Sydney Porter—Wanderings in the Far East



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looking their old exquisite selves. And all were so tame that I could

pick them up and they would come on to my hand for a mealworm.

Beaten up egg and milk with “ Glucose D ” poured on sponge cake,

in addition to their ordinary food, brought them into condition in no

time. I never saw birds so assiduous in the care of their plumage ;

probably they realize how beautiful they are !


To get back to Shanghai, I saw several examples of the Common

Chinese Magpie, a bird very similar to our English one ; there were

also quite a number of the Chinese Jays, a bird which is smaller and

much deeper rufus in colour than the European bird and with hardly

any marking on the head. There were also several Chinese Blue Pies

which were very similar to the well-known Indian Occipital Blue Pie.


I purchased more out of pity than anything else two Chinese Red-

back Shrikes ; these wretched birds were tied by the neck to a perch

and every time anyone went near them, they fluttered off their perch

and hung by the neck. I handed them to my bird dealer and asked

him to look after them for me until I left, but after a few days they

both died. I found they had been fed on raw meat.


There were many Chinese White-naped Bulbuls, delightful aviary

birds and very easy to keep. The greatest prize, however, which I

secured were several specimens of the beautiful Derby an Parrakeet.

These birds, I believe, had come down from Szechuan on the borders

of Tibet, which is their home, over a year ago. Some had been sent

abroad, to England I think, but these poor things were the left overs.

They had remained heavily chained to inadequate iron perches for

over twelve months. Unfortunately all the birds were cocks, but the

collector who had brought the Pheasants down to Shanghai from the

Tibetan border kindly gave me a hen bird which he had brought

with him.


Until recent years when Mr. Eustace sent some of these birds to

Europe the Derbyan Parrakeet was almost unknowm to aviculturists.

Even now the birds are not common on the Shanghai market, a few

being brought down on the Yangtsze-kiang River at long intervals.

These birds are closely related to the better known Alexandrine

Parrakeet though entirely different in colour. I secured three cocks

besides the hen given to me ; unfortunately one died through eating



