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CHAPTER XLII. 



SOFT-FOOD BIRDS. 



Dr. Russ divides the foreign cage-birds into three chief categories, viz., Seed-eating Birds, 

 Soft-food Birds, and Parrots. This classification is, no doubt, convenient, and the temptation 

 to follow in the same path is great, yet for the purposes of this book it seemed preferable to 

 follow the list of the Zoological Society of London. One of the difficulties in the way of reference 

 is the great variety of names given to each bird by different writers, scarcely two authorities 

 agreeing as to what ought to be the Latin name of a species. I shall endeavour to give all the 

 names under which a bird is described by scientific ornithologists, in order to enable those 

 who wish to do so, to refer readily to scientific works. 



The first foreign bird we come to in the Zoological Society's list belongs to the order 

 Ttu-didce, or Thrushes, therefore soft-food birds. 



THE BLUE ROBIN, OR COMMON BLUE-BIRD [Sialia Wilsonii S-oainsoti), North America. (See Illustration.) 



Sylvia stalls (Russ), Motacilla stalls, Saxlcola stalls. Blue Niglitingale or Blue Robin of Dealers. 



German name — " Der blaue Htittensanger. " French name — " Rossignol bleu." 



The popular name of Blue Nightingale is clearly a misnomer, as this charming bird is not a 

 Nightingale, but much more nearly related to the Robins. The German name, signifying " Blue 

 Cottage Songster," is perhaps the most happily chosen of any ; for wherever a settler builds 

 a cottage in North America, there the Blue-bird greets him, approaches his dwelling with entire 

 confidence, and forthwith builds his nest under the thatch of the cottage, in a hole of the wall, 

 or cavity of the nearest tree. By no means shy, the Blue-bird does not care to hide himself 

 in leafy trees, but may be seen from morn to eve sitting on a dead branch, on a stone, on 

 the eaves of a house or other projection, singing his melodious but unpretending song, and 

 watching for insects, which he catches after the manner of Robins. His home extends 

 from Mexico to Labrador ; in summer he comes north, in winter he migrates southward. 



Li size the Blue-bird is somewhat larger than our European Robin. The back of the 

 male Blue Robin, the wings, and tail are of a beautiful ultramarine blue tint ; the breast is 

 a pale brown. The female is similarly coloured, but the colours are much less bright. 



In captivity this bird thrives well in open-air aviaries, and is easily kept for years 

 without artificial heat in winter ; he is perfectly gentle with other birds, and will prove quite 

 as robust as any foreign insectivorous bird. His food is the ordinary Thrush's food, to which 

 should be added a little ripe fruit, a few currants, and at times a little seed. A few meal- 

 worms will make the Blue-bird quite tame, and in a short time he will take them from his 

 keeper's hand. It should, however, be borne in mind that these birds are somewhat voracious, 

 and the necessary consequence is a large amount of dirt. Large cages and scrupulous 

 cleanliness, much sand, and plenty of water to bathe in, are indispensable for these birds. 



The Blue Robins breed in confinement, building a rather slovenly nest in any hole, crevice, 

 basket, or box which may be in the aviary, provided it is deep enough for the bird's taste. Into 



