THE



189



Avicultural Magazine,


BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE


AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.



TJm-d Series .— Vol. IV.—No 7. —All rights reserved. MAY, 1913.


THE BLUE NILTAVA.


Xanthopygia cyanomelcena.


By Hubert D. Astley, M.A., etc.


When Mr. Gooclfellow brought over the Mikado Pheasants

from Formosa for Mr. and Mrs. Johnstone in the summer of 1912,

he also, amongst a few other interesting' birds, imported one Blue

Flycatcher which he obtained I believe in China. This bird came

into my possession, and was without much doubt the only one in

Europe.


I exhibited it in November at the L.C.B.A. Show at the

Horticultural Hall, Westminster, and also a pair of Indian Brown-

backed ‘ Robins ’ ( Thamnobia cambaiensis) where the Niltava won

the silver medal for the rarest foreign bird. To my great dismay,

all three of these rare and lovely birds died a little while before

Christmas, along with three birds which were newly imported ; a

rare Tanager (. Pyranga bidentata) and two Mexican Ground Thrushes

(Geocichla pinicola). Whether the latter brought the disease, I

know not, but the only birds which died of my hitherto perfectly

healthy and acclimatized ones, were the three above mentioned.

In the bird-room, where they were kept, there are Himalayan Blue

Rock Thrushes, Sunbirds, Sugarbirds, etc., none of which caught

the disease, neither did the female Pyranga bidentata.


My bird-room is always kept most scrupulously clean, with

open window", washings down with Jeyes’ fluid, etc., water vessels

thoroughly rinsed twice a day, and the rest of it.


The beautiful little Blue Niltava was the first to succumb ;



