THE DHYAL. 61 



rare and much-prized one, it is true — and has evea 

 been bred in captivity. Here he is not very commonly 

 held in durance vile ^ chiefly, I suspect, because 

 of the deservedly greater popularity of his gifted 

 kinsman, the Shama {Cittocincla macrura). This 

 is just as well, for thus more Dhyals are left to grace 

 our gardens with their beauty and song. For the 

 Dhyal is an exceptionally pretty bird ; he is just of a. 

 nice size — ^intermediate between the English robin 

 and blackbirds ; his pied plumage is strildng, yet 

 tasteful ; and his movements are particularly graceful- 

 and animated. His mate also, although not exactly 

 resembling him like the home Cock Robin's wife, is 

 nevertheless very nearly as pretty, merely showing 

 iron-grey ia her plumage instead of black. She is 

 much more retiring in her habits, and thus one sees 

 many more cock Dhyals than hens ; though, of 

 course, it is also possible that the hens are actually 

 less numerous as well as less obtrusive. The 

 Dhyal can never be very abundant, for, being a 

 purely insect-eating bird of no great travelling, 

 proclivities, he has to keep a hunting-ground to 

 himself, and hence cannot afEord to be sociable. 

 Thus, although he is one of our commonest birds, 

 his kind are merely found scattered about singly or 

 in pairs ; and as with so many 'pugnacious birds, 

 even the two sexes do not seem to be very warmly 



