49 ° 
PERCHING BIRDS 
stump, or in the crevice of a wall. The nesting holes of the barbets and 
woodpeckers are often utilised by the dhyal bird. The male has a pleasing song, 
not unlike that of the redbreast, but of greater compass. This species is often 
kept as a cage-bird, and has been trained to turn somersaults at a gesture from 
its owner. The adult male has the head, neck, breast, and upper-parts glossy 
black; the wings and 
tail are black, varied 
with white ; and the ab¬ 
domen and under tail- 
coverts white. The 
female has the uj^per- 
parts of a uniform dark 
brown glossed with 
bluish; the throat and 
breast are dark grey; 
and the wings and tail 
dark brown varied with 
white. 
The 
s h a m a s 
( Cittocincla) are closely 
related in structure to 
the last, from which they 
are distinguished by the 
proportionately greater 
size of the tail, which 
considerably exceeds the 
wing; in length. The 
shamas are shy and 
retiring birds, avoiding 
Shamas. 
MALACCA DHYAL BIRD. 
the neighbourhood of 
houses, and obtaining their food in the woods and jungle. The black shama ( C. 
nigra) inhabiting the Malayan region, is a skulking species, haunting the dense 
cover near to the coast. One has been recently discovered in the Philippines ( C. 
eebuensis ); while the Andaman shama (C. albiventris ) is peculiar to the islands 
from which it takes its name. The best known is the Indian shama ( C. macrura), 
a permanent resident in the plains of India, and a timid but graceful bird, much 
sought after by Indian bird-catchers, on account of its beautiful song. For 
this reason the shama is often imported into Europe as a cage-bird, but it is 
delicate, and requires care in the colder climate of Great Britain. The shama 
nests from April to June, retiring into the depths of the jungle, and constructing 
its nest of grass and dead leaves in the hollow end of the broken branch of a tree. 
The eggs are greenish marked with reddish brown, and vary in number from 
three to four. The adult male has the head, breast, back, and wing-coverts 
black; the rump and upper tail-coverts are white; the tail-feathers are black 
and black-and-white; and the abdomen and under tail-coverts bright chestnut. 
