Correspondence , Notes, etc.



84



HEN SHAMA ; THE GREAT RACKET-TAILED DRONGO.


Sir, —You will be glad to hear I have succeeded in getting the hen

SliSnia; it is only about two-thirds the size of the cock; are they always a

good deal smaller ?


Also I, rather rashly I am afraid, had a Drongo sent at the same time,

fascinated by the account of your “Puck” in Greene’s Favourite Foreign

Birds; but now I am rather alarmed by being told that they are very

delicate and need exceptional care and warmth. I can quite understand it

at first, as it is a scarecrow, though even now a taking bird; but will it

really need greater warmth than, say, the Shama, when once it gets a little

more clothed ?


I should be much obliged if you could give me a few hints as to

feeding. I am giving it Dr. Butler’s soft food mixture, with as many

insects as I can, and mealworms, also fruit, especially grapes, and a

little cooked meat; at present it does not seem to eat much except what is

given in the fingers, but then it only came last night. Would it be safe to

spray it a little to help it to get clean ? Its feathers are shocking, and it

seems to have no undergrowth.


Richard H. Widmot.


The following reply was forivarded to the Rev. R. H. Wilmot.


Speaking of the two birds in captivity, there is no basis on which one

can form a comparison between the Drongo and the Shama, excepting that

they both may make delightful pets. The latter is not “ delicate,” and if

neither over-exposed nor over-fed will live without giving trouble for a long

time. The Drongo, on the contrary, requires a good deal of careful

treatment if you wish it to live in good condition more than two or three

years.


A long time has passed since I wrote the story of Puck, who was

rather exceptionally nervous and timid. I have had three Drongos since

those days; and the species is no longer an ‘uncommon visitor to this

country.


The Great Racket-tailed Drongo ( Dissemurus paradiseus not Chibia

hottentotta, the Hairy-crested Drongo, a very different bird), which pre¬

sumably is the kind you possess, must be liept warm. In summer it will be

all the better for a little outdoor life, especially when it can fly; but it can¬

not stand our cold springs and autumns, and needs shelter and watchful

attention in such a summer as we have now had; and when it falls into

moult in the autumn, not only must it be kept indoors but artificial heat is

usually desirable, often necessary. It requires much more warmth than

the Shama, if it is to last.


But the real difficulty with the Drongo, to speak plainly but not

prettily, is “ Stomach.” I11 this and in many respects it is remarkably like



