85



Correspondence, Notes, etc.



that much abused and greatly misunderstood bird, the Cuckoo in captivity,

another charming pet if properly managed, which it rarely is. The Drongo

will not hop about and pick up tiny specks of food and grit, though when

it has full wings it will greatly help by catching flies and winged creatures.

If one could supply it with insects all the year round it would be different,

but one generally has to fall back upon meat. Let this be triturated as

much as you like, it is not altogether suitable, and sooner or later you are

faced with indigestion ; and to add to your difficulties it will then swallow

large stones, nails, anything it can get hold of in its endeavours to allay

the terrible craving within—and occasionally it kills itself. It is this

condition of body in the captive Cuckoo that causes it to greedily devour

nestling Canaries, etc., which has given rise amongst ignorant persons to

the supposition that the species is by nature carnivorous.


The Drongo is an insectivorous not a frugivorous bird. In the wild

state it feeds on insects, whose wings, etc., seem to act as “ food dispersers.”

Perhaps it rarely touches green-food or fruit, but it does (again like the

Cuckoo) in captivity. Not as food, but as medicine place a grape or two

within reach of your bird, and also a few dry half-withered non-poisonous

leaves.


A Drongo out-of-feather like yours should be kept in a long low box

cage, with no high perch. A low one should run along the front and

another a little higher along the back with a slanting stick joining

the two, so that it can readily sidle up and down. It cannot hop about

like the Shatna, and is often excitable and nervous, and requires

a good deal of patient management. If you can get the bird to descend

to the lower perch for its food and to take a sufficiency of it there (some

are much worse than others) place the dishes within easy reach, for it will

not readily go on to the ground, although a specimen in full feather

occasionally will. If you are not careful, it will fall into the ways of

the spoilt Cuckoo, and will expect you always to hand-feed it; therefore do

everything you can to make things easy for it to help itself. If necessary,

have a shelf fixed near the higher perch, upon which to arrange the food-

dishes. You must see that it does take food regularly, for it is too weak to

be played with; moreover, the more regularly it takes its food, a little at

a time, the better for the digestion. It may starve itself if not looked after.


Feed, according to the season, on cockroaches, earwigs, chafers,

woodlice, spiders, flies, beetles, grasshoppers, grubs, almost any living

creature you can lay your hands on. Naked nestling Canaries and

Sparrows would form a valuable change. Also baby mice (cut up if

necessary) would help. Mealworms are rather indigestible, but you must

give some if you cannot get anything better.


Your Drongo will probably not touch the soft-food mixture. Never¬

theless always provide some, and on the top place egg-flake (large), a little



