F. D. Welch—Interesting Birds; even though Plain-coloured 91


therefore by many persons. Years ago now there were two which used

to regularly sit on one of the perches in the Western Aviary in the

Zoological Gardens and amused me by making an occasional dash

about the aviary-compartment after flies and such-like, and were nice

birds. The larger was a large Backet-tailed Drongo, black, but none

the less interesting to me as it sat with a cheeky, impertinent look in

its eyes ; the other, a smaller bird, a White-bellied Drongo—black, with

white belly. Both were, so far as I now remember, Indian birds, and

with their rather large beaks seemed to show an ajDpeaiance in head

and neck as partly Crow and partly Shrike shape. Unless my memory

has miscarried, they both did a little squalling at times, and were lively

exciting birds, frequently on the move backwards and forwards between

the inner and outer sections of the aviary, and much like the Indian

Crow (Oorvus splendens) in flight. But not too noisy ! Two which

hunted on the ground after food, much like the Starlings on lawns in

Britain, were Grackles; one being the Black-winged Grackle

(Gmcidvpica melanoptera), a white bird with (as its name implies)

the wings black. It was not unlike a British Starling in general shape,

and stated to be from Java — but whether it ranges into other islands

around or on to mainland Asia I am unable to say for certain. Perhaps

the co-Editors will inform us more about this latter question ? The

other was not so nicely marked a bird (in my opinion) as its more

white ally, it having black on the crown, neck, back, and wings, with

a collar round the neck from which it presumably was named Black¬

necked Grackle, the other parts of plumage being white.


I can fancy hearing some enthusiastic admirer of gaudy plumages

saying in derision as he or she reads these latter birds’ descriptions :

“ Fancy admiring a bird in black and white ! ” Well, it is perhaps a

good thing that all human beings who admire birds don't all like the same

colours and shajjes, or some birds in menageries might die of low spirits

and melancholia on account of being ignored by visitors !


Personally I preferred the above seven birds to any seven species of

the Parrot tribe — even to Lories, which seemed to me most interesting

to observe of that noisy group of gay colours.



