on the Duration of the Period of Incubation. 153


conclusive. Gould does not say liow long the Pied Grallina

sits.


I have discovered nothing about Chloropsis; and in the

case of the Jaj^-Thruslies and their allies breeding seems to be

difficult: a hen of Garrulax si?ie?isis belonging to Mr. Peter

Frank of Liverpool laid a white egg and brooded it for a time,

but afterwards devoured it. I suspect that the high feeding

formerly recommended for the species of Garmlax and allied

genera was responsible for this cannibalism ; Dr. Russ speaks of

feeding them like Thrushes or Starlings ; but he quotes Herr

Hmil Linden, as giving his Spectacle-Thrush (. Leucodioptron

canorum ) ants-eggs, carrot, whey-cheese, fresh or dried berries,

cooked grated meat and mealworms, varied by boiled rice ; and

Mr. Frank supplied his with snails, little fish, aphides, meal¬

worms, etc.


It is a common error to overfeed partly predaceous birds

in captivity : my example of Garrulax picticollis has been in

perfect health for over five years; and, at the outside, he gets a

very little minced raw beef or a dead mouse once a week; other¬

wise he lives upon my soft mixture, fruit, and a few cockroaches :

he eats a good deal of fruit.


Respecting the incubation of eggs by the Regent-bird,

the Orioles, Drongos, Wood-Swallows, Flycatchers, and true

Swallows, I have acquired no information, nor of the Honey-

eaters, and Sugar-birds. Messrs. Oesterlin of Mannheim bred

with Zosterops palpebrosus in 1884; one young one hatched, and

lived for eight days; but unhappily the breeder neglected his

opportunity, and said nothing about the duration of incubation.


Following the general order of the Zoological Society’s

list, this will bring us to the Finches ; of which, with the Parrots

and Doves, probably the life-history is more complete than in

most other bird-families; therefore I will now retrace my steps

and enumerate species of the earlier groups respecting which

we have definite information, and afterwards pass on to the

Finches.


Of the Rock-Thrushes, Dr. Russ says that Monticola

cyanus sits fifteen days. Mr. Phillipps’ Sliama appears to have

incubated her eggs for fourteen days (inclusively), the young



