The Yellow-Belued Ltothrix. 361 



the young brood is another matter ; and at this stage we meet with great troubles. Mocking- 

 birds require Hve food — mealworms and fresh ants' eggs — to bring up the young, and these 

 morsels are so very tempting that the old birds sometimes swallow them, and then soon feel the 

 stimulating effect. Instead of bringing up their young, they want to build and lay again. I once 

 thought that the fault of repeated neglect of the young broods was due to the male enticing 

 the hen away from her duties, and therefore removed the male as soon as the eggs were hatched. 

 This stratagem was, however, not a success ; the solitary male sang all day to his mate, distant 

 some ten or twelve feet from his cage, and the effect of his love-song was so overpowering that 

 madame forgot her duties altogether, allowed the young to die of starvation, built a new nest, and 

 laid an egg whilst her lord was absent. The only way to succeed in rearing broods of such-like 

 birds is by giving them their food in small quantities, and very often. Then the hungry cries of the 

 little ones may keep the parents to their duty, and when the little mouths are full the dainties for 

 the delicate digestions of the youngsters ought all to be consumed, so that the old birds are out 

 of the way of much temptation, and bound to subsist on their more frugal and habitual diet. 



Mocking-birds have been bred in the London Zoological Gardens repeatedly in 1873 and 

 1874. Before that time amateurs had bred them in France. 



PEKIN NIGHTINGALE, OR YELLOW-BELLIED LIOTHRIX {Liothrix luiens'), India. (See Illustration.) 



Leiothrix luteus, Sylvia lutea, Leiothrix sinensis, Leiothrix ftircata, Tanagra sinensis, Parus furcatus. 



Dealers' names — Sun-bird, Lesser Pekin Nightingale, Japanese Nightingale. German name — " Sonnenvogel." 



Since the year 1866 the Parrot-house of the Zoological Gardens of London contained a pair 

 of birds — until then quite unknown — the admiration of every beholder, and the envy of the writer. 

 Liothrix luteus: I well remember how that name impressed itself on my memory whilst watching 

 a charming pair of birds, with coral-red beaks and feet, flying merrily from perch to perch, some- 

 times clinging to the roof of the cage, and coming neatly with a somersault back on to the perch ; 

 then eyeing me with their large intelligent eyes, whilst singing a strangely melodious little note. 

 When, a few years later, one pair was offered at a high price, the temptation to acquire them was 

 irresistible. But since then hundreds of pairs arrive regularly ; the bird is now readily obtainable 

 by every amateur, and the price has ceased to be extravagant. The Liothrix has become^ — and 

 deservedly so — a general favourite, and is no doubt one of the prettiest and most interesting 

 inhabitants of an aviary. By some naturalists the Liothrix is classed amongst the Tomtits ; but 

 any one who closely observes these birds must come to the conclusion that they form a class of 

 themselves. 



The Liothrix is a trifle larger than the Cole Tit. The back is olive-brown, changing to an 

 olive-yellowish tint at the head, and to greyish-brown at the sides. The throat and breast are 

 ornamented by a patch of bright orange, shaded towards the border. The wings are dark ; 

 each wing-feather is edged with bright deep orange-colour. The female is very similar to 

 the male, and only to be distinguished by the orange tints being a shade less deep and a trifle 

 less spread over the breast. 



China, Japan, and the Himalayas are the homes of this bird. In India he is seldom found 

 at a lesser altitude than about 4,000 or 5,000 feet above the level of the sea. Hence the bird is 

 not nearly so delicate as other Indian birds ; hardy as regards climatic influences, and content 

 with almost any food. In the aviary he will be found feeding with the Blue Robins and other 

 soft-food birds, and again paying some attention to the seed-dishes, swallowing canary or millet 

 seed entire. A piece of ripe fruit and a mealworm are equally welcome to him. Even a little 

 boiled rice will not come amiss. In the cage we cannot offer the Liothrix too much variety of 

 46 



