226 On Aviculture in South Africa.


Among the other birds in my aviary one of the most

interesting is the Tit Babbler ( Parisoma szibcoeriileuni). It has a

loud chattering metallic call-note and is a little ash-coloured bird

with long fan tail edged with white, and a bright chestnut vent.

It rather reminds me of a Hedge Sparrow, but it never seems to

fly, getting about the large aviary by the most prodigious bounds.

It is a regular Babbler in some of its ways, and loves to cuddle

and tickle any other bird that will allow such liberties, its chief

friends being the Zosterops and the Blue-breasted Waxbills ( E .

angolensis'). It lives on white ants, rotten bananas, and over-ripe

fruit of any kind, Century food, and the rinds of Camembert

cheese, over which it is very greedy. Odd as it may appear,

nearly all birds like Glossy Starlings, Babblers, Bulbuls, Barbets,

Zosterops pallida , and various others are simply ravenous for

cheese as long as it is chopped fine enough for them to swallow.

I find Century food nearly invaluable out here, and it is the

staple food of most of my insectivorous species. Indeed the

Courser, for whom it was originally imported, has much difficulty

in getting his proper share as there is great competition for it,

and he is a very slow and deliberate feeder, and gets flustered

when he has a lot of uninvited guests.


Another interesting bird I have had some months is the

Cape Robin ( Cossypha cajfra .) It is about the size of the Shama,

and very much reminds me of that bird in its habits and large

expressive eye. Its long tail, coloured like a Redstart’s, is always

on the move, and the bird is quite one of the most active I know.

It usually sings towards evening a plaintive and most attractive

song of sweet, loud, and long drawn out notes. I found a nest

of this species on November 20th, which was built in a crotch in

an old low pollard wild olive, and was just in the same sort of

position in which you would find our home Robin breeding.


I11 a future article I hope to record some notes on the

latest additions to my aviary during 1906, as well as upon the

Blue Knorhaan ( Otis coerulesce 7 is'), a species which I have now

kept in captivity for nearly a year.



