102 Alfred Ezra—The Aviaries of an Indian Bird Lover


The White-browed Blue Flycatcher ( M . superciliaris Jerd.).


The Verditer Flycatcher (Eumyias thalassina Swains.).


The Bufous-bellied Niltava ( Niltava sundara Hodgs.).


The Small Niltava (N. macgregoriae Burt.).


The Blue-throated Flycatcher (Muscicapula rubeculoides Vigors.).

Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher (M. tickelliae Blyth.).


The Bed-breasted Flycatcher (Siphia parva Bechst.).


* The Himalayan Black Bulbul (Microscelis psaroides Vigors.).


* The White-cheeked Bulbul ( Molpastes leucogenys Gray).


* The Bufous-bellied Bulbul ( Ixos m. macclellandi Horsf.).


The Black-crested Yellow Bulbul (Elathea flaviventris Tick.).


The foreign birds consist of the following species :—-


Boyal Starling, Spreo Starling, Cuban Tree Quail, Californian

Quail, Carolina Duck, Pileated Finch, Bainbow Bunting, Indigo

Bunting, Nonpariel Bunting, Blue Grosbeak, White-throated Grosbeak,


* Masked Lovebird, * Fischer’s Lovebird, Peach-faced Lovebird,


* Black-cheeked Lovebird, * Nyasaland Lovebird, * Swinhoe’s Pheasant,


* Beeve’s Pheasant, * Gouldian Finch, * Long-tailed Grass Finch,

Dufresne’s Waxbill.


N.B.—Breeding results were obtained from Birds marked (*) during

1930-31.


I was delighted to notice that most of the birds were in perfect

health, and showed their brightest natural colours, which so often,

unfortunately, fade in our dry indoor aviaries in Europe. Practically

all the birds are tame, and a good number nest and rear young every

year, particularly the interesting and difficult bird, the Iora.


Among Dr. Law’s greatest successes at hand-rearing birds from the

nest, I might mention his successful rearing of the Paradise Flycatcher

(Terpsiphone paradisi) and of the Fantail Flycatcher (Rhipidura

albicollis) two insectivorous species particularly difficult to keep

in captivity. My visits to Dr. Law’s beautiful aviaries will long

remain a happy memory, while the sight of so many rare and delicate

Indian birds reminded me of the bygone days, when the late Major

Perreau used to bring us, periodically, those beautiful birds of the

Indian jungles, rarely seen nowadays in our English aviaries.



