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A. Hampe—Singing Birds of the Far East



not very good singers. I have, however, listened to the song of the wild

bird in Sumatra and Singapore and much appreciated this performance.

The Chinese call this Thrush with a very pretty name, viz. “ Seshee ”

meaning four times happy, because it sings during all the four seasons.

The cagebird par excellence of the Chinese fancier is the Mongolian

Lark. For my taste its song is too loud, but it is certainly an A 1

mimic, imitating all the songs of other birds it hears and besides all

sorts of noises as the wheezing of the wheelbarrow and the mewing

of the cat both dear to the Chinese ear. Its Chinese name is “ Paling ”,

meaning “ Hundred tunes ”. Of smaller Chinese Softbills I must

mention the Rubythroat (Calliope camtchatcensis), the Siberian Blue-

throat (Cyanecula suecica), and the two kinds of White Eyes (Zosterops

simplex and erythropleurus), occurring in China. All have soft sweet

songs, become very tame and are hardy. Their Chinese name is Hung

Tang (Red Breast), Lae Tang (Blue Breast), and Sinoe (Beautiful

Eye). I will finish my series of Chinese Songsters with two of the

most graceful and desirable birds, viz. the Chinese Forktail (Henicurus

leschenaulti), and the Larvivora cyane. The Forktail is not a bird for

a cage, but I hardly can think of a better inmate for an aviary with a

small pool. I have heard its song only during autumn and winter,

and found it very soft and sweet, but Mr. Caldwell, the author of the

excellent book, South China Birds , says : During mating season the

male bird has a wonderful sweet warbling song.” In captivity it wants

good care (like every bird), and it is certainly difficult to bring to

Europe ; for it is very aquatic and tries to wash every morsel of its

food, so it easily gets wet and catches a fatal cold. In Chekiang I once

watched a hen gathering moss, etc., for her nest. Every bit was carried

to a near stream and thoroughly washed before being taken to the

nesting site. The Larvivora —I think it has no English name, one might

call it “ Blue Ground Warbler ”—is a very beautiful, elegant bird,

navy-blue above, silky-white below. Its song is very agreeable and

varied and Pere David says it is composed “ de petits couplets

detaches ”. Only very few are for sale generally in May on the Shanghai

market, and it has rarely been imported.


In Japan the fancy takes care of quite different birds. A

great favourite there is the Japanese Bush Warbler (Horeites



