570 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XIV. 



is extensively kept, and thoroughly deserves its popularity on account of its 

 splendid song. Indeed, after the common Green Parrot, it might, I think, 

 be called the characteristic cage-bird here. Many individuals are also sent 

 to Europe, where the species is yearly becoming better appreciated. Both 

 ■wild-caught birds and hand-reared fledglings, still in the mottled plumage of 

 immaturity, appear in the shops of the dealers, while the great majority of 

 the birds exposed for sale are males. A few females may, however, be seen, 

 being presumably hand-reared birds, whose sex could not be determined at 

 first. These have given me the opportunity of observing that this favourite 

 songster is a most pugnacious bird ; the cocks will at once fight if put 

 together, and so will the hens. At the same time, old wild-caught cocks and 

 young spotted birds arrive, in many cases at least, in cages containing half 

 a dozen or more, though Shamas are more usually brought in long wicker- 

 cages divided by bars into separate partitions for the several inmates. 



Other small Turdidss not uncommonly kept are the " Dhyal " {Copsychus 

 saularis) and the " Pidha " (Pratincola caprata), Chimarrhornis leucocephala 

 is also occasionally brought down from the hills in winter. The " Bulbul 

 bostha," or true Eastern Nightingale {Daulias gohi), is sparingly imported 

 at this season, the birds fetching high prices — from fifty to two hundred 

 rupees, I am told that a man will come all the way from Cabul with a few 

 of these much-esteemed birds as his main venture. 



Of the large Indian Turdidse the only species at all frequent in captivity 

 here are the " Kastura " {Turdus boulbouf) and the "Dama" {Geocichla 

 ciirina), and I have not seen many even of these. A few English Song 

 Thrushes (Turdus musicus) have been imported and do fairly well, but 

 I have noticed that they are very liable to an overgrowth of the scaly cover-^ 

 ing of the feet, A silly attempt is now being made to introduce the Song- 

 Thrush and Blackbird into Darjeeling, which is already well stocked with 

 more attractive species of birds, especially Lioptila capistrata and Liotkrix 

 lutea. 



Family Ploceid^, 

 The typical Weavers of the genus Ploceus all occur commonly in the 

 Bazaar, except the true P, megarhynchus (see Ibis, 1901, p, 29), which is 

 qnknown to the dealers. P, atrigula ( P. megarhynchus of the ' Fauna of 

 British India') is often brought in as a young bird, and evidently breeds near 

 here. P. haya is only known as a bird brought down from Lucknow, most of 

 the specimens being males. Many of that sex of P. atrigula show a few 

 yellow feathers on the breast when in full plumage. 



Foudia madagascariensis used to be occasionally imported in very small 

 numbers, but I have not seen any lately. 



Of the small Munias and Waxbills, Sporcegintlius amandava, Munia atri- 

 capilla, Uroloncha punctulata, and U. malabarica are all very common, as might 

 be expected. Stictospiza formosa, Munia malacca, and Uroloncha striata are 

 much less often seen, but may be obtained now and then. Intermediate forms 



