a few individuals which had been brought to Calcutta 

 having done very well. 



Family Paradiseid^e, 



Birds of Paradise are of course always scarce and very expensive, but a few 

 males of the two ordinary yellow-plumed species {Paradisea apoda and P. 

 minor) have appeared for sale during the six years I have spent in Calcutta. 

 They thrive well in confinement, and are much thought of by the natives, 

 who identify them with the legendary Huma, which never alights, and con- 

 fers royalty on whomsoever it chances to overshadow in its flight ! Mr, Rut- 

 ledge tells me that the Ameer sent a man from Cabal on purpose to inspect 

 the first specimen he obtained, and to report on its identity with the bird 

 of tradition. 



Family CrateropodiD/E, 



The Babblers and Bulbuls are particularly suitable for cage-birds, as they 

 bear captivity remarkably well, and have many recommendations as pets, 

 especially in the case of the former. 



Most esteemed, perhaps, is the Chinese Jay-Thrush {Dryonastes sinensis),. 

 which is only known here as an imported bird and under its Chinese 

 name of Peho. It is a very fine songster and an excellent mimic. A few 

 arrive from time to time and find .a ready sale, I know of a very good 

 specimen which is at least 14 years old and certainly shows no signs of 

 ao-e. Another Chinese bird of this type, and similarly imported in small- 

 numbers, is the Huamei {Trochalopterum canorum), also much prized as a- 

 songster. 



