176 a hand-book of the management of animals 



Length of life in captivity. 



The longest period during which these magpies have lived in the 

 garden has been nearly three years. In spite of the high elevations at which 

 they are accustomed to live, these birds appear to bear captivity well. 



Treatment in health. 



Housing.— These birds never thrive in small cages such as are 

 used for keeping parrots, &c. The only successful method of keeping 

 such birds is to assign to them a lofty and spacious aviary, where they 

 may have the opportunity of flying about from perch to perch. If 

 practicable, it is better to lay down doob grass on a portion of the floor of 

 the aviary, as they have a habit of searching on the ground and enjoy 

 pecking at the grass and earth. Magpies, as most birds, like sunning 

 themselves, but care must be taken that they are not too long exposed 

 to the sun at its height. A bath should be provided, and during the 

 hot weather they derive benefit from the application of a garden syringe. 



Food. — Like the crow and common magpie, they thrive on food of 

 all kinds. 



Breeding. — Neither of these two species last mentioned has ever 

 bred in this garden, but as the experiment of keeping them in pairs 

 by themselves in some quieter place has not been tried, it cannot be 

 said with certainty whether they are capable of breeding in the climate 

 of Lower Bengal. 



Treatment in sickness. 



A bird apparently healthy has sometimes been known to drop down 

 dead suddenly. This may be either caused by the rupture of some 

 blood vessel or by apoplexy. If life is not altogether extinct, an attempt 

 may be made, in cases of apoplexy, to bring the patient round by 

 administering a dose of castor-oil and applying tepid water to its feet, 

 but treatment of any kind is rarely successful. 



Diarrhoea. — If caused by indigestion only, or change of temperature, 

 no attempt should be made to stop the discharge in the first instance ; 

 the bird should be watched, and if there is much straining and discolour- 

 ation of the down it should be taken out in a small cage, and the 

 down gently washed with tepid water; this will serve to relieve the 

 straining also. If the flow continues for more than twenty-four hours, 

 about 15 drops of castor-oil and 2 of tincture of opium should be 

 given. 



They no doubt suffer from other ailments in captivity, but as 

 nothing definite is known about them, it is better not to hazard con- 

 jectures. 



Observations on their habits. 



Both the red and the yellow-billed blue magpie are less sociable 

 birds than the magpie (Pica rustica) ; they are never observed to greet 

 a visitor's approach with the same familiarity and pleasure as the 

 latter evinces ; they are, however, never timid. When living in com- 

 pany with many other species of smaller birds, they are sometimes found 



