FAVOURITE 
 FOREIGN BIRDS 
 
 for.Catfes and 
 
 & Aviaries 
 
/ t 
 
THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND 
 MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID 
 
1 
 
FAVOURITE FOREIGN BIRDS 
 
 AND 
 
 CAGES AND AVIARIES. 
 
ARROTS,^ 
 
 PARROTS, PARROTS, 
 
 Any person wishing; to Purchase 
 one of these, the most interesting 
 of all Birds, should send to the 
 
 ^ ~ 
 
 fountain 
 
 Always the largest collection in 
 Europe. 
 
 18, Earle St.; 12, 14, & 16, Rigby Street, 
 
 . ' LIVER: 
 
FAVOURITE 
 FOREIGN BIRDS 
 
 FOR 
 
 CAGES AND AYIARIES. 
 
 BY 
 
 , M.D., M.A., &c., 
 
 Author of "Parrots in Captivity," "Birds I have Kept," " The Birds 
 
 \in my Garden" " Song Birds of Great Britain" "The Amateur's 
 
 Aviary," " Diseases of Cage Birds," &c. ; Editor of 
 
 "Notes on Cage Birds" 
 
 LONDON : 
 L. UPCOTT GILL, 170, STRAND, W.C 
 
LONDON : 
 
 A. BRADLEY LONDON AND COUNTY PRINTING WORKS, 
 DRURY LANE, W.C. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 OREIGN bird keeping is a very delightful 
 pursuit, but in order to attain complete 
 success in it, there are a few points 
 that must be observed. For instance, 
 the habits of the different little captives must be 
 studied, and their food and lodgment, as well 
 as the temperature at which they are kept, must 
 be approximated as nearly as possible to what they 
 were accustomed to in their own country ; but it is 
 only experience, gathered from reliable guide-books 
 or bought by painful disaster and loss, that will 
 enable the fancfer to select those birds best suited 
 for his circumstances, and give him the knowledge 
 necessary for their preservation and well-being, and 
 also for his own satisfaction. 
 
 I have borne all this in view in the following 
 
 & 
 
 pages, and while describing the different species that 
 experience has shown to be the most suitable subjects 
 for domestication, have indicated the food and treat- 
 ment necessary for each, and any points connected 
 with their management that have seemed to me 
 likely to be of use. 
 
vi Preface. 
 
 With these general remarks I will now refer my 
 readers to the work itself, in the hope that the 
 information there given will enable them to keep 
 foreign birds not only for pleasure, but for profit ; 
 and in this connection I will observe that a well- 
 conducted aviary should certainly be self-supporting 
 in some cases I have known it "pay." 
 
 W. T. GREENE. 
 
 MOIRA HOUSE, 
 
 PECKHAM RYE, SURREY. 
 May, i8gi. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. INTRODUCTION i 
 
 II. THE CARDINAL FAMILY ... 4 
 
 III. THE CROW FAMILY . . . .11 
 
 IV. THE DOVE FAMILY .... 15 
 V. THE DRONGO FAMILY .... 24 
 
 VI. THE FINCH FAMILY .... 30 
 
 VII. THE KINGFISHER FAMILY . . .35 
 
 VIII. THE LARK FAMILY . . 38 
 
 IX. THE MANNIKIN FAMILY . . 39 
 
 X. THE OWL FAMILY .... 44 
 
 XI. THE PARROT FAMILY . . . . 51 
 
 XII. THE QUAIL FAMILY ... 68 
 
 XIII. THE ROBIN FAMILY .... 71 
 
 XIV. THE SPARROW FAMILY 73 
 XV. THE STARLING FAMILY ... 78 
 
 XVI. THE TANAGER FAMILY ... 80 
 
 XVII. THE THRUSH FAMILY .... 83 
 
 XVIII. THE WARBLER FAMILY ... 87 
 
 XIX. THE WAXBILL FAMILY .... 95 
 
 XX. THE WEAVER FAMILY . . 106 
 
FAVOURITE FOREIGN BIRDS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Popularity of Aviculture Native and Exotic Races 
 Compared- Classification Scientific Names. 
 
 VICULTURE, long since carried to per- 
 fection in France and Germany, is yet 
 in its infancy in Great Britain, though 
 vastly^more people are interesting them- 
 selves about birds at the present day than used to be 
 the case a dozen years ago, when very few amateurs 
 had any knowledge of the beautiful and attractive 
 feathered denizens of foreign lands, many of which 
 are now being naturalised in our midst, and have 
 become almost as abundant as our own canaries or 
 sparrows. 
 
 At first sight this no doubt appears extraordinary, 
 especially when we contrast our own bleak and 
 changeable climate with that enjoyed by the fertile 
 and fragrant lands of which most of the foreign birds 
 
 B 
 
Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 we meet with over here are natives. What a con- 
 trast, for instance, between the orange groves of 
 Florida, or the palm-covered slopes of Western 
 Africa, and our own country, where vegetation is 
 dormant for half the year, and the trees are so 
 many leafless skeletons from November to March or 
 April ! What a contrast, too, between the warmth of 
 the same regions and the cold, damp, and fog of our 
 native isles ! So great, indeed, that one is compelled 
 to wonder how birds indigenous to the former can 
 ever be sufficiently acclimatised to live, and even to 
 thrive, in the latter. Yet such is the case, and in 
 the following pages I propose passing in review some 
 of the different species of exotic birds which I have 
 found adapt themselves most readily to their new 
 surroundings in confinement. 
 
 The passion for bird-keeping which, by the way, is 
 steadily on the increase among us usually has its 
 origin in very humble beginnings; but it rapidly gains 
 strength, and before long experiments are made and 
 investments ventured on that, without preparation, 
 would at one time have filled the soul of the adven- 
 turous aviarist with apprehension and awe. 
 
 Some writer has called the birds "the fairest of 
 all God's creatures," and I think he is not far wrong. 
 But, much as I admire our own native races, I must 
 confess to a preference for the birds that are 
 brought to us from foreign parts. True, the latter 
 have not, as a rule, such musical talents as our 
 own ; but, from whatever cause, they adapt themselves 
 much more readily to a life in confinement, in which 
 they never, unless out of health, wear that look of 
 
Introduction. 
 
 sullen discontent that is characteristic of so many 
 English cage -birds. Then also, as a rule, the foreign 
 species are much more conspicuous for brilliancy of 
 colouring, and even for elegance of form, than the 
 birds that adorn our fields and hedgerows, or hide 
 themselves as much as possible from human obser- 
 vation in our woods and plantations. So, without 
 entirely deprecating the keeping of native birds in 
 confinement, I am decidedly of opinion that the 
 acclimatisation of foreign species will be, on the 
 whole, a greater source of gratification to the aviarist ; 
 and in the end he will also find that his hobby will 
 cost him less than if he "went in" for keeping a 
 collection of our British birds. 
 
 A word more, before I close these introductory 
 remarks, as to the system, or rather want of system, 
 that will necessarily characterise these pages. Scien- 
 tific classification is out of the question where only 
 a selection of species is reviewed ; therefore I have 
 determined to take the various groups in alphabetical 
 order which will, pertiaps, be as convenient a method 
 for those who may read these pages as any that I 
 could adopt. 
 
 The scientific names given are in nearly all cases 
 those used by the Zoological Society of London in 
 their list of vertrebrated animals, although I do not in 
 every instance agree with its absolute correctness, and, 
 in the matter of classification, differ with the Society 
 in many instances. 
 
 As prices vary so much according to circumstances, 
 it has not been thought desirable to quote any in 
 the following pages. 
 
 B 2 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE CARDINAL FAMILY 
 
 ( Cardinalities). 
 
 The Red-crested Cardinal The Pope, or Crestless 
 Cardinal The Yellow-billed Cardinal The Black- 
 crested Cardinal The Cardinal Grossbeak, or 
 Virginian Nightingale. 
 
 N this group I propose to include five 
 species which are of frequent occurrence 
 as cage-birds in this country : they are 
 all natives of Brazil or the adjacent 
 countries of Southern America, and can be readily 
 acclimatised so as to pass the winter without 
 injury to their constitutions in a garden aviary, where 
 not infrequently they will be found to nest and rear 
 their young. 
 
 The proper diet for these birds in confinement is 
 canary- and millet-seed, grain-food of all kinds, 
 ants' eggs, insects of every description, especially 
 caterpillars, and all kinds of ripe fruit when in 
 season : they appear to be especially fond of 
 raspberries and strawberries. Hemp-seed should never 
 be allowed, as it darkens the plumage and changes 
 
The Cardinal Family. 
 
 the beautiful white breasts of the three first species 
 described to a dingy blackish-grey. 
 
 The young require a large amount of food, and 
 after the first few days are very clamorous while 
 being fed. I found cockroaches, commonly known 
 as blackbeetles, a very convenient insect, and all 
 the young Cardinals I have had were reared on no 
 other diet. 
 
 FIG. i. THE RED-CRESTED CARDINAL. 
 
 THE RED-CRESTED CARDINAL, Paroaria cucullata 
 (illustrated at Fig. i), is a handsome, bold-looking bird, 
 of a delicate ashen-grey colour on the back, tail, and 
 wings; his face, chin, head, and upstanding crest are 
 red; a collar round his neck, and all his under- 
 parts, are pure white; his beak light horn-colour, 
 and his legs and feet leaden-grey. He is about the 
 size of a plump skylark, but a bolder-looking and 
 more upstanding bird, and has a very passable 
 song, which he is fond of rehearsing pretty well all 
 
Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 the year .round. The sexes are exactly alike in 
 appearance, but the female may be known by her 
 somewhat smaller size and less exuberantly boisterous 
 deportment. 
 
 As these birds are extremely pugnacious during the 
 breeding season, they should not be lodged with others 
 smaller and more defenceless than themselves. The 
 nest is built of hay, fibres, and roots, in any convenient 
 bush ; and the eggs, which vary from three to five in 
 number, are small for the size of the bird, and not 
 unlike those of a blackbird in colour and markings. 
 The young can be readily reared on ants' eggs and 
 cockroaches, or any kind of insects available. Occa- 
 sionally the male evinces cannibalistic tendencies 
 sometimes with regard to the eggs, which he will 
 devour as soon as laid, and sometimes with respect 
 to newly-hatched young, which he will destroy. In 
 such a case he should be removed after the first egg 
 has been laid, when the female will sit and rear her 
 brood alone the remaining eggs of the batch proving, 
 as a rule, to be fertile. Incubation lasts from eleven 
 to twelve days, and there are generally two broods in 
 the season the first in May or June; the second in 
 August. In their native country, of course, the seasons 
 are reversed ; but the, birds readily accommodate them- 
 selves to their altered circumstances. 
 
 I have found them to be extremely destructive to 
 plants of all kinds. Some of their eggs which I have 
 placed under canaries, were duly hatched; but the 
 young died in a few days, apparently from inability on 
 the part of their 'foster-parents to feed them properly; 
 but no doubt if the eggs were placed in the nest of 
 
f . 
 
 The Cardinal Family. 7 
 
 a thrush or blackbird the young Cardinals* would be 
 reared without any difficulty, and might then be 
 permitted to escape, when, no doubt, they would soon 
 become acclimatised and able to shift for themselves. 
 
 THE POPE, or CRESTLESS CARDINAL, Paroaria 
 larvata, is somewhat smaller than the last-named 
 species, which it closely resembles in its plumage, 
 the great point of difference being the total absence 
 of a crest in the case of the bird now under con- 
 sideration : it is a native of Brazil, perfectly hardy if 
 turned out during the summer, and no more to be 
 trusted with other, and especially smaller, species 
 than its larger relative with the crest. Like the 
 latter, the Popes have bred in confinement ; that is to 
 say, in the comparative freedom of a garden aviary, 
 for I have no knowledge of their nesting in a cage, or 
 even in a bird-room, and from their shy and retiring 
 habits think it is extremely unlikely that they would 
 do so. 
 
 The sexes are alike in appearance, but the female 
 is a trifle smaller than her mate, and has a more 
 subdued and quieter manner than he has. The eggs 
 resemble those of the Red-crested Cardinal, but are 
 smaller : there are two broods in the season, of from 
 three to five each. 
 
 THE YELLOW-BILLED CARDINAL, Paroaria capitata, 
 is also a native of South America, and is crestless ; 
 it is smaller than the Pope, from which it differs not 
 only by the colour of its beak, but also in that of the 
 head feathers, which are brownish-red, small, and very 
 closely set. The sexes are alike, but several females 
 I have seen showed a trace of white on the wings. 
 
8 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 This species would appear to be more delicate 
 than either of the preceding, and to be more insec- 
 tivorous in their habits. Some I at one time possessed 
 appeared to suffer so much from the cold of their 
 first winter in this country to which their hardier 
 companions seemed perfectly indifferent that I was 
 forced to take them indoors. They made a nest, but 
 did not lay ; so I have no personal knowledge of their 
 eggs, which are said, however, to closely resemble 
 those of their congeners. 
 
 I found them quiet and uninterfering with other 
 birds, and the song of the male was very pretty ; so 
 that, on the whole, I can cordially recommend them to 
 the notice of amateurs. 
 
 THE BLACK-CRESTED CARDINAL, Gubernatrix crista- 
 tella, is very generally known, especially by dealers, 
 as the Green Cardinal, though upon close examina- 
 tion it will be found that it bears no trace of green 
 in its plumage, which is coloured black and yellow; 
 the crest is large, jet black, and very upright, and 
 the bird itself about the size of a thrush, but owing 
 to its crest, and longer wings and tail, it seems larger. 
 
 Like the rest of the Cardinals, this bird comes 
 from South America, and is quite hardy. At the 
 Zoological Gardens in Regent's Park it has bred on 
 several occasions, and also in the aviaries of several 
 amateurs, but not in mine. The female is readily 
 distinguished by her duller-coloured plumage, as well 
 as by the size of her crest, which is not nearly as 
 conspicuous as that of her mate. 
 
 At the " Zoo/' this bird is separated from the 
 rest of the family and placed in a genus by itself 
 
The Cardinal Family. 
 
 the genus Gubernatrix, of which it forms the sole 
 representative : as well as the three preceding species, 
 which constitute the genus Paroaria, it is placed in 
 the family Fringillidae but erroneously so, I think, 
 seeing that the Cardinals are, all of them, as much 
 insectivorous in their choice of food as granivorous, 
 or perhaps more so, and feed their young entirely 
 on insects of all kinds. 
 
 FIG. 2. THE VIRGINIAN NIGHTINGALE. 
 
 THE CARDINAL GROSSBEAK, or VIRGINIAN NIGHT- 
 INGALE, Cardinalis virgtnianus (illustrated at Fig. 2), 
 is a handsome bird, about the size of a thrush, that 
 is very frequently imported from the southern parts 
 of North America; like the rest of the members of the 
 family to which it belongs, it will eat seed, fruit, and 
 insects, but if kept on an exclusively granivorous diet 
 it is frequently unable to reproduce its feathers in 
 which case it generally dies of atrophy or decline. 
 
io Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 As the name implies, the general colour is scarlet 
 even the beak and legs partaking of the same ruddy 
 hue but the throat is black. The female is of a 
 reddish-brown colour, and can at a glance be dis- 
 tinguished from her mate, who sings very sweetly, 
 but, in my judgment, has no pretension to be called 
 a nightingale. 
 
 These birds will occasionally breed in this country, 
 but do so less freely than their grey or green 
 relations ; those I have had from time to time have 
 not made any attempt in that direction, but other 
 fanciers have been more fortunate. The eggs are 
 said to be bluish-white, speckled with olive, green, 
 and brown spots. The young resemble their mother, 
 and have a dark brown, nearly black, bill. The 
 treatment and feeding should be the same as for the 
 rest of the Cardinals. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE CROW FAMILY 
 
 (Corvickz}. 
 
 The White-backed Piping Crow The Hunting Crow 
 The Wandering Pie The Chinese Blue Pie 
 The Chinese Blue Magpie The Spanish Blue 
 Magpie The Blue-bearded Jay The Pileated 
 
 "HERE are quite a number of most delight- 
 ful foreign birds belonging to the Crow 
 family, many of which make the most 
 charming pets and should have a place 
 in every collection : the only drawback to keeping 
 them is that, as a rule, they are of a tyrannical dis- 
 position, and cannot be kept at close quarters with 
 birds belonging to other families, particularly if smaller 
 than themselves. 
 
 They may be generally described as omnivorous 
 in their habits, and in confinement should be fed on 
 meat, fruit, boiled maize or other corn, ants' eggs, and 
 insects of all kinds ; the two latter items for the 
 smaller members of the family, while the larger every 
 now and then will need a mouse or a small bird to 
 
12 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 keep them in health. I propose taking the latter 
 first, premising that they are all most intelligent birds 
 and susceptible of being completely tamed. 
 
 THE WHITE-BACKED PIPING CROW, Gymnorhina 
 leuconota, is an Australian species, and is a general 
 favourite with the Colonists, by whom it is popularly 
 known as the Magpie, not only on account of its 
 susceptibility for domestication, but of the invaluable 
 services it renders to them by the destruction of 
 innumerable hosts of noxious insects, especially scor- 
 pions and monstrous centipedes, which are only a 
 shade less venomous than the former repulsive-looking 
 creatures. 
 
 This species is stated in the list of the Zoological 
 Society to be a native of South Australia, but this is 
 too restricted a habitat, as it is common in Victoria 
 and New South Wales, and differs but slightly from 
 the Tasmanian Piping Crow, of which the same 
 authority has constituted a distinct species under the 
 name of Gymnorhina organica. 
 
 The White-backed Piping Crow is well described 
 by its English name : it is a fine bird about the size 
 of our Carrion Crow, with a strong beak of a bluish 
 colour, white back, and black body. 
 
 Some of these birds, especially if reared by hand 
 from the nest, make most accomplished talkers, and 
 will also learn to whistle a tune or tunes, when, as 
 their voice is naturally harmonious and mellow, a very 
 fine effect is produced : the only drawback is that their 
 notes are rather too loud for the house; they are 
 very attractive, however, in the open air. 
 
 All the Piping Crows are quite hardy, and will winter 
 
The Crow Family. 13 
 
 readily out of doors in this country ; but no instance 
 of their having nested in confinement has ever come 
 to my knowledge, though in a suitable place I see no 
 reason why they should not do so. 
 
 In the matter of diet they are very accommodating, 
 and have a special predilection for picking a bone : 
 all is fish that comes to their net, and the aviarist 
 will not have much difficulty in providing for their 
 wants, as they will thrive on any kind of scraps from 
 their owner's table. 
 
 If lodged in a cage, this must be of considerable 
 dimensions and be carefully attended to, for other- 
 wise the Piping Crow, on account of its size and the 
 miscellaneous nature of its diet, would soon render 
 uninhabitable the place where it was kept. In a large 
 outdoor aviary, however, there would not be the same 
 objection, and, everything considered, that is the best 
 position for such a bird, or it may be allowed the 
 free range of a garden if one of its wings is clipped. 
 
 The female does sbt greatly differ in appearance 
 from her mate, but is rather smaller, and the white 
 portions of her plumage are more or less tinged with 
 grey ; she can pipe, and will learn to talk and whistle 
 almost as well as the male. 
 
 THE HUNTING CROW, Cissa -venatoria, is one of the 
 most beautiful members of this group of birds, as well 
 as one of the most interesting : it is a native of India, 
 and is occasionally imported in considerable numbers, 
 but appears to be rather delicate, and does not 
 usually survive its captivity for any length of time. 
 
 In size, the Hunting Crow about equals our English 
 Magpie, but has a shorter tail; its strong beak and 
 
14 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 legs are a bright orange-red ; from either side of the 
 mouth a black band, embracing the eye, projects 
 backwards to the middle of the head, which is orna- 
 mented with a crest of long, narrow feathers, which 
 the bird has the power of raising up, but which it 
 usually carries lying flat. The whole plumage is of 
 a soft, silky texture its general colour is sky-blue in 
 some specimens and sea-green in others ; the wings 
 are chestnut colour with white spots, and the tail is 
 similarly marked. It is a gorgeous-looking creature, 
 and a great ornament to an aviary. 
 
 It is chiefly found in Nepaul and the Himalayas, 
 where it is sufficiently abundant and very frequently 
 domesticated. In confinement it may be fed as a 
 Jackdaw, giving more animal food, especially small 
 birds, which it plucks, feather by feather, before eating. 
 A large cage is necessary on account of the delicacy 
 of its feathers, and it should never be put in a dark 
 place, as light is indispensable for the preservation 
 of its beautiful colours, which quickly fade away and 
 become dull and dingy amid gloomy surroundings. 
 
 THE WANDERING PIE, Dendrocitta vagabunda, is 
 another member of this family that is well deserving 
 of the attention of amateurs, but space will not admit 
 of a detailed description. The same remarks will also 
 apply to the CHINESE BLUE PlE, Urocissa sinensis ; 
 THE CHINESE BLUE MAGPIE, Cyanopolius cyanus ; 
 THE SPANISH BLUE MAGPIE, Cyanopolius cooki ; THE 
 BLUE-BEARDED JAY, Cyanocorax cyanopogon, and THE 
 PlLEATED JAY, Cyanocorax pileatus, all of which are 
 handsome and lively birds, and not difficult to preserve 
 in confinement. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE DOVE FAMILY 
 
 (Columlrid&). 
 
 The Cape Dove The Barred Dove The Graceful 
 Ground Dove The Barred-shouldered Dove 
 The Australian Crested Dove The Blood-breasted 
 Pigeon The Indian Green-winged Pigeon The 
 Australian Green-winged Pigeon The Bronze- 
 spotted Dove The Tambourine Pigeon The Java 
 Dove The Egyptian Turtle Dove, &c. 
 
 j.OVES have long enjoyed the reputation of 
 being the most peaceful and gentle crea- 
 tures on earth, and a belief in their 
 merits, and especially in their fidelity and 
 affection for their mates and young, has long been 
 current among mankind so long, indeed, that I 
 feel a natural repugnance to "hold the mirror up to 
 nature" in their case and display them in their 
 true colours, divested of the fictitious adornments 
 wherewith they have been invested by inaccurate 
 observers, at a time when little was known of 
 natural history, and the imaginative descriptions of a 
 few writers were accepted without questioning as 
 
1 6 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 accurate, and handed down by successive generations 
 of writers, who lacked either the leisure or the oppor- 
 tunity to investigate this subject for themselves, as 
 veritable sun-pictures of which the fidelity was 
 indisputable. 
 
 THE CAPE DOVE, (Ena capensis, also very fre- 
 quently called the Harlequin Dove, on account of the 
 black mask, or " domino," worn by the adult male, 
 is a pretty little bird, about the size of a sky- 
 lark, but of slimmer build, and with a much longer 
 tail. 
 
 As the English name implies, it comes to us from 
 South Africa, and is one of the most desirable inmates 
 of the columbarium. Care, however, must be taken 
 not to lodge it with any of the larger or more pug- 
 nacious members of its family, by whom it would be 
 speedily killed, for it is one of the most defenceless 
 little creatures I have ever come across, permitting 
 itself to be bullied to any extent by birds no bigger 
 than a sparrow, without offering any resistance, or 
 even remonstrance, beyond a little grunt and a slight 
 raising of the wing. 
 
 The general colour is grey of several shades, and 
 the male may be at once known by his black face. 
 These birds nest freely in confinement, but the young 
 are not always reared, for unless the weather is very 
 warm, they die as soon as the old birds cease to 
 brood them at night. They have not bred in my 
 aviary, where they were too much disturbed by other 
 birds, but have done so freely in that of a lady in 
 the South of England, who thinks them the most 
 delightful of Doves, " perfectly charming, but for the 
 
The Dove Family. 
 
 constantly recurring tragedy of their young." It is, 
 however, satisfactory to find that patience had its 
 appropriate reward, and that a pair of young Cape 
 Doves were at length successfully reared to maturity, 
 to rejoice their owner's heart by their gentleness and 
 docility. 
 
 THE BARRED DOVE, Geopelia striata (see Fig. 3), 
 is also known, especially in the trade, as the Zebra 
 Dove. It is a native of India, and is a very pretty 
 
 FIG. 3. THE BARRED DOVE. 
 
 bird, about the size of a thrush, and has bred at the 
 " Zoo/' as well as in several private aviaries. The 
 plumage is, generally, fawn-grey, prettily marked with 
 narrow, wavy black markings, from which its names 
 are derived. 
 
 THE GRACEFUL QROUND DOVE, Geopelia cuneata 
 (illustrated at Fig. 4), is also called the Diamond Dove. 
 It is about the same size as the Barred Dove, but is 
 of a light grey, prettily marked on the sides and 
 
 C 
 
1 8 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 wings with black and white spots, whence its common 
 English name. It is a native of Australia, but has 
 reared young in the London Zoological Gardens. 
 
 FIG. 4. THE GRACEFUL GROUND DOVE. 
 
 THE BARRED-SHOULDERED DOVE, Geopelia hume- 
 ratzs, like the preceding species, is a native of Aus- 
 tralia, and has also reproduced its kind at the " Zoo." 
 It is a trifle larger than the two last-named species, 
 but is equally attractive and desirable as an inmate 
 of the aviary. 
 
 These small Doves are best fed on white millet, 
 which is a kind of sorghum, dari, and canary-seed ; 
 hemp is objectionable, and care should be taken to 
 supply them with an abundance of coarse grit, as 
 well as a lump of rock-salt, and an unfailing supply 
 of fresh water. Heather sprays form the best material 
 for their nests, which are but slight affairs, and usually 
 constructed on an artificial basis, such as the top of one 
 
The Dove Family. 19 
 
 of those small wicker cages in which so many canaries 
 are brought over from Germany to this country. 
 
 THE AUSTRALIAN CRESTED DOVE, Ocyphaps loph- 
 otes, is a very delightful species, about the size of 
 the common Barbary or Collared Turtle. As its name 
 implies, its head is ornamented with an upstanding 
 crest, constructed on the same principle as that of the 
 cockatiel. The general colour is grey, with bronze 
 reflections on the wings and neck, and the long, broad 
 tail is prettily barred with white. When the bird 
 alights on its perch it has a habit of slightly spreading 
 and jerking up the tail, that is very curious. It is a 
 ground-loving bird, and only resorts to the trees for 
 sleeping purposes at night. In confinement, however, 
 the Crested Dove's habits vary a good deal, and it 
 passes much of its time dozing side by side with its 
 mate on a branch. 
 
 The female bears a close resemblance to the male, but 
 is decidedly smaller, anyd has a finer head and thinner 
 neck. These birds breed freely in confinement, and 
 I have known of one pair from which seventeen young 
 were obtained in one season by giving their eggs to 
 Collared Turtles to be hatched. 
 
 THE BLOOD-BREASTED PIGEON, Phlogcenas cruen- 
 tata, is another fine species. It is a native of the 
 Philippine Islands, and succeeds very well in confine- 
 ment. Its English name is derived from a curious 
 red spot on the centre of its white breast, which 
 gives one the impression that the bird has just been 
 stabbed, and that the mark in question is a stain 
 of blood. It is a short, thick bird, about the size of 
 a small Tumbler Pigeon. 
 
 C 3 
 
2o Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 THE INDIAN GREEN-WINGED PIGEON, Chalcophaps 
 indica (illustrated at Fig. 5), is a very desirable bird, 
 rather smaller than the last-named, but equally plump 
 and compact in form. As its name implies, it is a 
 native of our Indian Empire, where it is sufficiently 
 common, but so hardy that it will pass the winter 
 out-of-doors in this country without inconvenience. 
 The breast is a delicate rosy or vinaceous tint, and 
 the back and wings shine with metallic reflections. 
 
 FIG. 5. THE INDIAN GREEN-WINGED PIGEON. 
 
 The female is smaller than her mate, and much duller 
 in appearance. These pigeons have bred in confine- 
 ment. Feed on any kind of small corn. 
 
 THE AUSTRALIAN GREEN-WINGED PIGEON, Chalco- 
 phaps chrysochlora, is readily distinguishable from 
 the preceding species by its larger size and by a 
 white mark above the bill ; it is also quite hardy, and 
 no doubt would breed in a suitable aviary, but it is not 
 
The Dove Family. 21 
 
 very frequently imported, and is consequently dear. 
 It is a native of Northern Australia, and, like the 
 preceding species, may be fed on any kind of small 
 corn : those I had were especially fond of the round 
 yellow maize. 
 
 THE BRONZE-SPOTTED DOVE, Chalcopelia chalco- 
 spilos (illustrated at Fig. 6), is a pretty, plump little 
 thing, about the size of a quail. It is a native of 
 Western Africa, and has occasionally bred in the 
 
 FIG. 6. THE BRONZF-SPOTTED DOVE. 
 
 aviary. Some that I had nested, but I found no eggs, 
 and suspect the birds were all cocks, as the sexes 
 are alike in outward appearance. Feed on white millet 
 and canary-seed. 
 
 THE TAMBOURINE PIGEON, Tympanistria bicolor 
 (illustrated at Fig. 7), is another little African Dove 
 that derives its name from the peculiar note it utters, 
 which is thought by some to resemble the sound made 
 by tapping with the point of the finger on a tambourine, 
 
22 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 but which is really more like that of water being 
 poured from a narrow-necked bottle. The male is 
 of a beautiful dark chocolate colour on the back and 
 wings, and snowy white on the neck, breast, and 
 belly. The female is generally like her mate, but is 
 smaller, and her white breast is flecked with grey. 
 Those I had nested in my aviary on the top of a 
 
 FIG. 7. THE TAMBOURINE PIGEON. 
 
 small cage, but did not lay. This and the preceding 
 species are decidedly tender, and must be taken 
 indoors during cold weather, which seems to paralyse 
 them, and soon throws them into a decline. 
 
 THE JAVA DOVE, Turtur risorius, var. alba, is 
 merely a white variety of the common Collared Dove, 
 which so many people will, erroneously, persist in 
 
The Dove Family. 23 
 
 calling Ring-dove : it usually breeds true to colour, 
 and will live outdoors all the year round. 
 
 THE EGYPTIAN TURTLE DOVE, Turtur vinaceus, is 
 a fine, handsome bird, about half as large again as 
 the preceding species, with which it will inter-breed 
 and produce hybrids, which usually resemble the male 
 bird, whose breast is ruddy fawn, back light chocolate, 
 and top of head bluish. Feed on any kind of poultry 
 mixture : it is quite hardy. 
 
 The following desirable species, of which space will 
 not permit me to give a description, have all bred 
 in the London Zoological Gardens, viz., THE WHITE- 
 CROWNED PIGEON, Columba leucocephala, from the 
 West Indies ; THE PORTO RlCO PlGEON, C. cor- 
 ensis, THE PiCAZURO PIGEON, C. picazuro, and the 
 BARE-EYED PIGEON, C. gymnophthalma all West 
 Indian species ; and MAUGE'S DOVE, Geopelia Maugaei, 
 which is a native of Australia. 
 
 The Turtles, including our common British species, 
 Turtur commums, have all bred freely in the Gardens, 
 and some of them in my own aviary. They are very 
 handsome birds, but decidedly pugnacious, and require 
 an aviary, or at least a compartment in the aviary, 
 to themselves. 
 
 The genus Peristera, of which GEOFFROY'S DOVE 
 is a well-known species, contains other hardy and 
 beautiful birds, some of which are free breeders. 
 
 I can only name THE CROWNED and THE NlCOBAR 
 PIGEONS, the giants of their race, both in every way 
 worthy of the attention of amateurs. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 TflE DRONGO FAMILY 
 
 (Dicrurid(B\ 
 
 The Drongo Hottentot, Indian, or Great Rocket- 
 tailed Drongo. 
 
 HE DRONGOES, of which there are several 
 varieties, form a family by themselves, 
 but are nearly related to the Crows, 
 Shrikes, and especially to the Flycatchers. 
 Linnaeus classed them with the Shrikes, and Russ has 
 followed the great Swedish master in this respect, 
 naming the Drongo Lanius hottentottus, the specific 
 name probably having reference to the colour of the 
 bird, which is entirely of a dense shade of black, with 
 dark steel-blue reflections, which are chiefly apparent 
 in the full glare of the sun. The principal pecu- 
 liarities of the Drongo, however, are found at the 
 opposite extremities of its body, the head being orna- 
 mented with a raised and somewhat incurved crest, 
 and the latter having two of its feathers much longer 
 than the rest, and terminated by a racket-shaped 
 expansion. 
 
 Some authorities place this bird among the Crows, 
 
The Drongo Family. 25 
 
 but its beak is scarcely corvine, nor are its legs and 
 feet; so that they must have assigned the Drongo its 
 position in the family Corvidds solely on account of its 
 raven-like plumage. The authorities at the "Zoo" have 
 placed this bird between the Orioles and the Wood- 
 swallows, to neither of which it bears much resem- 
 blance outwardly, though by the agile manner in which 
 it captures its insect quarry on the wing, it rivals 
 the latter in dexterity, equalling them in wing-power 
 and quick sight. 
 
 THE HOTTENTOT DRONGO, Chibia hottentotta, is a 
 very peculiar and most charming bird, constituting 
 the genus Chibia of the family to which it belongs. 
 It is a native of India, but why it should have 
 received the specific name of hottentotta is one 
 of those mysteries of avian nomenclature which are 
 absolutely insoluble and incomprehensible. 
 
 The Hottentot Drofigo certainly does not appear to 
 think anything about its detestable name, but flies 
 around, sings its melodious song, mimics all its 
 neighbours, and passes its spare time catching flies, 
 with the most supreme composure. 
 
 The song of this remarkable bird is not the least 
 of its merits it has some mellow and pleasing notes 
 of its own but it is the delightful and capable 
 manner in which it imitates and appropriates to itself 
 not only the songs of the other birds that are within 
 hearing, but all kinds of domestic sounds, which it 
 reproduces with no less fidelity to nature than 
 added charm, that constitutes its merit as a songster 
 rivalling, if not indeed surpassing, the famous Mocking- 
 bird of the New World in this respect. 
 
26 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 The female of this species is very nearly as good 
 a performer as her decidedly talented husband, than 
 whom she is a little more soberly clad. Drongoes are 
 very quiet and inoffensive birds, and calmly allow 
 themselves to be bullied by all kinds of feathered 
 folk not half their size. They are about as large as a 
 Fieldfare only the long tail and the crest make the 
 Drongoes look the larger of the two. 
 
 These birds are very seldom in the market, and 
 when one does chance to be imported, the fortunate 
 dealer demands a long price for his treasure. I 
 recollect, some years ago, being asked 8 for one 
 that had no tail and very few body feathers a 
 miserable-looking object indeed and I declined to 
 become its purchaser, not being at the time aware 
 of its transcendent merits, which would really make 
 it cheap at twice the money. 
 
 The following account of a Drongo from the pen 
 of its fortunate owner, Mr. R. Phillipps, will no doubt 
 be read with interest, as it enters into details 
 which to me were inaccessible. Mr. Phillipps says : 
 " I obtained ' Puck ' two years ago, just after her 
 arrival in this country. She had no tail then, and 
 the flight feathers were worn away almost to the 
 bone. 
 
 " I soon found that Puck, when in her house, would 
 never go down for food. She came down too 
 frequently for she was perpetually trying to fly 
 and had no choice but to come down. No matter 
 how hungry, however, she would hastily hop up to 
 the highest perch; so I had to place her food on a 
 shelf as high up as possible. When put on the floor 
 
The Drongo Family. 27 
 
 in the room, she would rush with frantic haste to 
 the lowest bar of the nearest chair ; and, while 
 crying piteously for mealworms, numbers crawling 
 a few inches below her would not entice her 
 down. She is a bird of the air, with an extraordinary 
 horror of the ground. Now that she is full-feathered 
 she is a different bird. 
 
 " When in the large garden aviary during the 
 summer, Puck is very keen after flies, taking them 
 cleverly on the wing. She is an excellent catch, 
 rarely losing a mealworm if there be plenty of flying 
 room, no matter how hard it may be thrown at her. 
 And food taken on the wing she swallows com- 
 fortably; whereas what is taken from a dish is 
 fumbled over, and often dropped. She is fond of 
 most dry insects, such as flies, mealworms, &c., and 
 small cockroaches in moderation. She cannot manage 
 raw, but is fond of cof>ked, meat. She is also fond 
 of dainties from the table grapes and lettuce, often 
 eating a great deal of the latter. She drinks fre- 
 quently, and washes in the drinking-water, but has 
 never been seen to take a regular bath. 
 
 " Puck is a capital mimic. Her favourite notes are a 
 selection from the song of the shamah ; but she is 
 equally conversant with the hoarse scream of the 
 offended jackdaw and the dulcet strains of the 
 neighbours' cats, with the gurgling bubbling of the 
 blue-cheeked barbet, and the plaintive whistle of the 
 blue robin. When whistling to herself she is specially 
 pretty, reminding one of the jolly plough-boy returning 
 home on a summer's evening. 'God Save the Queen* 
 she whistles sometimes quite correctly, but oftener 
 
28 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 with variations according to the fancy of the moment. 
 At one time she said * Come along!' not unfre- 
 quently ; and now often comes out with ' Pucky 
 Pucky ! ' When excited by the arrival of a strange 
 bird, or by a visit from a lady with a striking bonnet, 
 she gives utterance to various cries, jerking her tail 
 up and down with great vehemence, at the same time 
 opening and shutting the feathers like a large pair 
 of shears. 
 
 " Puck is very sociable, and strongly objects to being 
 left alone. She is never so happy as when being 
 carried about on the finger, and petted. She comes 
 to table for daylight meals, sitting straight and almost 
 upright on the back of a chair. She is very 
 observant, and peers about, passing remarks on 
 everything that goes on. When she sees or hears 
 me approaching, she receives me with fluttering 
 wings, and sundry whistles and joyous calls. Although 
 over two years old, she behaves like a child, looking 
 to us for everything, and crying for help when in 
 distress. 
 
 "When sitting on her perch, Puck's extreme length 
 seems to be 2oin., of which the body is yin., the 
 tail proper 6in., the rackets extending yin. beyond. 
 A good crest curls back from the forehead over the 
 crown. The feathers on the neck and shoulders form 
 almost a mane ; and when threatened by another 
 bird, she holds her head very high, the beak down, 
 and extends the mane sideways, uttering various 
 uncanny sounds. The beak is large and arched, and 
 the upper mandible, which overlaps the under-one, 
 is plainly notched. The eight feathers of the ordinary 
 
The Drongo Family* 29 
 
 tail form a fork. The two other and outer feathers 
 hang separately, and are webbed to the same length 
 as the others. The shafts are then more or less 
 bare for some 4in., the remaining 3in. being webbed 
 on one side of the shaft only. The colour of the 
 bird is black, with a green gloss over the head, neck, 
 throat, flights, and tail. 
 
 "Puck is an old maid, and is likely to remain one, 
 for I have totally failed in my endeavours to obtain 
 a mate for her. Perhaps this is well ; for of favourite 
 foreign birds she is quite the queen." 
 
CHAPTER VT. 
 
 THE FINCH FAMILY 
 
 (Fringillidce}. 
 
 The Olive Finch The Melodious Finch The Diuca 
 Finch The Black Bullfinch The St. Helena Seed- 
 eater The Grey Singing Finch The Alano 
 Finch The Ruddy Finch The Blood-stained 
 Finch The Totta Finch Hartlaub's Finch 
 The White-throated Seed-eater. 
 
 N this family a very large number of 
 genera and species have been included, 
 some of which might well have been 
 placed elsewhere, especially the two 
 species with which it is commenced in the "List" of 
 the London Zoological Society namely, the Indigo 
 Bird and the Nonpareil. 
 
 In reviewing our British birds I restricted the use 
 of the term " Finch " to those species which feed their 
 young by regurgitating food from their crops, and I 
 propose to follow the same course in this work, which 
 will at once eliminate the above-mentioned birds, and 
 a variety of others, some of which will be placed 
 among the Sparrows, and others with he Mannikins 
 and the Waxbills. One group has already been disposed 
 
The Finch Family. 31 
 
 of by itself namely, the Cardinal family, which are 
 included among the Finches by many writers, but are 
 certainly quite distinct. 
 
 THE OLIVE FINCH, Phonipara olivacea, and THE 
 MELODIOUS FINCH, Phonipara canora, may be bracketed 
 together, as they differ mainly in size : the former in- 
 habits Jamaica and the latter the larger island of 
 Cuba. The Olive Finch is the bigger of the two birds, 
 but the Melodious Finch has a sweeter note, and is 
 also more amiable in a mixed aviary. It is about the 
 size of a redpoll, the Olive Finch being a little 
 larger. The colour in both is olivaceous-green and 
 yellow, but the Melodious Finch has a brighter-tinted 
 forehead. Both species make an open nest in a bush, 
 and lay from three to five eggs of a bluish-white 
 colour, speckled with blackish-brown. Their food in 
 confinement should consist of millet (spray), white 
 sorghum, and canary-seed. 
 
 THE DlUCA FINCH, Diuca grisea, is an unpre- 
 tending-looking little grey bird, about the size of a 
 linnet, darker above and lighter on the under-surface 
 of the body. It is a native of Chili, and breeds freely 
 in confinement, both in cage and aviary. It has a 
 pretty little song, and is quite hardy. Treatment the 
 same as that of the two preceding species. 
 
 THE BLACK BULLFINCH, Melopyrrha nigra, is 
 stated in the Zoological Society's List to come from 
 Cuba ; but it is also a -native of Brazil, whence the 
 specimen in my possession was brought over by the 
 gentleman who presented it to me. It is the size of 
 a Bullfinch, with a large thick bill of a leaden-blue 
 colour. The whole plumage, with the exception of a 
 
32 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 white bar on the wings, is jet-black. The female is 
 smaller, and of a rusty-black or brownish colour. I 
 am not aware if it has bred in confinement. The 
 song is very sweet and melodious, but I can scarcely 
 endorse my friend's opinion that "the ' Bicudo ' is 
 the best songster in the world." It was supposed 
 to be delicate, and required to be kept very warm : 
 under these conditions my bird became entirely bare, 
 but regained its plumage when placed in a cooler 
 situation than the kitchen, where I had been advised 
 to put it. 
 
 THE ST. HELENA SEED-EATER, or GREEN SINGING 
 FlNCH, Crithagra butyracea, is a South African species, 
 acclimatised at St. Helena, whence most of those seen 
 in this country are imported. It is a very pretty little 
 bird, about the size of a Siskin. The breast is yellow, 
 the back greyish, and the eye surmounted by a narrow 
 streak of bright yellow. The female only differs from 
 her mate by being a trifle smaller and generally 
 duller in colour. This species has bred mules with 
 the canary, and rears its own young very freely in 
 confinement, making an open nest in a bush or in 
 a nest-box. It is a delightful songster. Food : canary- 
 seed, millet, and sorghum. 
 
 THE GREY SINGING FINCH, Crithagra musica, is 
 a pretty little creature grey above, with white under- 
 parts. It is a native of Western Africa, and is, if 
 possible, a sweeter singer than the preceding species, 
 and should be fed and treated like it. This bird 
 has bred in confinement, but I am not aware of 
 any mules having been obtained from it, though such 
 should not be impossible. 
 
The Finch Family. 33 
 
 THE ALARIO FiNCH, Fringilla alario, classed among 
 the Sparrows in the Zoological List, has bred mules 
 with the canary, as well as reproduced its own species 
 in captivity. It is not a handsome bird, being dis- 
 figured by a black face (whence the German name of 
 Masked Finch) ; the rest of the body is brown and 
 white the latter colour on the lower, and the former 
 on the upper parts of the body. The female is 
 greyish-brown above, and whitish-grey on the under- 
 surface. 
 
 THE RUDDY FiNCH, Carpodacus erythrinus, is a 
 native of Siberia, and is a very desirable addition to 
 the aviary. It will pair and breed freely with its own 
 species or with other members of the Finch family. 
 
 THE BLOOD-STAINED FINCH, Carpodacus hasmor- 
 rhous, which is also called the Purple Finch, Frin- 
 grilla pur pur ea (Audubon), is a native of Mexico, 
 and a very good aviary bird. It has produced mules 
 with a canary in the aviary of a gentleman at Lewes, 
 who is an adept in the art of obtaining hybrids of 
 all kinds. 
 
 THE TOTTA FINCH, Loxia or Fringilla totta, is 
 another nice little bird, bearing a general family like- 
 ness to the foregoing, but distinguishable by its 
 blackish-brown tail. One was exhibited some time 
 ago, and took a prize at a leading show, as a Bull- 
 finch Siskin mule ! Needless to say, it is a perfectly 
 distinct species, and not a cross of any sort, and is 
 common about the Cape. In size it is rather larger 
 than a Siskin, and is susceptible of being made very 
 tame, but is less noticeable for its musical accom- 
 plishments than some of its congeners. 
 
 D 
 
34 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 All these birds should be fed alike on sorghum, 
 canary, and millet-seed ; they also require a plentiful 
 supply of sharp grit. 
 
 Other desirable members of the Finch family remain, 
 but space will not permit me to mention more than 
 the two foremost of them, viz., HARTLAUB'S FINCH, 
 F. Hartlaubi (Russ), otherwise Crithagra chrysopyga, 
 and THE WHITE-THROATED SEED-EATER, C. albogu- 
 laris, both from South-western Africa, and requiring 
 the same treatment as those already described. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 KINGFISHER FAMILY 
 
 (AlcedinidcB). 
 
 The Laughing Jackass The Australian Kingfisher 
 
 The Ternate Kingfisher. 
 I 
 ! HIS family, of which our well-known 
 
 English Kingfisher is a typical repre- 
 sentative, contains some choice species 
 very suitable for the aviary. 
 THE LAUGHING JACKASS, Dacelo gigantea, is a 
 remarkably fine bird, well known to Australian colo- 
 nists. Its cry or call is very curious, and resembles 
 something between the braying of a donkey and a very 
 loud laugh. 
 
 While bearing a general likeness to the head of 
 the family, the Laughing Jackass nevertheless differs 
 materially, especially as regards size and brilliancy 
 of colouring, from our English Kingfisher; but all the 
 same it is a handsome creature, and the crest on its 
 head, which it has the power of raising or depressing 
 at will, gives it quite a distinguished appearance. 
 
 In size it is a large bird, measuring about i8in. 
 in length, but the legs are short, and it progresses 
 
 D 2 
 
36 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 only indifferently well upon the ground. With regard 
 to its dietary in its native woods, the Laughing Jackass 
 may be considered a most useful creature to mankind, 
 for it subsists on snakes, lizards, and noxious 
 insects, such as centipedes, scorpions, large caterpillars, 
 and so forth, of which it consumes an enormous 
 quantity, for the intestinal canal being short, digestion 
 proceeds with great rapidity, so that an hour or so 
 after it has swallowed say a snake as long as itself, 
 the Laughing Jackass is quite ready for another meal. 
 
 The crest is black, shaded with brown, and the rest 
 of the upper surface is brownish-olive; the wings, 
 however, are brownish-black, some of the wing coverts 
 presenting reflections of green and blue ; the breast and 
 belly are white, with bars of pale brown across the 
 former. The long tail is chestnut-brown, with a band 
 of black towards the lower third of the feathers, 
 which are tipped with white. 
 
 In the house it may be fed on meat (raw preferably), 
 frogs when procurable, insects of all kinds, snails and 
 slugs, and small dead birds : the tast-named it will 
 greedily devour, though in its wild state it does not 
 prey on birds or animals, but solely on reptiles and 
 insects. Being a large bird, and eating and voiding 
 copiously, the Dacelo is not well adapted to cage-life ; 
 but in a large aviary it will do very well, and after 
 the first cold season in this country when it should 
 be taken into the house it may be safely wintered 
 out of doors. I have heard of no instance in which 
 it has bred in confinement. 
 
 THE AUSTRALIAN KINGFISHER, Halcyon sancta, 
 which replaces the preceding species in Northern 
 
The Kingfisher Family. 37 
 
 Australia, is about the same size, but far more 
 brilliantly coloured : the head and scapularies are 
 green, the throat, neck, and abdomen buff, abundantly 
 flecked with brown spots. The wings and tail are 
 greenish-blue, and the ear-coverts and a line round 
 the back of the head are very dark green. Treat- 
 ment the same as for the preceding species. 
 
 THE TERNATE KINGFISHER, Tanysiptera dea, is a 
 magnificent bird from New Guinea, as yet of very 
 infrequent occurrence here, but one that will doubtless 
 be imported freely by-and-bye, when its native land 
 has been more fully opened up to commerce. It is 
 chiefly distinguishable for the great length of the 
 central pair of tail feathers, which have each a racket- 
 like expansion at the extremity. 
 
 All the Kingfishers that, like the foregoing, live in 
 dry forests far from water, are susceptible of being 
 kept in confinement without much difficulty. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE LARK FAMILY 
 
 (Alaudidcs}. 
 
 The Chinese Lark The Black Lark The Short-toed 
 Lark The Madras Bush-Lark The Thick-billed 
 Lark The Bullfinch-headed Lark. 
 
 HIS is not a numerous family anywhere, 
 and its foreign members are much less 
 meritorious subjects for introduction to 
 the aviary than our own species, still 
 THE CHINESE LARK, Melanocorypha mongolica> from 
 Central Asia, is a nice bird, as also are THE BLACK 
 LARK, M. yeltoniensis, from Siberia, THE SHORT-TOED 
 LARK, Calandrella brachydactyla, from Northern 
 Africa, and THE MADRAS BUSH-LARK, Mirafra affinis, 
 from India; but they are all of such very rare occur- 
 rence in the bird-shops that the bare mention of their 
 names here will be sufficient. If obtained, however, 
 they may be fed on the food provided for our English 
 Larks. 
 
 THE THICK-BILLED LARK and THE BULLFINCH- 
 HEADED LARK have both been seen at shows, but 
 are of even rarer occurrence than the above. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE MAtfNlKlN FAMILY 
 
 (Munitdce). 
 
 The Bengali The Nutmeg Bird The White-headed 
 Nun The Black-headed Nun The Three-coloured 
 Nun The Silverbill The Bronze-winged Man- 
 nikin The Bar-breasted Mannikin The Chestnut' 
 
 bellied Mannikin The Topela Mannikin. 
 } 
 ANNIKINS form a numerous group, of 
 
 which the limits of the present work 
 will only permit of my passing in review 
 the principal species, and I propose com- 
 mencing with the sub-group of Mannikins proper, 
 which are distinguished by the curious habit of singing 
 in dumb show; that is to say, the bird will go through 
 all the motions of a songster in full swing, and yet 
 to the ordinary spectator not a sound, will be audible. 
 THE BENGALI, or BENGALESE, Munia acuticauda, 
 occurs in three principal varieties namely, the white, 
 the white and fawn, and the white and brown. These 
 little birds, especially the first of them (which is illus- 
 trated at Fig. 8), are essentially birds for the cage, 
 in which they breed as freely as canaries, and with 
 
Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 much less fuss as to elaboration of food, seeing that 
 their diet consists mainly of white sorghum, commonly 
 called millet, upon which they also feed their young. 
 
 FIG. 8. THE WHITE BENGALESE. 
 
 They all make a nest of hay, lined with cotton 
 and feathers, in a cocoanut husk, or shell, a small cage, 
 
 FIG. 9. THE NUTMEG BIRD. 
 
 or any convenient box. They lay four or five pure 
 white eggs, which are incubated for twelve or thirteen 
 days, and there are numerous broods during the year. 
 
The Mannikin Family. 41 
 
 Occasionally they fail to bring up the young; but as 
 a rule, if not interfered with, they make good parents. 
 It is not well to turn them suddenly adrift into a large 
 aviary, as their powers of flight are but limited, and 
 being of a timid disposition, they would be in danger 
 of being bullied by their stronger and bolder com- 
 panions. They are rather smaller than a redpoll, and 
 are usually imported from China. 
 
 THE NUTMEG BIRD, Munia punctularia (illustrated 
 
 FIG. 10. THE WHITE-HEADED NUN. 
 
 at Fig. 9), an Indian species, but of frequent occurrence 
 in dealers' shops, is about the same size as the last, 
 and is a very pretty bird. The head and back are rich 
 brown, the under-surface being marked with numerous 
 white spots on a light-coloured brown ground. Male 
 an 4 d female are alike, and are quite hardy, living in 
 confinement for some ten years. They have never 
 bred in this country. 
 
 THE WHITE-HEADED NUN, or MAJA FINCH, Munia 
 maja (illustrated at Fig. 10), is an exceedingly pretty 
 
42 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 bird of a soft chestnut-brown all over except the 
 head and upper part of the neck, which are creamy 
 white, and the under-tail coverts, which are black. Male 
 and female, are alike. It has not bred in England. 
 
 THE BLACK-HEADED NUN, Munia malacca, is the 
 counterpart of the last species, except that its head 
 is black ; it also wants the dark under-tail coverts. 
 
 THE THREE-COLOURED NUN, Munia sinensis, is 
 another bird belonging to this group. It has a leaden- 
 grey bill; black head, neck, and shoulders; white breast 
 and sides ; brown back, wings, and tail ; and black 
 vent and under-tail coverts ; legs and feet lead colour. 
 
 FIG. ii. THE SILVERBILL. 
 
 All the foregoing are quiet, amiable little creatures 
 that delight to live in company, and will sit in rows 
 side by side without moving for an hour at a time, 
 each singing in dumb show, one after the other, 
 while all the rest listen most attentively to what is, 
 no doubt, an audible melody to them. 
 
 THE SILVERBILL, Munia cantans (illustrated ^at 
 Fig. n), is a small bird, about the size of a wren, 
 but with a larger tail and more slender form. It 
 differs from the other members of the family by the 
 possession of an audible and exceedingly sweet song, 
 
The Mannikin Family. 43 
 
 and, unlike the Nuns, it breeds freely in the aviary, 
 but is just as amiable as they are. The upper part 
 is fawn colour, the wings and tail are a shade darker, 
 and the lower part of the body is greyish-white ; 
 the bill is bluish-grey with a silvery tinge, whence the 
 name. Food : millet, sorghum, and canary-seed. 
 
 THE BRONZE-WINGED MANNIKIN, or HOODED 
 FlNCH, Munia cucullata (illustrated at Fig. 12), is 
 a pretty little bird, smaller than any of the preceding 
 
 FIG. 12. THE BRONZE-WINGED MANNTKIN. 
 
 The head is black, as are also the throat, wings, and 
 back, but shining with various shades of metallic sheen ; 
 the chest is white. Male and female are alike, and will 
 breed freely in the aviary. Feed like the preceding. 
 
 There are several other less known species, which 
 space will only permit me to name, viz., THE BAR- 
 BREASTED MANNIKIN, M. nisoria ; THE CHESTNUT- 
 BELLIED MANNIKIN, M. rubro-nigra ; THE TOPELA 
 MANNIKIN, or FINCH, M. topela, &c. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 TllE OWL FAMILY 
 
 (Asiomdce). 
 
 The Scops Owl The Passerine Owl The Prairie, 
 Burrowing, or Coquimbo Owl. 
 
 S a rule, these " midnight prowlers," these 
 "feathered cats," are not looked upon in 
 the light of domestic pets; but as they 
 are not quite ignored by the venerable 
 Bechstein in his ever-admirable " History of Chamber 
 Birds," I have decided to give them a short chapter 
 to themselves in the present work, for they are great 
 favourites with some people, and, when rightly 
 understood and properly treated, make really quite 
 charming pets. The larger species, such as THE 
 EAGLE OWL, Bubo maximus, and its allies, THE 
 LONG-EARED OWL, Asia otus, THE SHORT-EARED 
 OWL, A. br achy otis, and their congeners, are out- 
 side the scope of this volume ; but THE SCOPS 
 OWL, Scops giu, THE PASSERINE OWL, Glaucidium 
 passerinum, and THE PRAIRIE OWL, otherwise called 
 the BURROWING OWL, Speotyto cunicularia, merit at 
 least a passing notice ; for the two first, though 
 
The Owl Family. 45 
 
 European species, do not often occur in these Islands 
 of their own free will, at all events and the third is a 
 South American species that from the date of its 
 first discovery by Europeans has attracted the atten- 
 tion of naturalists in no small degree from its pecu- 
 liar habits. 
 
 THE SCOPS OWL, Scops giu } is found in consider- 
 able numbers in the South of Europe, on the 
 borders of the Mediterranean, and is very docile and 
 amusing in confinement, for it comes forth at twilight 
 and flies about lightly and swiftly, catching moths and 
 other nocturnal insects on the wing. It is a charming 
 little bird, about the size of a missel thrush, and nests 
 freely in confinement, though the young are not 
 always reared. Its diet Consists of meat, especially 
 the flesh of small birds ; insects, such as moths, 
 mealworms, and cockroaches; and ants' eggs, upon 
 which it will thrive and live for a long time in health 
 and contentment. 
 
 Mr. R. Phillipps, a close observer as well as a 
 great lover of birds,, sends me the following inte- 
 resting account for publication. He says : " One is 
 apt to associate the Owl with a ferocious, bloodthirsty 
 creature, but the Scops is a very gentle little fellow, 
 and need not alarm the most timid of bird-lovers. 
 When young, Scops Owls fly so gently, so butterfly- 
 like, that it seems as if they never could be strong 
 of flight; but the adult birds are strong and rapid 
 on the wing as, indeed, they have need to be, for 
 they feed largely on moths, which they catch cleverly 
 in the air. 
 
 " The Scops is an insect-eater, and will pounce on 
 
46 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 a mealworm, beetle, grasshopper, or cockroach, with 
 all the grandeur, in its little way, of an eagle on a 
 hare. It rarely eats its prey on the ground, but carries 
 it to a neighbouring perch. Although settling on 
 the ground without hesitation, it never at any rate, 
 if in good condition and in a large aviary hops 
 or walks, and should it swallow a small insect on 
 the ground and wish to seize another only a few 
 inches distant, it will invariably rise a little in the 
 air and make a second pounce. 
 
 " Perhaps when young these birds are more comical 
 than at any other period of their existence. On the 
 approach of a stranger, or of anything they may 
 consider to be dangerous, they lengthen themselves 
 out, raise their horns, and become perfectly rigid, hiding 
 themselves (and successfully, too) behind any upright 
 stick or branch. The bird then looks more like some 
 stuffed enormity than a living creature. 
 
 " I have had the young and the adult birds, and 
 find them exceedingly easy to tame, not only feeding 
 from the hand, but flying towards me on my 
 appearance, and sitting quietly on the finger. 
 
 " My Scops-eared Owls lay freely every summer in 
 some box or barrel, and sit steadily ; but the eggs 
 have always been clear. For a long time they have 
 been kept in the same aviary with various large and 
 not over-amiable birds. Of a pair of White Jackdaws 
 they are specially afraid, and retire to rest so very 
 early in the morning, and rise so very late in the 
 evening, to avoid these spiteful companions, that 
 their feeding-hours have been reduced to a minimum, 
 and may well account for unfertile eggs. The younger 
 
The Owl Family. 47 
 
 birds seem to lay three or four eggs, and the fully- 
 developed birds six, in June. The eggs are white, 
 round, a little coarse in the grain, and very large 
 for the size of the bird. 
 
 "I feed my Scops on raw meat or sheep's heart cut 
 small, sometimes with a little cooked meat added. 
 This I place in a small flower-pot saucer on a shelf 
 where it may be easily found. Mealworms and 
 cockroaches are given from time to time. They also 
 feed occasionally from the other birds' saucers. They 
 cannot tear up large pieces of meat sufficiently to 
 sustain life, and are often slow, especially when 
 young and in a large aviary, to find their feeding- 
 saucers'. These two points must be borne in mind, 
 or your Scops will fill their stomachs with rubbish 
 and die of atrophy. I leave these birds out summer 
 and winter, except in very severe weather, when I 
 take them in as a precautionary measure; but then 
 they have plenty of room to fly about in, and shelters 
 from rain and every wind. They drink regularly, and 
 wash in the ordinary washing-pans. 
 
 "The Scops-eared Owl is very pleasingly marked 
 with various shades of brown and reddish-brown, 'but 
 varies according to the age : some specimens are 
 much redder than others, and some grey. My birds, 
 measured while sitting on a perch, seem to be nearly 
 yin. long; the breadth is considerable. When young, 
 and afterwards in a less degree, the lower part of 
 the iris is orange, the upper yellow. The horns are 
 conspicuous only when the bird is alarmed. It is 
 exceedingly difficult to distinguish the sexes; usually, 
 but not always, the male is the smaller, wilder, and 
 
48 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 more deeply marked round the face, and has a slimmer 
 appearance than his mate." 
 
 THE PASSERINE OWL, Glaucidium passerinum, is 
 about the same size as the last species, and, like 
 it, inhabits the southern parts of Europe, occurring 
 at rare intervals in the British Islands, where, of course, 
 it is invariably caught or destroyed as soon as seen. 
 In confinement it should be fed on small mice and birds 
 cut into pieces with the hair or feathers left on, as 
 the hair of the mice and the feathers of the birds have 
 a beneficial effect on the Owls, which seem to need a 
 cleansing process in their interior. They do not 
 thrive on a dietary of which they are unable to reject 
 a portion in the form of pellets ; but when they are 
 " sick " after eating, they are in good health. I have 
 not heard of their having bred in this country, either 
 in the woods or in captivity. 
 
 The eggs are two or three in number, of a white 
 colour, and the male and female take turn about to 
 incubate them ; the nest is usually placed in a hollow 
 tree. The young are said to be readily brought up by 
 hand, if care is taken to feed them at night and not 
 during the day, when they are sleepy and sometimes 
 will not open their mouths. 
 
 THE PRAIRIE, BURROWING, or COQUIMBO OWL, 
 Speotyto cunicularia, or Athene cunicularia (Wood), 
 is a native of the New World, and is well known 
 by reputation to bird-fanciers, if not as frequently 
 imported as many less interesting species. It makes 
 a very nice pet, and is capable of being perfectly 
 tamed. It is nearly twice as large as either of the two 
 species just described, and should be fed and treated in 
 
The Owl Family. 49 
 
 the same manner. It is, however, somewhat impatient 
 of cold, and should be carefully guarded against sudden 
 changes of temperature; while some attempt should 
 be made to reproduce for its benefit in captivity the 
 conditions under which it exists "at home," where 
 contrary to all analogy, and even to what might 
 naturally be deduced from its appearance, it makes 
 its dwelling under ground, sometimes in burrows of 
 its own construction, but more frequently in those of 
 the prairie-dog, a species of marmot very abundant 
 on the plains of South America. 
 
 The Prairie Owl is not, perhaps, as strictly nocturnal 
 in its habits as most of its congeners, but never- 
 theless gets confused aiTd frightened if suddenly 
 exposed to a strong light, when the pupils of its 
 eyes contract to mere slits of a hair's breadth, like 
 those of the domestic cat under similar circumstances. 
 
 The remarkably long legs of this Owl are thickly 
 covered with minute, hair-like feathers down to the 
 insertion of the talons ; although in its native haunts 
 it is not exposed to inclement weather, such as the 
 Owls of the northern hemisphere have to encounter : 
 the reason for the covering, therefore, is not apparent. 
 
 The colouring of the Prairie Owl is rather pleasing, 
 consisting as it does of several shades of brown 
 prettily disposed, and darker on the upper than on the 
 lower parts of the body which have a greyish tinge. 
 One that I kept for some time was very fond of 
 mice, but would eat meat, and preferred it raw. 
 It would not touch insects, such as blackbeetles and 
 mealworms, though some naturalists assert the species 
 to be at least partially insectivorous. Small birds were 
 
 E 
 
50 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 greedily devoured, and were invariably plucked before 
 being consumed. Mice, if small, were swallowed 
 whole, but those of a larger size were dismembered, 
 and no part was left, the fur and bones being 
 afterwards cast up in little pellets, after the manner 
 of all predaceous birds. It both drank and bathed, 
 and was always more lively in the dusk of the 
 morning and evening than at other times, retiring 
 in the day to the darkest corner of its den, where 
 it was accustomed to sit on a half-brick in preference 
 to a wooden perch, with which it was also provided. 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 TilE PARROT FAMILY 
 
 (Psittacida). 
 
 The Budgerigar The Red-faced Love-Bird The 
 Peach-faced Love-Bird The Grey-headed Love- 
 Bird The Cockatiel The Turquoisine The Grey 
 Parrot A mason Parrots Cockatoos Macaws 
 Indian Parrakeets The Hawk-headed Parrot 
 Conures The Quaker Parrakeet, &*c. 
 
 T the "Zoo" this " family" constitutes an 
 " order," Psittaci, which is divided into 
 four sub-families, to the last only of which 
 is allotted the designation I prefer for 
 the whole group and have affixed to the head of this 
 chapter. The other three are THE COCKATOOS, Caca- 
 tuidx, which is made to include THE COCKATIEL ; 
 THE NIGHT PARROTS, Stringopidae ; and THE LONG- 
 TAILED PARROTS, Palaeornithidx ; while in the fourth 
 sub-family, " Psittacidae" are included THE LOVE- 
 BIRDS, THE BROADTAILS, THE AMAZONS, THE 
 CONURES, and a host of other genera and species. 
 
 THE BUDGERIGAR, Melopsittacus undulatus, which 
 is also known by the name of Shell Parrot, Undulated 
 
 E 2 
 
52 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 Grass Parrakeet, and Warbling Grass Parrakeet, is 
 a native of South Australia, and breeds as freely 
 in confinement as a canary a well-grown specimen 
 of which familiar bird it about equals in size, though 
 its longer tail and shorter legs give it a quite different 
 appearance, as will be seen on reference to Fig. 13. 
 The general colour is vivid grass-green, the forehead 
 
 FIG. 13. THE BUDGERIGAR. 
 
 is primrose, and the back and wings are marked with 
 a number of blackish undulating lines that have caused 
 some naturalists to give it the name of Zebra Parra- 
 keet; the cere, or naked skin about the nostrils, is 
 sky-blue in the male and cream coloured in the female, 
 unless when she is nesting, when it turns brown. The 
 proper food is millet and canary-seed, to which oats 
 
The Parrot Family. 53 
 
 and soaked bread may be added when there are any 
 young ones to be fed. 
 
 The eggs are white, and vary from three to nine 
 in number ; they are incubated in about sixteen days, 
 and the young hatch out in succession, so that as 
 much as eight days may intervene between the birth 
 of the oldest and the youngest member of the little 
 family. A cocoanut husk makes a capital nesting- 
 place : it should be hung up out of reach of mice, 
 
 FIG. 14. THE RED-FACED LOVE-BIRD. 
 
 and have the aperture, which should be at one end, 
 turned towards the light. 
 
 The usual time for these birds to moult is in June 
 or July ; when the moult is over generally in August 
 they commence to breed, and continue to rear brood 
 after brood until about Christmas. They are perfectly 
 hardy, and may be kept all the year round in a properly- 
 constructed aviary out of doors, in which they will do 
 much better than if confined in a cage indoors. They 
 will live for twelve or fifteen years in the house. 
 
54 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 THE RED-FACED LOVE-BIRD, Agapornis pullaria 
 (illustrated at Fig. 14), is a general favourite. It is 
 very different in appearance from the preceding species, 
 being short and squat of figure, with a short, broad 
 tail. The general colour is green, the forehead and 
 face orange-red, and the tail barred with red and 
 black. It is a native of South-western Africa, is about 
 the size of a bullfinch, and has not bred in con- 
 finement. It should be fed on boiled maize, and may 
 also have canary-seed and millet ; but if fed on the two 
 last alone, it will soon fall into a decline and die. 
 
 THE PEACH-FACED LOVE-BIRD, Agapornis rosei- 
 collis, which bears a general likeness to the last- 
 named species, is also a native of South-western 
 Africa. It is, however, larger, being about the size 
 of a Siberian bullfinch, and its face, instead of being 
 red, is of a delicate peach-bloom colour. The tail is 
 marked in a similar manner to that of the Red- 
 face, but ( the beak, which in the latter is reddish- 
 orange, has a greenish-white tinge in the former. 
 The Red-face is a very silent bird, but the Peach- 
 face is an exceedingly noisy little creature ; and when 
 it chatters, its tail bobs up and down keeping time 
 with its rapidly-repeated note. 
 
 This species breeds freely in confinement, but the 
 sexes are so exactly alike in appearance that it is 
 difficult to get a pair. The best nest is a small 
 hollow log with a hole at one end ; it should be 
 fixed sidewise in such a manner that mice cannot 
 reach it. Feed as recommended for the Red-face. 
 Both these birds are fairly hardy, but cannot be kept 
 out of doors all the year round. 
 
The Parrot Family. 
 
 55 
 
 THE GREY-HEADED LOVE-BIRD, Agapornis cana, is 
 a native of Madagascar, and is a very nice little thing ; 
 it is about the same size as the Red-faced Love-Bird. 
 The head and neck of the male is of a delicate pearl- 
 grey colour; the rest of the body is green, except 
 the tail, which is barred with black. The female is 
 
 FIG. 15. THE COCKATIEL. 
 
 all green. Feed and treat like the two preceding 
 species. It is hardy, and may be kept out of doors all 
 the year round ; sometimes it breeds in confinement. 
 THE COCKATIEL, Calopsitta novae hollandiae, of 
 which an illustration is given at Fig. 15, is a 
 very charming bird, about twice as large as the 
 
56 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 preceding species. Its tail is long, and its head is 
 ornamented with a crest. The general colour is ash- 
 grey, with a bar of white across each wing. The face 
 of the male is yellow, which distinguishes him from the 
 female ; the tail of the latter is also marked profusely 
 with narrow yellow bars on the under-surface, while 
 that of the male is black. Both sexes have a small 
 patch of a brick-red colour on the side of the face. 
 
 FIG. 1 6. THE TURQUOISINE. 
 
 This species breeds very freely in confinement. Both 
 birds sit on the eggs the male during the day, the 
 female at night. Incubation lasts about seventeen days, 
 and the number of young varies from three to seven. 
 There are about four broods during the season, which 
 extends from May to October, the female frequently 
 beginning to lay again before the little ones have left 
 
The Parrot Family. 57 
 
 the nest. These birds are perfectly hardy. Feed as 
 recommended for the Love-Birds, adding oats and bread. 
 THE TURQUOISINE, Euphema pulchella (illustrated 
 at Fig. 1 6), from New South Wales, is intermediate 
 in size between the Budgerigar and the Cockatiel ; it 
 breeds as freely in confinement as either of them, 
 and requires the same treatment. Its general colour is 
 dark green, with turquoise-blue markings on the face, 
 
 FIG. 17. THE ROSELLA PARRAKEET. 
 
 a yellowish shade on the lower parts of the body r 
 and a patch of dull red on the shoulder. The sexes 
 do not differ much in appearance, but the female 
 shows less of the blue and red than her mate. 
 
 Among the Broadtails, Platycerci, I may mention 
 THE REDRUMP, THE ROSELLA (illustrated at Fig. 17), 
 THE PILEATED PARRAKEET, THE PENNANT and 
 
58 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 BAUER'S and BARNARD'S PARRAKEETS, as very 
 desirable birds, regretting that I can do no more 
 than name any of them. 
 
 There are some very interesting Parrots in New 
 Zealand, among which I may mention THE GOLDEN- 
 CROWNED and the RED-FRONTED PARRAKEETS. The 
 latter is quite hardy, and will breed, often quite freely, 
 in confinement. 
 
 THE GREY PARROT, Psittacus erithacus (illustrated 
 at Fig. 1 8), makes a most charming pet. Docile and 
 affectionate to a degree when rationally treated, it 
 is the best talker of any bird known, and lives 
 to a good age, even passing from generation to gene- 
 ration of human owners as a living heirloom. 
 
 For the benefit of the few who are unacquainted 
 with the bird, I may say that the head, neck, breast, 
 and back are of a light ashen-grey colour ; the wings 
 a darker grey ; the middle and lower part of the back 
 and the rump are greyish-white; the tail, as well 
 as upper- and lower-tail coverts, scarlet ; breast, belly, 
 sides, and hinder part of the body, whitish-grey; the 
 beak, black ; the eyes, black, grey, yellow, or white, 
 according to age ; the skin on the nose and a 
 circle round the eye (eye cere), featherless and greyish- 
 white ; the feet, bluish or whitish- grey, dappled with 
 black; the claws, black. The plumage of both male 
 and female is the same, and, like that of most Parrots, 
 more or less full of down. These birds vary much 
 in size, but the average length from tip of beak to 
 end of tail is from I4in. to I5^in. 
 
 Newly-imported Grey Parrots are subject to extra- 
 ordinary mortality, owing to the unhealthy way in 
 
The Parrot Family. 
 
 59 
 
 which they are usually brought over. In the first 
 place, they mostly perform the journey from their 
 native land to this country in the dark and intensely 
 hot hold of a steamship, where they are greatly 
 overcrowded. Their food is thrown on the floor of 
 the box in which they are confined, and they have to 
 
 FIG. 18. THE GREY PARROT. 
 
 pick it up and eat it contaminated with their own 
 droppings, which, amidst the intense heat, soon become 
 putrid, and implant the germs of sure and certain 
 death in the poor prisoners. As a rule, they are 
 given no water, so that their raging thirst compels 
 them to swallow the semi-liquid abominations on the 
 
6o Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 floor of their prison ; and under these circumstances 
 there is nothing to be wondered at in the small per- 
 centage of Grey Parrots that live after their arrival in 
 this country, for, in addition to typhoid fever and 
 diphtheria, which are already at work in their systems 
 owing to the treatment they have received, they con- 
 tract bronchitis and inflammation of the lungs, and 
 not one in a hundred newly-imported birds survives 
 twelve months. It behoves the reader, therefore, in 
 purchasing a Grey Parrot, to be very careful to see 
 that he is obtaining one that is thoroughly healthy 
 and acclimatised. 
 
 Few persons seem to know how to treat Grey 
 Parrots. As a rule, the poor birds get fed on " scraps 
 from the table," " bread soaked in tea, coffee, or 
 milk," and not infrequently they are deluged with water 
 " because they will not bathe "; whereas they roll in 
 sand or dust like larks and chickens. They get no 
 wood to nibble a necessity for Parrots which are 
 born whittlers and no small stones to aid them in 
 the digestion of their food. In addition, many 
 fanciers deprive the poor things of water, and force 
 them, for the sake of the moisture it contains, to eat 
 " sop," until they die from indigestion, owing to 
 over-distension of the crop. 
 
 For food, a Grey Parrot requires boiled maize (fresh 
 every day, for it soon turns sour), hemp- and canary- 
 seed (which some, however, will not touch at first), 
 a crust of dry bread, and occasionally a little ripe 
 fruit or a few nuts. "Sop" should be most carefully 
 avoided, as the traditional diet of bread and milk is 
 an abomination. No animal food should be given, 
 
The Parrot Family. 6 1 
 
 inclusive of butter or grease of any kind, or even 
 puddings containing egg or milk. 
 
 THE AMAZON PARROTS, a South American genus, 
 form a large group in themselves, the principal species 
 being THE BLUE-FRONTED, Chrysotis szstiva, which 
 is distinguished by a circlet of blue on the forehead, 
 immediately above the insertion of the upper mandible ; 
 THE FESTIVE AMAZON, C. f estiva, which is known 
 by a red patch above the tail, both of which, 
 
 FIG. 19. THE LEADBEATER COCKATOO. 
 
 and especially the latter, make very good talkers, 
 though some fanciers award the palm in this respect 
 to LEVAILLANT'S, or THE DOUBLE-FRONTED AMAZON, 
 C. levaillanti, a bird readily known by its primrose- 
 coloured head and neck, and THE GOLDEN-NAPED 
 AMAZON, C. auripalliata, which has many admirers. 
 Many other species are spoken of with approval by 
 those who have kept them. 
 
62 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 The best staple food for all the Amazon Parrots 
 is hemp-seed, which may be varied with ripe fruit, 
 plain biscuit, and nuts now and then. It is needless 
 to remark that all Parrots should have water to 
 drink, and a piece of soft wood on which to exercise 
 their beaks, the want of which often impels them 
 to pluck out their feathers and make themselves 
 anything but a "joy for ever." 
 
 THE COCKATOOS are a numerous and noisy race, but 
 
 FIG. 20. THE ROSE-BREASTED COCKATOO. 
 
 general favourites nevertheless. A lady of my ac- 
 quaintance once had as many as fifteen of them, among 
 which were two GREAT SALMON-CRESTED MOLUCCAS 
 COCKATOOS, Cacatua moluccensis, a BLUE-EYED COCK- 
 ATOO, C. ophthalmica, and a BARE-EYED COCKATOO, 
 C. gymnopis, the latter a wonderful talker. Among 
 the others were a NOSEY COCKATOO, Licmetis 
 tenuirostris, also an accomplished bird ; a LEADBEATER 
 
The Parrot Family. 63 
 
 COCKATOO, C. leadbeateri (illustrated at Fig. 19), a 
 magnificent creature with a tri-coloured crest, and a 
 plumage reminding one of raspberries and cream; and 
 a ROSE-BREASTED COCKATOO, Cacatua roseicapilla, 
 (of which an illustration is given at Fig. 20). This 
 was also a handsome bird, with a pinky-white 
 
 FIG. 21. THE GREAT WHITE COCKATOO. 
 
 short crest, grey back, wings, and tail, and a roseate 
 breast and lower parts. In the case of this Cockatoo, 
 however, it was not one of " handsome is that hand- 
 some does," for its yells were simply demoniacal. 
 
 My favourite Cockatoo is GOFFIN'S, C. gojpni, from 
 the Solomon Islands, but many people prefer THE 
 
64 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 AUSTRALIAN LEMON-CREST, C. galerita, whilst some 
 extol THE SULPHUR-CREST, C. sulphur ea, a bantam 
 among the Cockatoos, for it is no bigger than a Grey 
 Parrot, and others THE GREAT WHITE COCKATOO, 
 C. cristata (illustrated at Fig. 21). This latter is the 
 largest of the Cockatoo family and is not a bad 
 talker, but its cries are deafening. 
 
 THE MACAWS, Arina?, I have not said anything about, 
 and do not intend to enlarge upon their merits and 
 demerits, for they are too big to be general favourites, 
 and not sufficiently intelligent to compensate for their 
 destructive habits and intolerable shrieks. 
 
 THE INDIAN PARRAKEETS, Palaeornithinae, are well 
 known perhaps the longest if not the best known 
 of all their race; but I cannot say much in their praise. 
 THE ALEXANDRINE is a fine big fellow, but no 
 beauty; while THE RlNG-NECK, Palasornis torquatus, 
 is pretty enough, but decidedly treacherous; THE 
 BLOSSOM-HEAD, P. cyanocephalus^ on the other hand, 
 is docile and pretty, but stupid, as a rule; and the 
 remaining members of the group, including the rare 
 MALACCAN or LONG-TAILED PARRAKEET, P. longicauda, 
 and HODGSON'S PARRAKEET, P. Hodgsoni (Russ), 
 call for no special remark. 
 
 The Ring-neck and the Blossom-head have both 
 bred in captivity. 
 
 Hemp, canary-seed, plain biscuit, maize, and nuts, 
 with clean water, coarse grit, and soft wood, will 
 keep them all in health and condition for many years. 
 
 THE HAWK-HEADED PARROT, Deroptyus actipi- 
 trinus, is, without exception, the most delightful member 
 of the whole family; it is not a common species, even 
 
The Parrot Family. 
 
 in Brazil, its native place, but I have had the 
 good fortune to possess two examples, a female and 
 a male, and perfect gems they are, as tame as tame 
 can be, very hardy and healthy, wonderful mimics, 
 good whistlers, and very fair talkers. 
 
 The illustration (see Fig. 22) will give a good idea of 
 the peculiar feature of the plumage the ruff round the 
 
 FIG. 22. THE HAWK-HEADED PARROT 
 
 neck, which is erectile at will and of a purple-red hue 
 with blue tips to the feathers ; the same arrangement 
 of colour prevails on the breast ; the back, wings, and 
 tail are rich green ; the head grey-white, and the face 
 dark grey ; each feather is striped down the centre with 
 a yellowish-white stripe, and the whole arrangement 
 of the plumage gives the bird a decidedly hawk-like 
 
 F 
 
66 Fav.ourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 appearance, but there the likeness ends, for it is one 
 of the most gentle and playful of Parrots, and one 
 that I can heartily recommend to fanciers in search 
 of an intelligent, handsome, and most amusing pet. 
 
 THE CONURES, or WEDGE-TAILED PARROTS, classed 
 at the "Zoo" with the Macaws, are a very distinct 
 group, placed by some writers in a separate sub-family 
 under the designation Conurinas, which fits passing 
 well. The most conspicuous are THE GOLDEN CONURE, 
 C. luteus, which, as its name implies, is of a golden- 
 yellow colour generally, but has a white bill and 
 green wings ; it is very rare and expensive, but a 
 delightful bird. THE YELLOW CONURE, C. solstitialis, 
 also called THE SUN PARRAKEET ; THE NANDAY, 
 C. nanday, a green bird with a black head; THE JENDAYA 
 CONURE, C. jendaya, which rings the changes in red 
 and yellow and green, and is much sought after by 
 amateurs who love gaudy plumage ; and THE WHITE- 
 EARED CONURE, C. leucotis, which is an exceedingly 
 pretty little bird, much smaller than any of the pre- 
 ceding ; but I must warn amateurs against it, and 
 indeed all the Conures, except the Golden, as they 
 are very spiteful in a mixed aviary, and will re- 
 morselessly persecute and kill birds twice their 
 size as I found to my cost. 
 
 THE QUAKER PARRAKEET, Bolborhynchus monachus, 
 has been separated from its allies and placed in a 
 genus by itself, possibly on account of its nest- 
 building proclivities. It is curious that it should have 
 made such a wide departure from the habits of the 
 race as to build itself a nest of sticks in a tree; but 
 it has. As the Quaker Parrakeet is a very free breeder 
 
The Parrot Family. 67 
 
 in confinement and a gentle and tamable bird to boot, 
 it can be recommended to the notice of amateurs in 
 spite of its propensity for screaming, which, however, 
 is seldom indulged in when several Bolborhynchi are 
 kept together. 
 
 The genus Pionus contains some nice birds, notably 
 THE RED-VENTED PARROT, P. menstruus ; THE 
 DUSKY PARROT, P. molaceus ; THE WHITE-HEADED 
 PARROT, P. senilis; and MAXIMILIAN'S PARROT, 
 P. maximiliani. 
 
 In the genus Brotogerys we have THE ALL-GREEN 
 PARRAKEET, Brotogerys tiriacula, which is a very 
 charming creature ; THE CANARY-WINGED PARRAKEET, 
 B. -virescens ; THE GOLDEN-FRONTED PARRAKEET, 
 B. tuipara ; THE TOVI PARRAKEET, B. torn; and 
 
 THE ORANGE-WINGED PARRAKEET, B. xanthopterus, 
 which are all natives of South America, fairly hardy 
 and inexpensive, and make nice aviary birds, 
 
 F 2 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 TflE QUAIL FAMILY 
 
 (Phasianidce). 
 
 The Calif ornian Quail The Coromandel Quail 
 The Australian and Tasmanian Quails The 
 A rgoondah Quail. 
 
 ] 
 
 lUAILS are members of the gallinaceous 
 
 order, Gallinss ; but why they should have 
 been included in the Pheasant family 
 rather than in any other connected with 
 it, does not to me appear very clear. However, there 
 they are, and there I am fain to leave them for the 
 present at all events. 
 
 At first sight a Quail does not look a very likely 
 subject to make a pet of, but a closer acquaintance 
 with several of them proves to demonstration that 
 there are few nicer birds to keep. In the first place, 
 though naturally timid, they soon become familiar; 
 secondly, some of them breed quite freely in confine- 
 ment, and the young, when properly treated, are not 
 more difficult to rear than chickens ; and thirdly, they 
 are by no means difficult to preserve in health and 
 condition. 
 
The Quail 'Family. 69 
 
 THE CALIFORNIAN QUAIL, Callipepla californica, is 
 a most delightful bird, with but one drawback that I 
 know of, namely, a somewhat " touchy " disposition. 
 It is a plump, well-proportioned bird, not quite as 
 big as a partridge, of which it has very much the 
 carriage. The distinguishing feature of the species 
 consists in a tuft of plumes black in the male and 
 dark grey in the female that ornaments the head. 
 The whole of the plumage is- dark chocolate-brown, 
 except the abdomen and under-tail coverts, which are 
 nearly white. A crescent-shaped white stripe ex- 
 tends backwards from the eyes for half an inch, and 
 another white stripe starts from the base of the upper 
 mandible and passes in a circle round the throat. 
 I do not know of any birds that become so 
 thoroughly tame with their owner as these very 
 charming Quails so tame indeed as to be almost a 
 nuisance; while their pretty plumage -and quaint cries 
 combine to make them the most delightful of pets. 
 They cannot, however, be kept with other poultry, and 
 must have an enclosure to themselves, which, however, 
 they will share with thrushes, parrakeets, and other 
 feathered fowl of that kind, without any interference. 
 It is only gallinaceous birds that they evince any 
 objection to. 
 
 The eggs, which vary from ten to twenty in 
 number, are creamy white, spotted and blotched with 
 chestnut-brown ; they differ greatly in appearance^ 
 however, and I have seen some almost white. Incu- 
 bation lasts twenty-one days, and the young run 
 about directly they leave the shell. They may be 
 reared quite readily on ants' eggs (as bought), a 
 
jo Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 custard made with egg and milk, fine oatmeal, gentles 
 well scoured in bran, chopped lettuce, and a little hard- 
 boiled yolk of fresh eggs. As they get older they should 
 be gradually accustomed to a diet of millet and corn. 
 
 THE CoROMANDEL QUAIL, Coturnix coromandelica, 
 is a charming little species from India, and is about 
 the size of our English Quail, to which it bears con- 
 siderable resemblance, though it is a trifle larger, 
 and has a black, shield-like spot on the breast. The 
 female lacks this distinctive mark. 
 
 THE AUSTRALIAN and TASMANIAN QUAILS, Syn&cus 
 australis and Syn&cus diemenensis, two nearly allied 
 species, breed in confinement almost as readily as the 
 Californian. 
 
 THE ARGOONDAH QUAIL, a native of Southern 
 India, another free breeder, must close my list, which 
 would not be exhausted if I were to enumerate 
 twenty species more. The scientific name of the last 
 mentioned is Coturnix argoondah (Russ) or asiatica ; 
 it is of a brownish colour above, and black and white 
 disposed in narrow, alternate lines on the lower part 
 of the body. 
 
 All the Quails incubate for twenty-one days, and 
 bhould be fed on small corn, canary, millet, dari, &c., 
 with green food, and an occasional feed of ants' eggs 
 or gentles. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE ROBIN FAMILY 
 
 (Motacillida}. 
 
 The Blue Robin The Pekin Robin The Australian 
 
 Robin. 
 
 [OBINS are pretty widely distributed, and 
 [I representatives of the family are to oe 
 met with nearly everywhere, though they 
 differ a good deal from each other in 
 size, colour, and habits. 
 
 THE BLUE ROBIN, Sialia wilsonii (illustrated at 
 Fig. 23), is a very handsome bird from North America. 
 It is somewhat larger than our familiar redbreast. 
 All the upper parts of the body of the male are dark 
 sky-blue, the breast and under-surface reddish-brown, 
 except the vent, which is white ; the female is smaller, 
 and her blue coat is shaded with grey. 
 
 These birds frequently breed in confinement, but 
 do not always rear the young. The proper food is 
 ants' eggs, mealworms, insects of all kinds, and bread 
 and milk, or custard made of egg and milk, a little 
 raw meat occasionally, and the yolk of hard-boiled 
 e gg- 
 
72 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 THE PEKIN ROBIN, Liothrix luteus, figures at the 
 "Zoo" among the tits, but may quite as well be included 
 in the present family. It is too well known to need 
 description, and should be treated as recommended 
 for the previous species, than which it is a little smaller. 
 Male and female are alike; but the colours of the 
 latter are duller, and she does not sing. 
 
 THE AUSTRALIAN ROBIN, Motdcilla australis, is a 
 very handsome little bird, black on the upper parts, 
 
 FIG. 23. THE BLUE ROBIN. 
 
 with a carmine breast and white under-parts. It is 
 tolerably abundant in the bush, where I have fre- 
 quently listened to its short though very agreeable 
 song ; but I have never seen any of them in this 
 country, and do not think any have been imported, 
 though they might be kept readily enough on the 
 diet recommended above. 
 
 Many dealers advise millet for the Robins, but they 
 soon die of it in fits. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE SPARROW FAMILY 
 
 (Passerzt&z). 
 
 The Saffron Sparrow The Red-throated Sparrow 
 The Java Sparrow The Diamond Sparrow The 
 Parson "Finch" The Zebra or Chestnut-eared 
 "Finch" The Double-banded, Gould's, and the 
 Painted "Finches." 
 
 JPARROWS, as a rule, are grouped with 
 the Finches, from which they differ in 
 many material points ; they are a 
 numerous family, and I can only make a 
 selection from among them. 
 
 THE SAFFRON SPARROW, commonly called SAFFRON 
 FlNCH, Sycalis flaveola, is a well-known species, and 
 a favourite with amateurs, in consequence of its breed- 
 ing freely in confinement. The male is a bright, 
 greenish-yellow, except on the head, which is deep 
 saffron colour; the female is much greyer, and can 
 be readily distinguished when the sexes are seen 
 together. The young all resemble her, and the 
 males cannot be told with certainty until they moult. 
 Millet and canary-seed form the diet of these birds, 
 
74 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 which make a nest of hay, lined with feathers, in any 
 convenient hollow, and lay from three to five white 
 eggs, thickly streaked with blackish-grey. There are 
 two or three broods in the season, and when young 
 ones are in the nest, ants' eggs and soaked bread, 
 with or without milk, must be added to the bill of 
 fare. Habitat, Brazil. 
 
 Attempts to produce mules with the canary have 
 resulted in complete failure. 
 
 THE RED-THROATED SPARROW, or CORAL or 
 RIBBON FINCH, Amadina fasciata (illustrated at 
 
 FIG. 24. THE? RED-THROATED SPARROW. 
 
 Fig. 24), is a well-known species, conspicuous by a red 
 mark across the throat of the male, to which it owes 
 the ominous appellation (Cut-throat) by which it is 
 generally known. 
 
 Food and treatment as in the case of the preceding 
 species. 
 
 THE JAVA SPARROW, Padda oryzivora (illustrated 
 at Fig. 25), is another well-known bird, of which 
 there are two distinct varieties the ordinary leaden- 
 blue and the white, both of which breed quite freely 
 
The Sparrow Family. 75 
 
 in the aviary, where they will rear numerous broods 
 without fuss or trouble on the diet recommended 
 above. 
 
 FIG. 25. THE JAVA SPARROW. 
 
 THE DIAMOND SPARROW, Amadina lathami (see 
 Fig. 26), is an Australian species frequently imported, 
 but not so free a breeder in confinement as any of 
 the preceding. It is a pretty bird, with a melancholy, 
 
 FIG. 26. THE DIAMOND SPARROW. 
 
 wailing cry, makes a large nest of grass, snugly lined 
 with feathers, in a tall bush or in a cage or box, lays 
 four or five white eggs, and feeds its young on a 
 combined diet of seed and insects. 
 
76 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 THE PARSON " FINCH/' Poephila cincta, is a native 
 of the eastern parts of Australia, and bears many 
 points of resemblance to the preceding, but is alto- 
 gether a more striking-looking bird; it is a trifle 
 smaller than the Diamond Sparrow, which about equals 
 our siskin in size. The general colour is brown, the 
 head and neck are bluish-grey, a black band crosses 
 the throat and another passes behind the thighs ; the 
 under-tail coverts are white, and the tail black. 
 
 Food and treatment the same as recommended for 
 the last species. 
 
 FIG. 27. THE ZEBRA FINCH. 
 
 THE ZEBRA or CHESTNUT-EARED " FINCH," Amadina 
 castanotis (illustrated at Fig. 27), is rather smaller than 
 the preceding, but, like it, a true Sparrow and a native 
 of Eastern Australia. 
 
 The male is a perky little creature somewhat difficult 
 to describe ; the female is readily distinguished from 
 her mate by the absence of purple-spotted sides and 
 the chestnut-coloured ear patches, her plumage being 
 for the most part grey ; the beak is coral-red. The 
 young resemble the hen, but have a black instead of 
 
The Sparrow Family. 77 
 
 a red bill. Treatment and food identical with the 
 previous species. 
 
 It breeds very freely in captivity, producing from 
 three to seven young four or five times a year. 
 
 THE DOUBLE-BANDED, GOULD'S, and the PAINTED 
 11 FINCHES" can only be mentioned; the two last are 
 rare and consequently expensive, delicate, and quite 
 out of reach of the ordinary amateur. 
 
 The remaining members of the family, which are 
 many, cannot even be named within the limits of this 
 work. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE STARLING FAMILY 
 
 (Sturnidce). 
 
 The Glossy Starlings Mynahs The Rose-coloured 
 Pastor. 
 
 HIS is a well-defined family, or " natural 
 order," and comprises some very notice- 
 able birds, foremost among which are THE 
 GLOSSY STARLINGS, Genus Lamprocolius, 
 namely, THE GREEN GLOSSY STARLING, L. chalybeus ; 
 THE PURPLE-HEADED GLOSSY STARLING, L. auratus ; 
 THE RUFOUS-VENTED GLOSSY STARLING, L. rufi- 
 -ventris ; and THE LONG-TAILED GLOSSY STARLING, 
 Lamprotornis azneus, all magnificent creatures, glisten- 
 ing in the sunshine with metallic hues of green, bronze, 
 gold, and purple. Many of them have bred in confine- 
 ment, and all require the same treatment as our English 
 Starling : namely, meat, insects, egg, fruit, and custard, 
 though many other things may be added to eke out 
 the above. 
 
 THE MYNAHS, Genus Gracula, are included in this 
 family, and some of them make splendid talkers and 
 mimics ; their general colour is black, with yellow 
 
The Starling Family. 79 
 
 beaks and legs, but THE MALABAR MYNAH, Sturnia 
 malabarica, is grey and brown. It has nested in 
 confinement in more than one aviary, but is rather 
 quarrelsome during the breeding season. 
 
 THE ROSE-COLOURED PASTOR, Pastor roseus, is a 
 Starling with a light pink breast and a black crest; 
 its habitat is India, but not infrequently it makes 
 migratory incursions into Central Europe, and has 
 even, it is said, occasionally visited our shores ; but 
 I fancy the two or three specimens that have been 
 shot here had escaped from aviaries, and were not 
 emigrants of their own free will and accord. 
 
 It requires the same treatment as our native repre- 
 sentative of the family. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 TflE TANAGER FAMILY 
 
 ( Tanagrida). 
 
 The Superb Tanager The Brazilian Tanager The 
 Violet Tanager The All-Green Tanager The 
 Thick-billed Tanager -The Black-headed Tanager 
 The Green-headed Tanager ; 
 
 HIS family includes some of the very 
 handsomest birds that are to be met with 
 in any part of the world, but, except 
 the species described in this chapter, 
 are seldom imported, as they are difficult to preserve 
 alive in confinement. 
 
 THE SUPERB TANAGER, Calliste fastuosa, is a 
 bird that almost beggars description, so many and 
 varied are the hues of its brilliant coat, on which 
 bluish-green with a golden gloss vies with velvety 
 black, and golden orange with pale blue, and the 
 deepest azure, all combining to produce a tout- 
 ensemble that might well be taken for a creature 
 of the artist's imagination had not many specimens 
 of the bird been seen alive at various times in the 
 collection of the Zoological Society, and even in 
 
The Tanager Family. 81 
 
 those of amateurs, while scarcely a show takes 
 place at the Crystal Palace without one or more 
 Superb Tanagers being exhibited. The size of this 
 brilliant creature is about that of our goldfinch. 
 It is unfortunate that so gorgeous a denizen of the 
 tropics should be short-lived in our bleak climate, but 
 so it is, in spite of infinite care, even at the ft Zoo." 
 The food should consist almost entirely of ripe 
 grapes and ants' eggs. 
 
 THE BRAZILIAN TANAGER, Ramphoc&lus brasilius 
 (illustrated at Fig. 28), is a much larger, if less showy, 
 
 FIG. 28. THE BRAZILIAN TANAGER. 
 
 bird than the last, being about the size of a lark. It is 
 of a rich purple-red colour all over, except the wings 
 and tail, which are jet black. The female is reddish- 
 brown, with a deeper shade of brown on the wings. 
 This species has been bred repeatedly, and the 
 young reared successfully, by a lady aviarist in 
 Belgium, but not as yet, that I have heard, else- 
 where. The food is raw beef, shredded up fine ; 
 boiled rice, sweetened ; grapes, oranges, raisins, and 
 ants' eggs. 
 
 G 
 
82 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 THE VIOLET TANAGER, Euphonia vwlacea, is one 
 of the small species, not exceeding the siskin in size. 
 On the back it is of a dark violet-black, and on the 
 lower parts a rich yellow. It is frequently imported, 
 but never endures very long unless supplied with 
 plenty of sweet fruit : grapes, pears, oranges, bananas, 
 and so on. It is a quiet little bird, which is more 
 than can be said of the Brazilian Tanager. 
 
 Other members of the family, or group, are THE 
 ALL-GREEN TANAGER, Chlorophonia viridis, suffi- 
 ciently described by its name; THE THICK-BILLED 
 TANAGER, Euphonia crassirostris ; THE BLACK- 
 HEADED TANAGER, Pipridea melanonota; THE GREEN- 
 HEADED TANAGER, Calliste tricolor, and THE 
 FESTIVE TANAGER, Calliste /estiva all fine birds, 
 and named, except the last, from some distinguishing 
 characteristic of form or colouring. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THE THRtJSH FAMILY 
 
 (TurdidcE]. 
 
 The American Mocking-Bird The American Robin 
 The Rock Thrush The Blue or Solitary Thrush 
 The Grey-winged Blackbird The. Orange- 
 headed Ground Thrush The Sorry Thrush The 
 Brown Thrush. 
 
 REPRESENTATIVES of the Thrush family 
 
 are to be met with in all parts of the 
 globe, from the Falkland Islands in the 
 Southern to Iceland in the Northern 
 Atlantic, as well as in every intermediate station, both 
 in the Old World and the New. 
 
 THE AMERICAN MOCKING-BIRD, Mimus polyglottus 
 (see Fig. 29), perhaps the most famous member of 
 the family, and concerning which so much has been 
 written by Wilson, Audubon, and other American 
 naturalists, is an insignificant-looking grey bird, less in 
 size than our Thrush and of slimmer build ; its lower 
 parts are greyish-white. The female greatly resembles 
 the male, and has frequently bred in confinement 
 in this country. As the Mocking-Bird I had in my 
 
 G 2 
 
Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 possession some years ago never sang, it was probably 
 a female. The food is similar to that provided for 
 
 V 
 
 FIG. 29. THE AMERICAN MOCKING-BIRD. 
 
 larks, but more ants' eggs should be given, and occa- 
 sionally a little raw lean meat. 
 THE AMERICAN ROBIN, Turdus migratorius, is a 
 
 FIG. 30. THE ROCK THRUSH. 
 
 Thrush, and derives its English name from its ruddy 
 breast. 
 
 THE ROCK THRUSH, Monticola saxatilis (illustrated 
 
The Thrush Family. 85 
 
 at Fig. 30), is a small bird, with the head, neck, and 
 back of a deep bluish-grey, the shoulders blackish, 
 the lower part of the back and the rump white, the 
 upper tail-coverts and the tail itself red, the wings 
 dark brown, each feather marked with a small darker 
 spot of the same colour, the under-parts reddish-brown, 
 the irides brown, and the bill blue-grey. The female 
 is duller in appearance, and has the tail and tail- 
 coverts reddish-brown. 
 
 FIG. 31. THE BLUE THRUSH. 
 
 Nearly all authorities are agreed as to the merits 
 of the Rock Thrush as a songster, but it is not a 
 common bird, and consequently commands a high 
 price. It should be fed as advised for the American 
 Mocking-Bird. Habitat, Central Europe. 
 
 THE BLUE or SOLITARY THRUSH, Monticola 
 cyanus (illustrated at Fig. 31), is even more seldom 
 met with than the preceding, which it fairly rivals 
 in personal beauty and vocal merits. The upper 
 
 
86 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 parts are dark bluish-grey, but the head and back are 
 sky-blue ; the wings and tail are bluish-black, the 
 eyes brown, and the legs and feet black. 
 
 The food should be identical with that recommended 
 for the preceding species, than which it is even more 
 expensive in this country. Habitat, Central Europe. 
 
 Other members of the family, all exceedingly desir- 
 able as inmates of the soft-billed birds' aviary, are 
 THE GREY-WINGED BLACKBIRD, Turdus pcecilopterus, 
 from Cashmere; THE ORANGE-HEADED GROUND 
 THRUSH, GeociMa citrma ; THE SORRY THRUSH, 
 T. tristis, from Mexico; and THE BROWN THRUSH, 
 T. leucomelas, from South America. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 TflE WARBLER FAMILY 
 
 (Sylvudas). 
 
 The Nonpareil The Pin-tail or East Indian Non- 
 pareil The Indian Dial-Bird, or Shamah. 
 
 ARBLERS are a well-defined group, and 
 I may be straining relationships a trifle 
 when I include with them such birds as 
 the Nonpareils and the Indigo Warbler; 
 but I do not see where else I can put the latter, unless 
 I take him as the type of a distinct family, which 
 I scarcely think I should be warranted in doing. 
 
 THE NONPAREIL, Cyanospiza ciris, is a well-known 
 bird whose chief habitat is in the southern parts of 
 the United States, whence it is annually exported to 
 Europe in very large numbers, which, as a rule, soon 
 die in consequence of the general ignorance that 
 prevails as to its habits and position in the great 
 family of birds. 
 
 Few of our foreign favourites are more brilliantly 
 clad than the Nonpareil, with his head, neck, and 
 throat shimmering with bright violet-blue tints; his 
 wings of reddish-brown; back, shoulders, and edges 
 
Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 of the tail feathers yellowish-green, while the rest 
 of the under-parts are scarlet. 
 
 The female is much more soberly attired in yellowish- 
 green, and the young males resemble her ; so that 
 amateurs who think they have a pair are very often 
 disappointed when they find they have only got an 
 old cock and a young one. 
 
 These birds have occasionally bred in confinement, 
 making a nest of hay or fibre in a bush on a founda- 
 tion of their own construction, or in a basket hung 
 up behind some convenient shelter. The eggs, which 
 are from three to five in number, are bluish-white, 
 speckled with violet and brown. The readiest food 
 consists of ants' eggs, given as bought, and to this 
 should be added small ripe fruit, gentles in the pupa 
 stage of their existence, groats, and millet. It must 
 be recollected that these birds are mainly insecti- 
 vorous, and cannot live long on a diet composed of 
 seed alone, which they cannot digest in any quantity, 
 and which if persisted in will cause constipation and 
 fits, from which so many Nonpareils die in captivity. 
 
 THE PIN-TAIL or EAST INDIAN NONPAREIL, Ery- 
 thrura prasina, is a native of Java and Sumatra, and 
 at one time used to be very freely imported; but, 
 owing to its correct management not being understood, 
 it seldom survived long in this country, and amateurs 
 gave it up. However, it may be preserved as long 
 as its American cousin, by adopting for it the dietary 
 recommended for the latter, with the addition of a 
 free supply of paddy rice ; that is to say, rice in the 
 husk, on which it has even bred in the aviary of 
 Dr. Russ, of Berlin. 
 
The Warbler Family. 89 
 
 The arrangement of colours in the Pin-tail Nonpareil 
 is very similar to that in the American bird, although 
 they are scarcely as intense as in the latter; the tail 
 feathers, however, are brown with scarlet edges, but 
 the central pair are much longer than the others, 
 and terminate in a fine point, whence the name ; 
 they are dark scarlet in colour. 
 
 The female is olive-green on the back, dull yellowish- 
 brown underneath, and wants the blue head and scarlet 
 belly. 
 
 Size about that of our goldfinch. 
 
 THE INDIAN DIAL-BIRD, or SHAMAH, Copsychus 
 saularis, which, notwithstanding its first English name, 
 is found in the southern parts of China and the 
 Philippine Islands, as well as in India, is every- 
 where highly esteemed as a songster and a very 
 charming cage pet. 
 
 It is a slim-made bird, very light and graceful in 
 its movements, and although expensive, very fre- 
 quently to be seen at shows, where it generally 
 commands attention. 
 
 In size it is somewhat less than an English thrush, 
 and requires feeding as recommended on a previous 
 page for the mocking-bird. 
 
 It has bred repeatedly in the western aviary at the 
 11 Zoo," and would doubtless do so in private aviaries 
 if females could be more readily obtained ; these are 
 very seldom imported, however, and appear to be 
 more delicate in confinement than their mates. 
 
 Mr. R. Phillipps, to whom I am indebted for par- 
 ticulars of the Scops Owl and the Drongo, has 
 kindly supplied the following account of the Shaman, 
 
90 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 which from personal experience he can strongly 
 recommend as making, in good hands, a most 
 interesting pet. He says : " The Shamah is a little 
 larger and longer than the nightingale, with a longer 
 tail, and is like to that bird in many of its habits. 
 At first sight it appears to be black over all the 
 upper parts, and also on the head, neck, throat, and 
 upper part of breast. The flight feathers are, how- 
 ever, brown of different shades, and the feathers on 
 the lower part of the back are white. The centre 
 four feathers of the tail are longer than the others, 
 and of a dead-black colour ; the four feathers on 
 either side being black with white ends ; the outer 
 feathers having more white than the inner, the line 
 between the two colours being drawn slanting. The 
 black feathers entirely conceal the white below, so 
 that when the bird is crouching in a dark corner, as 
 it habitually does when frightened, not a speck of 
 white shows, and the bird is almost invisible, except 
 to a practised eye. When flying, however, the white 
 is conspicuous. On rare occasions, when excited by 
 the presence of a rival, and probably also when 
 courting, the male moves the white feathers of the 
 tail scissors fashion, with great rapidity, producing a 
 curious effect. The lower part of the breast, the 
 under-parts, and the small feathers under the shoulders, 
 are of a rich reddish-brown, the line between this 
 colour and the black on the upper part of the breast 
 being sharply drawn. In the male, the black of the 
 head, neck, and shoulders is very deep and glossy. 
 In the female, however, these parts are more slate- 
 coloured, and the colours generally less distinct. The 
 
The Warbler Family. 91 
 
 wings are rounded, the fourth feather being the 
 longest, and the flight is jerky and rather weak. The 
 legs and claws are dull white, the beak black-brown. 
 The total length of an ordinary male is loin., of 
 which the tail is 5in. 
 
 "The Shamah delights in dark holes and corners, 
 and when in the garden usually keeps low down 
 among the shrubs and thickets. It is exceedingly 
 fond of the lower and smaller boughs of rhododen- 
 dron bushes, and from the midst of these will warble 
 forth its sweet and gentle song by the hour, ascend- 
 ing and hiding among the leaves at roosting-time. 
 So low and gentle is this^song that it can be heard 
 only by those who are near, and by those who have 
 observant ears. Some people seldom hear the voice 
 of the charmer, charm he never so wisely. In the 
 house during the winter also the Shamah gives forth 
 its sweetest strains when entirely hidden from view 
 in some dark corner. What a sweet-tempered, 
 gentle, amiable, little darling ! So you may say if 
 you have but one. Alas ! our sweet-tempered angel 
 has but to hear a note from one of its kind when, 
 emerging from its obscurity and casting all its 
 amiability to the winds, bounding to the top of 
 the highest available post of observation, it pours 
 forth such a volley of abuse, in notes of defiance 
 so powerful and full, that it is difficult to believe 
 that it is the same bird, or sometimes, indeed, that 
 such notes can come from a bird at all. If the 
 intruder be " get-at-able/' a chase immediately follows, 
 and the stranger will probably be injured or de- 
 stroyed unless the birds be separated. For a time I 
 
92 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 kept two fairly-matched males in my garden, in the 
 non-rapacious birds' aviary ; but it was a mistake. 
 It was worth a king's ransom, nevertheless, to see 
 them, from time to time, on the ground, face to face, 
 a few inches apart, singing, whistling, and warbling 
 at one another, in notes which were perfectly 
 marvellous, and far excelling anything I have ever 
 heard coming from a lone bird. Undoubtedly the 
 Shamah is a wondrous songster and whistler; but 
 individual specimens vary considerably, probably ac- 
 cording to their bringing up. I have been told of 
 a Shamah which could whistle several tunes with 
 perfect accuracy. This bird died eventually of old 
 age, having been in the same home for a number 
 of years. The ordinary call-notes of the Shamah, 
 however, are repeated too frequently by some speci- 
 mens, until they become monotonous. 
 
 " It is not seen to advantage when kept shut up in 
 a cage. Like the nightingale and many owners of 
 nightingales do not know this if allowed plenty, of 
 liberty, it will become very bold, familiar, and tame, 
 taking food freely from the hand. In the house it 
 should have a cage for its home, in which its food, 
 &c., should be placed a cage with an open door. 
 One I had in my dining-room used to come on to the 
 table at meal-times, take pieces of meat off my plate, 
 and hop about quite at home ; and it would retire to 
 its den and warble forth a song of thankfulness and 
 praise, putting many of the lords of creation to shame. 
 The same with one in my bird-room, or in the garden 
 during the summer, always popping out from some- 
 where with a 'Tit/ and an impudent jerk of the tail, 
 
The Warbler Family. 93 
 
 on the look-out for a mealworm. And this 'popping 
 out from somewhere/ or often from 'nowhere/ is 
 one of the idiosyncrasies of the bird. The door may 
 have been left open, and the Shamah has disappeared. 
 You may search every nook and corner, high and low, 
 upstairs and downstairs, but no Shamah. You come 
 into the room an hour later, and there is your bird all 
 right. 
 
 " If confined in a cage, it should be in a box-cage, or 
 in one which has a sheltered and darkened corner, 
 and in the cage there should be a small natural bough, 
 and also a ledge or box high up, as it is very fond of 
 roosting on a flat place ajid high. 
 
 "The Shamah will thrive much better in a garden 
 aviary during the summer than in the house, especially 
 if there be plenty of shrubs and places of shelter. 
 Indeed, if confined in a cage in the house during the 
 warm weather, it is apt to pluck out its feathers, unless 
 fed with tiresome judiciousness. It is best to bring 
 it, back to the house as soon as it shows signs of 
 moulting, as it will throw out a much finer tail in 
 the warm than in the cold. But, although bearing 
 a good deal of cold, if sudden changes of temperature 
 be avoided, it is a delicate bird in another way. It is 
 nervous, excitable, and naturally timid ; and if it be 
 confined in an open cage without a dark retreat, or 
 with too large perches, you may expect a paralytic 
 seizure. It must have a supply of good grit, plenty 
 of water for both drinking and washing, and doughy 
 and indigestible food must be avoided like poison. 
 It is very keen after mealworms, cockroaches, and 
 insects of all kinds. The more small insects you 
 
94 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 can place in its way, the better; and for stock food, 
 the same as that given to nightingales will suit. 
 Two males should not be kept together, and even 
 towards nightingales, blue robins, and some other 
 soft-billed birds, it is not always too friendly. But 
 in my garden, where there is plenty of cover and 
 a good deal of space, I have never known the 
 Shaman interfere with any bird but one of its own 
 species/' 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE WAXBILL FAMILY 
 
 The Grey or Common Waxbill The St. Helena Wax- 
 bill The Orange-cheeked Waxbill The Cinereous 
 Waxbill The Crimson-eared Waxbill The Ava- 
 davat Waxbill The Green Waxbill The Golden- 
 breasted Waxbill The Red African Waxbill 
 The Violet -eared Waxbill The Sydney or 
 Australian Waxbill. 
 
 HIS is a very numerous family, and includes 
 some of the most favourite foreign birds 
 
 that are to be met with in the collections 
 of amateurs and the shops of the whole- 
 sale importers and dealers in this country. They are 
 tiny birds for the most* part, with pretty plumage and 
 lively ways, but little or no power of song. They are 
 easily kept in confinement, being very frugal livers, 
 subsisting for the most part on white sorghum- (millet) 
 seed, and not infrequently nesting in the aviary with 
 as much readiness and more success than the canary. 
 THE GREY or COMMON WAXBILL, Estrelda (or 
 Russ) cinerea (illustrated at Fig. 32), is a 
 
96 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 charming little creature, not much bigger than a 
 golden-crested wren. It is a native of Eastern Africa, 
 but has been naturalised at St. Helena and in other 
 places, and is imported by thousands into this country. 
 The colour of this miniature bird is grey, darker on 
 the upper than on the lower parts of the body, which 
 last are suffused with a subdued rosy tint, deepening 
 at the vent ; the feathers of the back, back of the 
 neck, and head are marked with wavy lines of a 
 darker shade than the body colour ; the bill is bright 
 
 FIG. 32. THE GREY WAXBILL. 
 
 red, and a streak of the same colour passes from it 
 across the face, embracing the eyes, and terminating 
 beyond the ears ; the legs and feet are grey, and the 
 tail feathers, except the central pair, which are- dark 
 brown, are edged with white. 
 
 In confinement these tiny creatures make a big 
 nest of fibre or hay snugly lined with feathers, either 
 in a bush or the centre of a birch-broom ; or they 
 will avail themselves of the convenience and protection 
 of a Hartz-Mountain canary-cage. The eggs are pure 
 
The Waxbill Family. 97 
 
 white, five or six in number, and about the size of a 
 pea; the young are hatched in eleven or twelve days, 
 and are readily enough reared on ants' eggs and 
 aphides, both of which should be freely supplied to 
 the parents. On emerging from the nest, the young 
 ones are all grey, and have black bills. 
 
 THE ST. HELENA WAXBILL, Estrelda rubriventris 
 (see Fig 33), is sometimes absurdly called the Pheasant 
 Finch. It is a larger bird than the preceding, to 
 which, however, it bears a general resemblance, and, 
 
 FIG. 33. THE ST. HELENA WAXBILL. 
 
 like it, though a native of the eastern parts of Africa, 
 has become established at St. Helena in such numbers 
 that it does serious damage to the millet crop's, and 
 is caught in thousands, which are exported to Europe 
 and America, where it is in much request as a hand- 
 some, hardy, and lively inmate of the parlour aviary. 
 The wavy lines on the back and sides of this 
 species are much more pronounced than in the case 
 of the Grey Waxbill ; the under-parts, especially the 
 
 H 
 
98 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 vent, are of a much deeper red, and the red of the 
 bill and eye-streak more intense. The long tail is 
 black and kept in incessant motion, now jerked up 
 and down, then spread out fan-wise ; and whether the 
 bird is feeding, hopping about, or singing, the tail 
 vibrates in keeping with every, movement, and has been 
 compared, not inaptly, to the pendulum of a clock. 
 
 This pretty bird not only breeds freely with members 
 of its own species in the aviary, but will also pair 
 and produce hybrids with the Grey Waxbill, as well 
 as contract matrimonial alliances with the members 
 of other species which, however, I have found to 
 be unfruitful. For instance, a male that has been 
 in my possession for several years paired last summer 
 (1890) with a hen canary, but the only result was 
 barren eggs, though the little Waxbill was most 
 attentive to his yellow-coated spouse. 
 
 The food, treatment, and nesting arrangements of 
 this species are identical with those of the last. 
 
 THE ORANGE-CHEEKED WAXBILL, Estrelda melpoda 
 (illustrated at Fig. 34), is another charming species, 
 the same size as the Grey Waxbill ; its general colour 
 is brown on the upper and greyish-white on the under- 
 parts of the body; the rump is red, and the tail 
 nearly black; a reddish-orange patch surrounds the 
 eye, the beak is of the same colour, and the legs and 
 feet of a reddish flesh-tint. 
 
 It is an exceedingly free breeder in the aviary. One 
 that I had for a long time paired with a hen Cordon 
 Bleu, and the eggs were fertile ; but an accident over- 
 took them just as they were due to hatch, and the 
 chance did not occur again. 
 
The Waxbill Family. 99 
 
 The food and treatment of this species are the same 
 as in the case of those preceding. Many readers 
 will, no doubt, seeing that all these birds are of 
 African origin, be surprised to hear that they are so 
 hardy that they will even bear to be wintered out of 
 doors with impunity in this bleak climate of ours. 
 They must, however, of course have a snug aviary, 
 well protected from the weather, and especially from 
 the rain, which is far more fatal to them than the 
 cold. They must also have cosy nests, in which to 
 
 FIG. 34. THE ORANGE-CHEEKED WAXBILL. 
 
 pass the long, weary hours of darkness ; and, above 
 all, there must be no mice about to drive them out 
 of their comfortable sleeping places in the night, to 
 perish from fright and cold before morning. 
 
 THE CINEREOUS WAXBILL, Estrelda c&rulescens, also 
 called the Lavender Finch, is another West African 
 species, about the same size as the last. The 
 general colour is a delicate lavender-grey, deeper on 
 the back, wings, and shoulders than on the breast 
 
 H 2 
 
ioo Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 and belly. The rump and tail are bright red, and 
 the feathers of the vent and the under-tail coverts 
 dusky red ; the bill is dark red, and the eye-streak 
 black ; the legs and, feet are grey. 
 
 This species is more delicate than the preceding, 
 and is decidedly impatient of cold. It is a troublesome 
 little bird, too, in the aviary, from a habit it has of 
 plucking its companions; for which reason I am not 
 as well acquainted with its habits as with those of 
 the birds I have already described, nor has it ever 
 bred with me. Food : millet- and canary-seed. 
 
 THE CRIMSON-EARED WAXBILL, commonly known 
 as THE CORDON BLEU, Estrelda phaenicotis, is de- 
 cidedly one of the nicest birds out. It had at one 
 time the reputation of being very delicate, and for a 
 long time I entertained the same opinion ; but further 
 experience with it convinced me at last that this was 
 quite a mistake, and that the Cordon Bleu was not 
 less tender than its congeners. 
 
 It is an excessively pretty little creature, the same 
 size as those previously noticed (except the St. Helena), 
 and may thus be described : bill, red ; face, breast, 
 sides, tail, light blue ; top of head, neck, back, and 
 wings, ash-grey ; ear-coverts, crimson ; legs and feet, 
 pale flesh-colour. 
 
 The female resembles her mate, but wants the 
 crimson ear-patch, and is very pretty and gentle; she 
 breeds quite freely in the aviary, and if she cannot 
 find a mate of her own species, will take up with any 
 of the preceding. The young on emerging from the 
 nest resemble their mother, but have black bills. 
 
 Food, &c., as for the preceding species. 
 
The Waxbill Family. 101 
 
 THE AVADAVAT WAXBILL, Estrelda amandava (illus- 
 trated at Fig. 35), is a common Indian bird, also 
 known as the Tiger Finch. It is about the same size 
 as the Grey Waxbill, but is subject to numerous 
 changes of plumage, not only at different ages, but at 
 different seasons of the year. It is decidedly a more 
 delicate creature than the African Waxbills, but should 
 be fed and treated as advised for them. 
 
 When in full plumage the male is a handsome little 
 fellow, resplendent in bronze and gold, and plentifully 
 speckled with white spots; the female is grey, and 
 
 FIG. 35. THE AVADAVAT WAXBILL. 
 
 does not change colour, but when the male is in undress 
 he resembles his partner in a general way, only that 
 his costume is a trifle darker than hers. 
 
 One great drawback these little birds have namely, 
 they are very apt to become bald and otherwise 
 featherless; and when this happens, I have never known 
 the plumage to be reproduced. 
 
 Some I had for a long time used to build nests 
 freely, but never laid, and I believe it is very rare for 
 the Avadavat to breed in this country. 
 
IO2 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 THE GREEN WAXBILL, or GREEN AVADAVAT, Es- 
 trelda formosa, which is a pretty bird, is somewhat 
 larger than the common Avadavat. The upper parts of 
 the body are dark olive-green ; the wings and tail dark 
 greenish-brown ; the lower parts are dull yellow, all 
 more or less marked with wavy lines of a darker 
 shade than the body colours ; the beak is bright red. 
 There is very little difference between the sexes, but 
 the colours of the female are duller than those of the 
 male. 
 
 Though common in their own country India they 
 are not very frequently imported. I have not heard 
 of their breeding in this country, and I have found 
 them decidedly delicate. 
 
 Food and treatment the same as for the other 
 Waxbills. 
 
 THE GOLDEN-BREASTED WAXBILL, Estrelda sub- 
 flava, is the least of all the Waxbills, and is as pretty 
 as it is small, and otherwise desirable. 
 
 The upper part of the body is dark olivaceous-brown ; 
 the wings and the tail dark greenish-brown ; the lower 
 parts are golden-yellow, with a reddish tinge on the 
 breast and at the vent ; the sides are darker, and 
 each tiny feather in that situation has a yellow edge ; 
 the beak is dusky red, and a line of dark orange 
 surmounts the eye like an eyebrow. 
 
 The female is altogether duskier in appearance, and 
 lacks the golden sheen on the breast ; but her sides 
 present the same zebra markings as her mate markings 
 to which these diminutive creatures owe another of 
 their names : that of Zebra Waxbill. 
 
 Their food and mode of nesting are exactly like that 
 
The Waxbill Family. 103 
 
 of their congeners, but the eggs are the smallest I 
 ever saw, with the exception of some almost micro- 
 scopical specimens laid by humming-birds. 
 
 In my aviary these very charming little creatures 
 have frequently built nests and laid eggs ; but, owing 
 to one mischance or another, never succeeded in pro- 
 ducing any young. Other amateurs, however, have 
 been more fortunate. Dr. Russ relates an instance 
 in which a pair of these birds brought up no less than 
 fifty-four young ones in one year out of 12 1 eggs 
 laid by the same hen. 
 
 THE RED AFRICAN WAXBILL, also known as THE 
 FIRE FlNCH, Estrelda* minima^ is about the same 
 size as the preceding species. The head, neck, 
 breast, and rump are vivid scarlet ; the back and 
 wings reddish-brown ; the vent olivaceous-brown, and 
 the lower two-thirds of the tail dark brown ; the bill 
 is red, and the legs and feet are bright flesh-colour. 
 The female is greyish-brown, with a subtint of red 
 where that colour predominates in the male ; her beak is 
 a paler red than his, but her legs and feet rather darker. 
 
 This tiny bird will breed freely in confinement if 
 kept comfortably warm, but will not do so if the 
 temperature of the place where he is kept falls 
 much below yodeg. Fahr., while Sodeg. or godeg. will 
 also suit him very well. He would be quite at home 
 in a hot-house, where he would keep the plants clear 
 of insects, and do no harm himself ; while the 
 small amount of dirt he and his partner would make 
 could readily be got rid of by the syringe. 
 
 Food and treatment (except warmth), the same as 
 for the other Waxbills. 
 
104 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 THE VIOLET-EARED WAXBILL, Estrelda granatica, 
 is as rare in this country as the last species is common. 
 It is a native of the same parts of Africa namely 
 West and Central but is much hardier than the Red 
 Waxbill. The general colour is a rich, soft brown, 
 a narrow rim of very bright blue encircles the beak, 
 and another the root of the tail, the cheeks are marked 
 by a large patch of brilliant violet, and the beak is 
 coral-red. 
 
 The female is generally duller in appearance than 
 her mate, and her cheeks show less of the distinctive 
 violet colouring than his. 
 
 Both sexes, but especially the male, sing very 
 sweetly. So far, I have not heard of their breeding 
 in confinement. 
 
 Food : millet- and a little canary-seed, ants* eggs, 
 crumbled sponge-cake, and a few small mealworms 
 daily. 
 
 THE SYDNEY or AUSTRALIAN WAXBILL, Estrelda 
 temporalis, is a common bird in its native land, but 
 is nevertheless not of such frequent occurrence here 
 as many of its congeners, in consequence of its being 
 generally thought delicate : I have not found it so 
 at least, not more delicate than the other Waxbills ; 
 and Dr. Russ has succeeded more than once in getting 
 them to breed in his aviary. 
 
 The top of the head, back of the neck, back, and 
 wings are olive-green ; the throat and face greenish- 
 blue ; the breast and belly yellowish-green ; the tail 
 very dark green ; the beak is bright red, and a broad 
 streak of the same colour passes from it, surrounding 
 the eye, to the back of the head: the rump and 
 
The Waxbill Family. 105 ' 
 
 upper tail-coverts are also bright red; the legs and 
 feet are yellowish-grey. 
 
 The female is like her mate, but has a somewhat 
 smaller eye-mark. They are very peaceable and quiet 
 little birds, about the size of the Green Waxbill, and 
 require to be fed and treated in the same way. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 TllE WEAVER FAMILY. 
 
 (Ploceida:}. 
 
 The Napoleon Weaver The Yellow-shouldered 
 Weaver The Crimson-crowned Weaver The 
 Oryx Weaver The Red-headed or Madagascar 
 Weaver The Orange Weaver, or Orange Bishop 
 The Red-headed Weaver The Black-faced 
 Weaver, or Red-beaked Weaver The Paradise 
 WhydahThe Pin-tailed Why dak The Yellow- 
 backed Why d ah The Combassou, 
 
 HIS very curious group of birds is con- 
 fined to the great African Continent, and 
 numbers in its ranks many beautiful and 
 desirable species. They are chiefly cha- 
 racterised by their habit of weaving nests of 'such 
 surpassing strength and beauty of construction as to 
 be unequalled by any other members of the class 
 Aves in this respect ; another of their peculiarities 
 being that the males, just before the season of pairing, 
 or rather at its commencement, make what are called 
 " toy nests ;" that is to say, artistic constructions of no 
 apparent use, seeing that they are not even occupied 
 
The Weaver Family. 107 
 
 for sleeping purposes, and differ considerably in shape 
 from the nests proper built by the females for the 
 reception of their eggs and young. The materials 
 used in both cases consist of tough grass stems, so 
 firmly interwoven that they cannot be pulled asunder 
 without difficulty. 
 
 Many of these birds have bred in confinement, and 
 the males are always ready to show off their skill at 
 toy-nest building ; and these cleverly- woven bowers, 
 which the architects themselves make no use of, are 
 very serviceable as sleeping boxes for the Waxbills 
 and other tiny people of that sort. 
 
 THE NAPOLEON WEATOR, Ploceus melanogaster 
 (Russ), is a curious -looking bird whose colours of 
 brown, black, and yellow are disposed in the following 
 manner : the top of the head, upper part of the neck, 
 breast and sides, are bright yellow ; the wings and 
 tail are brown, each feather in the former having a 
 darker edging; the throat, front of the face, lower 
 part of the back of the neck, and the belly, velvety- 
 black ; the beak is white, and the strong legs and 
 feet flesh-colour. 
 
 The female is brown ; and when out of colour the 
 male can only be distinguished from her by his some- 
 what larger size. 
 
 All the Weavers are hardy birds, change their plumage 
 twice a year, and are fed on canary-seed and millet. 
 They are very active, and should have plenty of room 
 they do very well in an out-door aviary during the 
 summer, but suffer from cold and damp, and should 
 always be taken in during the inclement season. 
 
 At the London Zoological Gardens the Napoleon 
 
io8 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 Weaver is known by the name of Euplectes qfer, and 
 is classed with the Waxbills and Mannikins, which is 
 confusing, and a little misleading too. 
 
 THE YELLOW-SHOULDERED WEAVER, Euplectes ca- 
 pensis, is a native of Tropical Africa, and must be 
 treated accordingly. The general colour is black, but 
 the shoulders and the middle of the back are bright 
 yellow ; the wings are greyish-brown. 
 
 THE CRIMSON-CROWNED WEAVER, Euplectes flam- 
 miceps, has the head, neck, throat, nape, breast and 
 back, rump, and upper tail-coverts of scarlet ; the 
 shoulders are brown ; the wings and tail black ; the 
 lores, ear-coverts, chin, lower breast, and belly black ; 
 the bill is also black. 
 
 The female is brown, and distinguishable from other 
 female Weavers by the darker colour of her mandibles. 
 
 THE ORYX WEAVER, Ploceus oryx (Russ), or 
 Euplectes oryx, is known in the trade as the 
 Grenadier Weaver. It is just like a Napoleon Weaver 
 whose yellow tints had been changed to a vivid red. 
 The beak is dusky orange, and the legs and feet a 
 brighter shade of the same colour. It is about the 
 size of a well-grown goldfinch. 
 
 Writing of this bird, which he says breeds freely 
 in the aviary, Mr. Wiener remarks : <( One of the 
 strangest sights a collection of Weaver-birds affords 
 is the Oryx when endeavouring to attract the notice 
 of the hen bird. He will gradually raise his body 
 and blow himself out until he looks much larger 
 than he is, and the feathers stand nearly erect ; whilst 
 he will utter sounds which seem a mixture of hissing, 
 chirping, and the noise of scissors-grinding. Should 
 
The Weaver Family. 109 
 
 the female remain indifferent to the charms of this 
 music, he will chase her all over the aviary ; but 
 presently his vanity will overcome his wrath, and he 
 will begin to blow himself out afresh." 
 
 THE RED-HEADED or MADAGASCAR WEAVER, Foudia 
 madagascariensiSy is a native of the island to which 
 it owes its name (in the Zoological List it is said 
 to come from the Isle of France) ; and, like many 
 of its congeners, has become acclimatised in the 
 Mauritius, at St. Helena, and elsewhere. It is a 
 large bird, about the size of a common sparrow 
 all red, except the wings and tgil, which are 
 reddish-brown ; the bill is white, and the legs and 
 feet reddish-orange. In the aviary it is apt to be 
 somewhat tyrannical, and should not be lodged with 
 any of the Waxbills, whom it would probably harry 
 to death during the breeding season, when it will 
 also remorselessly persecute the smaller members of 
 its own race. 
 
 Food and treatment as for the other Weavers. 
 
 THE ORANGE WEAVER, or ORANGE BISHOP, 
 Euplectes franciscanus, is smaller than the last 
 species, being about the size of a goldfinch. The 
 male when in full colour is bright reddish-orange on 
 the throat, upper part of breast, nape, shoulders, 
 back, and the long upper tail-coverts; the top of the 
 head is black, which is also the colour of the lower 
 part of the breast and the belly; the beak is dusky 
 red, and the legs and feet reddish. 
 
 It is an excitable and restless bird, and fights 
 bitterly with the males of its own species ; it does 
 not even spare its own female, which it drives about 
 
no Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 incessantly during the breeding season. Still, as the 
 Orange Bishop is an eminently handsome bird, many 
 people will like to have it in their possession ; and it 
 is well they should be warned as to the character 
 of the creature they are about to take to their 
 bosoms. Notwithstanding, one male and one female 
 of this species will do very well in a good-sized 
 aviary placed entirely at their disposal, and in all 
 probability will breed, if provided with suitable 
 nesting-material and not unduly interfered with by 
 the owner. 
 
 THE RED-HEADED WEAVER, Foudia erythrops, is 
 distinguished by its bright red head, which curiously 
 surmounts a brownish, sparrow-looking body. The 
 beak is dusky horn-colour, and the legs and feet dull 
 reddish-yellow. 
 
 THE BLACK-FACED WEAVER, or RED-BEAKED 
 WEAVER, Quelea sanguinirostris, is a native of Western 
 Africa, and is the most frequently imported of all the 
 Weavers. It is one of the smallest members of its 
 race. The bill is bright red, and is surrounded by a 
 wide black ring ; the rest of the head, neck, breast, 
 and belly are reddish-yellowish-brown; the wings and 
 tail are dark reddish-brown, and the legs and feet 
 dull orange-colour. 
 
 There are quite a number of other Weaver-birds, 
 but they are not 'as frequently imported as those I 
 have named and described. 
 
 I now pass on to an allied group of birds which 
 are usually classed with the Weavers, but never- 
 theless differ from them in many points, though they 
 
The Weaver Family. 1 1 1 
 
 resemble them in others, and on the whole are 
 better included in this family than placed in a divi- 
 sion by themselves. 
 
 To English amateurs they are known as Whydah- 
 birds, the name being derived from that part of the 
 Dark Continent where most of them are to be met 
 with namely, the kingdom of Whydah on the West 
 Coast of Africa, their distinguishing feature being the 
 extraordinarily long tail grown by the male during the 
 breeding season, when these elongated feathers fre- 
 quently attain to a length of fourteen and even sixteen 
 inches, which, as the bird itself only* measures about 
 five inches, is certainly a little out of proportion ! 
 
 THE PARADISE WHYDAH, Vidua paradisea (illus- 
 trated at Fig. 36), is a most graceful creature. The 
 general colour of the bird when in its full nuptial 
 dress is black that is to say, the head and face ; the 
 wings and the long tail are of that colour, but the neck, 
 nape, and breast are dusky orange, while the belly 
 and vent are a lighter shade of the same tint; the 
 beak is dusky horn, and the legs and feet leaden- 
 grey. 
 
 The tail consists of twelve feathers, the central 
 pair of which grow to the greatest length and have 
 an inward curve, so that when the tips nearly touch 
 the ground as the bird hops about, the centre of these 
 long plumes is a good way from it. The next pair 
 are about a quarter of the length of the central pair 
 and twice as broad they are inserted sidewise, and 
 have a hair-like termination which is really a pro- 
 longation of the midrib of the feather; the remaining 
 tail feathers are short and inconspicuous. 
 
ii2 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 These very handsome birds necessarily require a 
 large cage, in order to preserve their strikingly- 
 ornamental caudal appendage; and, placed in a large 
 aviary, in perfect plumage, the graceful flight of the 
 bird, with his long sweeping tail, is a sight of great 
 
 FIG. 36. THE PARADISE WHYDAH. 
 
 beauty. When feeding on the ground, the Whydah- 
 bird carries his tail very carefully in a graceful 
 curve, the tips of the long feathers just touching the 
 ground, while the active feet scratch the sand, or mould, 
 something after the fashion of the poultry tribe. 
 
The Weaver Family. 113 
 
 The long tail and the velvety-black plumage of 
 the male are only worn for a short time; that is 
 to say, during the breeding season : at other times it 
 has a short tail and a greyish-brown coat, something 
 like that of a caged redpoll which is always that 
 of the female; the latter, however, can be readily 
 distinguished from her elegant husband by her much 
 smaller size. 
 
 These birds are fed on millet- and canary-seed, but 
 require the addition of ants' eggs during the moulting 
 season. 
 
 It will be found to be a good plan to save the shells 
 of ail the eggs used in the house, dry them thoroughly 
 in the oven or on top of the kitchen range, pound 
 them up coarsely, and strew them on the floor of the 
 aviary, where portions of them are greedily swallowed 
 by all birds, the females elaborating from them shells 
 for their own eggs, and both sexes finding help for 
 the formation of their plumage from the carbonate of 
 lime contained in the broken shells. 
 
 THE PIN-TAILED WHYDAH, Vidua principalis (illus- 
 trated at Fig. 37), is a smaller bird than the pre- 
 ceding, being about the size of a redpoll. Its tail is 
 almost as long as that of the Paradise Whydah, but 
 composed of much less conspicuous feathers, for they 
 are not a third as broad as those of its congener. 
 In young birds the elongated plumes number two only ; 
 but when the bird is three or four years old, they 
 are increased to four. 
 
 The beak is red, a line round it is black, as are 
 the head, nape, shoulders, back, and tail ; the remaining 
 portions of the plumage are white, except the large 
 
Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 wing-coverts and the upper tail-coverts, which have a 
 yellowish tinge. 
 
 The female is brownish-grey, but her beak resembles 
 that of the male; the legs and feet of both sexes are 
 lead-colour. 
 
 While the Paradise Whydah is a quiet, peaceable 
 bird, the Pin-tail is a very quarrelsome and disagree- 
 
 FIG. 37. THE PIN-TAILED WHYDAH. 
 
 able inmate of the aviary, where he leads all the 
 other birds a sad life, worrying and pursuing even 
 those that are more than twice his size. 
 
 As in the case of the preceding species, the Pin- 
 tailed Whydah only wears his distinctive garb during 
 the breeding season, assuming at other times the 
 appearance of the female. 
 
The Weaver Family. 115 
 
 It is said that this species has been bred in con- 
 finement ; but the assertion is doubted by Mr. Wiener, 
 nor have I seen any indication in specimens that 
 have come under my notice at different times that 
 would lead me to the conclusion that the Pin-tailed 
 Whydah would be induced to nest and rear its brood 
 in this country. 
 
 THE YELLOW-BACKED WHYDAH, Coliopasser ma- 
 j or, according to Dr. Russ, Vidua macroura, 
 
 is a much larger bird than either of the preceding, 
 attaining the size of a full-grown cock sparrow 
 
 2dmg, 
 r. It 
 
 FIG. 38. THE COMBASSOU. 
 
 is a very beautiful creature, clothed in velvety-black 
 as to the greater portion of its plumage during the 
 nuptial season, but the shoulders are golden yellow, 
 and the centres of the wing-coverts a dark shade of 
 the same colour ; the bill is bluish-grey, the lower 
 mandible being of a lighter tint than the upper; the 
 legs and feet are dark lead-colour. The female is 
 light grey on the back, with dark brown wings and 
 tail. On the back and shoulders each feather has a 
 narrow yellow edge, and the breast is greyish-white. 
 
 I 2 
 
u6 Favourite Foreign Birds. 
 
 This species is of much rarer occurrence in this 
 country than either of the preceding. 
 
 THE COMBASSOU, OR ULTRAMARINE FINCH, Frin- 
 gilla nitens (illustrated at Fig. 38), is now generally 
 allowed to be a member of the group we are con- 
 sidering. It is a very pretty little creature, quiet as 
 a rule, but occasionally displaying a disposition to 
 enact the part of tyrant over its companions, par- 
 ticularly during the breeding season, when it dons its 
 beautiful steel-blue coat, for at other times it is not 
 at all unlike a female redpoll. 
 
 This change of colour, and the habit of scratching 
 with the feet on the ground, connect it clearly with the 
 Whydahs, though it cannot boast of their excessive 
 wealth of tail-feathering. 
 
 It is a native of Abyssinia, and requires to be 
 kept warm, otherwise it will not moult, and will 
 then soon fall into a decline. 
 
 Food : millet- and canary-seed, and ants' eggs, which 
 must be given as bought. 
 
 Many more might be added to the foregoing did 
 not exigencies of space forbid ; but it is hoped that 
 the beautiful species here mentioned will suffice for 
 beginners, at all events, who will find them the 
 most charming and attractive of pets, and be well 
 rewarded for the money, care, and attention spent 
 upon the little strangers. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 , 95 
 
 A. 
 
 95 
 Agapornis cana, 55 
 
 pullaria, 54 
 
 roseicollis, 54 
 Alario Finch, 33 
 Alaudida, 38 
 AlcedinidcB, 35 
 Alexandrine Parrakeet, 64 
 All-Green Parrakeet, 67 
 
 Tannager, 82 
 Amadina castanotis, 76 
 
 fasciata, 74 
 
 lathami, 75 
 Amazon, Blue-fronted, 61 
 
 Double-fronted, 61 
 
 Festive, 61 
 
 Golden-naped, 61 
 
 Levaillant's, 61 
 
 Parrots, 51, 6 r 
 American Mocking-Bird, 83 
 
 Robin, 84 
 
 Argoondah Quail, 70 
 Arinte, 64 
 Asio brachyotis, 44 
 
 otus, 44 
 Asionidtz, 44 
 Athene cunicularia, 48 
 Australian Crested Dove, 19 
 
 Green-winged Pigeon, 20 
 
 Kingfisher, 37 
 
 Lemon-crested Cockatoo, 64 
 
 Quail, 70 
 
 Robin, 72 
 
 Waxbill, 104 
 Avadavat, 101 
 
 Green, 102 
 Aviculture, Popularity of, I 
 
 B. 
 
 Bar-breasted Mannikin, 43 
 Bare-eyed Cockatoo, 62 
 
 Pigeon, 23 
 
 Barnard's Parrakeet, 58 
 Barred Dove, 17 
 Barred-shouldered Dove, 1 8 
 Bauer's Parrakeet, 58 
 Bengalese, 39 
 Bengali, 39 
 Bicudo, 32 
 Bishop, Orange, 109 
 Blackbird, Grey-winged, 8b 
 Black Bullfinch, 3 1 
 
 Lark, 38 
 
 Black-crested Cardinal, 8 
 Black- faced Weaver, no 
 Black-headed Nun, 42 
 
 Tanager, 82 
 
 Blood- breasted Pigeon, 19 
 Blood-stained Finch, 33 
 Blossom-headed Parrakeet, 64 
 Blue Magpie, Chinese, 14 
 
 Magpie, Spanish, 14 
 
 Pie, Chinese, 14 
 
 Robin, 71 
 
 Thrush, 85 
 Blue-bearded Jay, 14 
 Blue-eyed Cockatoo, 62 
 Blue-fronted Amazon, 61 
 olborhynchus monachus, 66 
 Brazilian Tanager, 8 1 
 Broadtail Parrakeets, 51 
 Bronze-spotted Dove, 21 
 Bronze-winged Mannikin, 45 
 Brotogerys, 67 
 
 tiriacula, 67 
 
 tovi, 67 
 
 ttiipara.) 67 
 
Tl8 
 
 Index. 
 
 Brotogerys virescens, 67 
 
 xanthopterus, 67 
 Brown Thrush, 86 
 Bubo maximus, 44 
 Budgerigar, 51 
 Bullfinch, Black, 31 
 Bullfinch-headed Lark, 38 
 Burrowing Owl, 48 
 Bush Lark, Madras, 38 
 
 C. 
 
 Cacatua cristata galerita, 64 
 
 goffini, 63 
 
 gymnopis, 62 
 
 leadbeateri, 63 
 
 moluccensis, 62 
 
 ophthalmica, 62 
 
 roseicapilla, 63 
 
 sulphured, 64 
 Cacatuidce, 51 
 
 Calandrella brachydactyla, 38 
 Californian Quail, 69 
 Calliopasser macrurus, 115 
 Callipepla calif arnica,) 69 
 Calliste fasiuosa, 80 
 
 /estiva, 82 
 
 tricolor, 82 
 
 Calopsitta novas hollandice, 55 
 Canary-winged Parrakeet, 67 
 Cape Dove, 16 
 Cardinal, Black-crested, 8 
 
 Crestless, 7 
 
 Family, 4 
 
 Green, 8 
 
 Grossbeak, 9 
 
 Red-crested, 5 
 
 Yellow-billed, 7 
 Cardinalities, 4 
 Cardinalis virginianus, 9 
 Carpodacus erythinus, 33 
 
 hcemorrhous, 33 
 Chalcopelia chalcospilos, 21 
 Chalcophaps chrysochlora, 20 
 
 indica, 20 
 
 Chestnut-bellied Mannikin, 43 
 Chestnut-eared Finch, 76 
 Chibia hottentotta, 25 
 Chinese Blue Pie, 14 
 
 Blue Magpie, 14 
 
 Lark, 38 
 
 Chlorophonia viridis, 82 
 Chrysotis auripalliata, 6 1 
 , 61 
 
 Chrysotis f estiva, 6 1 
 
 levaillanti, 61 
 Cinereous Waxbill, 99 
 Cissa venatoria, 13 
 Classification, 3 
 Cockatiel, 51, 55 
 
 Cockatoo, Australian Lemon- 
 crested, 64 
 
 Bare-eyed, 62 
 
 Blue-eyed, 62 
 
 Goffin's, 63 
 
 Great Salmon-crested, 62 
 
 Great White, 64 
 
 Leadbeater, 62 
 
 Lemon-crested, 64 
 
 Moluccan, 62 
 
 Nosey, 62 
 
 Rose-breasted, 63 
 
 Salmon, 62 
 
 Sulphur-crested, 64 
 Cockatoos, the, 51, 62 
 Coliopasser macrurus^ 115 
 Cohnnba corensis, 23 
 
 gymnophthalma^ 23 
 
 leucocephala, 23 
 
 picazurO) 23 
 Cohunbidce, 15 
 Combassou, 116 
 Conure, Carolina, 66 
 
 Golden, 66 
 
 Jendaya, 66 
 
 White-eared, 66 
 
 Yellow, 66 
 Conures, the, 51, 66 
 Comtrince, 66 
 Conurus jendaya^ 66 
 
 leticotis, 66 
 
 hiteus, 66 
 
 nanday, 66 
 
 solstitialis, 66 
 Copsychus satilariSy 89 
 Coral Finch, 74 
 Coquimbo Owl, 48 
 Cordon Bleu, 100 
 Coromandel Quail, 70 
 Corvida, 1 1 
 Cotiirnix argoonda, 70 
 
 astatic a, 7 
 
 coroniandelica, 70 
 Crested Dove, Australian, 19 
 Crimson-crowned Weaver, 108 
 Crimson-eared Waxbill, 100 
 Crithagra albogularis t 34 
 
 butyracea, 32 
 
 chrysopyga, 34 
 
Index. 
 
 119 
 
 Crithagra musica, 32 
 Crowned Pigeon, 23 
 Crow, Family, n 
 
 Hunting, 13 
 
 White-backed Piping, 12 
 Cut-throat Finch, 74 
 Cyanocorax cyanopogon, 14 
 
 pileatus, 14 
 Cyanopolius cooki^ 14 
 
 cyanus, 14 
 Cyanospiza ciris, 87 
 
 D. 
 
 Dacelo gigantea^ 35 
 Dendrocitta vagabunda y 14 
 Deroptyus accipitrinus, 64 
 Dial Bird, Indian, 89 
 Diamond Sparrow, 75 
 Dicrurida, 24 
 Diuca Finch, 31 
 Diuca grisea, 31 
 Double-banded "Finch," 77 
 Double-fronted Amazon, 61 
 Dove, Australian Crested, 19 
 
 Barred, 17 
 
 Barred- shouldered, 18 
 
 Bronze-spotted, 21 
 
 Cape, 1 6 
 
 Egyptian Turtle, 23 
 
 Family, 15 
 
 Geoffrey's, 23 
 
 Graceful Ground, 17 
 
 Harlequin, 16 
 
 Java, 22 
 
 Mauge's, 23 
 Drongo Family, 24 
 
 Great Rocket-tailed, 24 
 
 Hottentot, 25 
 
 Indian, 24 
 Dusky Parrot, 67 
 
 E. 
 
 Eagle Owl, 44 
 East Indian Nonpareil, 88 
 Egyptian Turtle Dove, 23 
 Erythrura prasina, 88 
 Estrelda amandava^ 101 
 
 cinerea, 95 
 
 carulescens, 99 
 
 formosa, 102 
 
 granatica, 104 
 
 Estrelda melpoda, 98 
 
 minima, 103 
 
 phcenicotisi IOO 
 
 mbriventriS) 97 
 
 subflava, 102 
 
 tetnporaliSj 104 
 Euphema pulchella, 57 
 Euphonia crassirostris, 82 
 
 violacea, 82 
 Enplectes afer t 108 
 
 capensis, 108 
 
 JlammicepSt 103 
 
 franciscanus, 109 
 
 ^r/jc, 1 08 
 Exotic and native races compared, 2 
 
 F. 
 
 Festive Amazon, 61 
 
 Tanager, 82 
 Finch, Alario, 33 
 
 Blood-stained, 33 
 
 Coral, 74 
 
 Chestnut-eared, 76 
 
 Diuca, 31 
 
 Double-banded, 77 
 
 Family, 30 
 
 Fire, 103 
 
 Gould's, 77 
 
 Green Singing, 32 
 
 Grey Singing, 32 
 
 Hartlaub's, 34 
 
 Hooded, 43 
 
 Lavender, 99 
 
 Maja, 41 
 
 Masked, 33 
 
 Melodious, 31 
 
 Olive, 31 
 
 Painted, 77 
 
 Parson, 76 
 
 Pheasant, 97 
 
 Purple, 33 
 
 Ribbon, 74 
 
 Ruddy, 33 
 
 Saffron, 73 
 
 Tiger, 101 
 
 Topela, 43 
 
 Totta, 33 
 
 Ultramarine, 116 
 
 Zebra, 76 
 Fire Finch, 103 
 Foudia erythropsy HO 
 
 madagascariensis, 
 Fringilla alario, 33 
 
I2O 
 
 Index. 
 
 Fringilla hartlaubi, 34 
 nitens, 116 
 purpura, 33 
 totta, 33 
 
 ) 9, 30 
 
 G. 
 
 Gallincz, 68 
 Geocichla citrina^ 86 
 Geoffrey's Dove, 23 
 Geopelia ctmeata, 17 
 
 humeralis, 18 
 
 mattgceiy 23 
 
 striata, 17 
 
 Giant Kingfisher, 34 
 Glaucidium passerinum, 48 
 Glossy Starlings, 78 
 Goffin's Cockatoo, 62 
 Golden-breasted Waxbill, 102 
 Golden Conure, 66 
 Golden-crowned Parrakeet, 58 
 Golden-fronted Parrakeet, 67 
 Golden-naped Amazon, 61 
 Gould's "Finch," 77 
 Graceful Ground Dove, 17 
 Grac^^la, 78 
 Grass Parrakeet, Undulated, 51 
 
 Parrakeet, Warbling, 52 
 Great Salmon-crested Moluccan 
 Cockatoo, 62 
 
 White Cockatoo, 64 
 Green Avadavat, 102 
 
 Cardinal, 8 
 
 Glossy Starling, 78 
 
 Singing Finch, 32 
 
 Waxbill, 102 
 
 Green-headed Tanager, 82 
 Green- winged Pigeon, Australian, 20 
 
 Pigeon, Indian, 20 
 Grey Parrot, 58 
 
 Singing Finch, 32 
 
 Waxbill, 95 
 
 Grey-headed Love-Bird, 55 
 Grey-winged Blackbird, 86 
 Grossbeak, Cardinal, 9 
 Ground Dove, Graceful, 17 
 
 Thrush, Orange-headed, 86 
 Gtilernatrix cristatella, 8 
 Gymnorhina leuconota, 12 
 
 crganica^ 12 
 
 H. 
 
 Halcyon sancta, 36 
 Harlequin Dove, 16 
 
 Hartlaub's Finch, 34 
 Hawk-headed Parrot, 64 
 Hodgson's Parrakeet, 64 
 Hooded Finch, 43 
 Hunting Crow, 13 
 
 I. 
 
 Indian Dial Bird, 89 
 
 Green-winged Pigeon, 20 
 Pintail, 88 
 Parrakeets, 64 
 
 Jackass, Laughing, 35 
 Java Dove, 22 
 
 Sparrow, 74 
 Jay, Blue-bearded, 14 
 
 Pileated, 14 
 Jendaya Conure, 66 
 
 K. 
 
 Kingfisher, Australian, 36 
 Family, 35 
 Giant, 34 
 Ternate, 37 
 
 Lamprocolius, 78 
 
 auratus, 78 
 
 chalybetts, 78 
 
 ruftventriS) 78 
 Lamprotornis ceneus y 78 
 Lanizis hottentotta, 24 
 Lark, Black, 38 
 
 Bullfinch-headed, 38 
 
 Chinese, 38 
 
 Family, 38 
 
 Madras Bush, 38 
 
 Short-toed, 38 
 
 Thick-billed, 38 
 Laughing Jackass, 35 
 Lavender Finch, 99 
 Leadbeater's Cockatoo, 62 
 Lemon-crested Cockatoo, 64 
 Levaillant's Amazon, 61 
 Licmetis tenuirostris^ 62 
 Liothrix litteus, 7 2 
 
Index. 
 
 121 
 
 Long-eared Owl, 44 
 
 Long- tailed Glossy Starling, 7$ 
 
 Parrakeet, 64 
 
 Parrots, 51 
 Love-bird, Grey-headed, 55 
 
 Madagascar, 55 
 
 Peach-faced, 54 
 
 Red-faced, 54 
 Love-Birds, the, 51 
 Loxia totta, 33 
 
 M. 
 
 Macaws, the, 64 
 Madagascar Love-Bird, 55 
 
 Weaver, 109 
 Madras Bush-Lark, 38 
 Magpie, Chinese Blue, 14 
 
 Spanish Blue, 14 
 Maja Finch, 41 
 Malabar Mynah, 79 
 Malaccan Parrakeet, 64 
 Mannikin, Bar-breasted, 43 
 
 Bronze- winged, 43 
 
 Chestnut-bellied, 43 
 
 Family, 39 
 
 Topela, 43 
 Masked Finch, 33 
 Mauge's Dove, 23 
 Maximilian's Parrot, 67 
 Melanocorypha mongolica, 38 
 
 yeltonieiisis, 38 
 Melodious Finch, 31 
 Melopyrrha nigra, 31 
 Melospsittacus itndulatus, 51 
 Minnis polyglottus, 83 
 Mirafra affinis, 38 
 Mocking-Bird, American, 83 
 Moluccan Cockatoo, 62 
 Monticola cyanus, 85 
 
 saxatilis, 85 
 Motacilla aus traits, 72 
 Motacillidcc, 71 
 Miinia acnticauda, 39 
 
 cantaitS) 42 
 
 citciillata, 43 
 
 maja, 41 
 
 Malacca, 42 
 
 iiisoria, 43 
 
 punctiilaria, 41 
 
 rubro-nigra, 43 
 
 sinensis, 42 
 
 fr//<z, 43 
 Muniida, 39 
 
 Mynah, Malabar, 79 
 Mynahs, the, 78 
 
 N. 
 
 i Xanday Parrakeet, 66 
 I Napoleon Weaver, 107 
 Native and exotic races compared, 2 
 New Zealand Parrakeets, 58 
 Nicobar Pigeon, 23 
 Nightingale, Virginian, 9 
 Night Parrot, 51 
 Nonpareil, 87 
 
 East Indian, 88 
 
 Pintail, 88 
 Nosey Cockatoo, 62 
 Nun, 'Black-headed, 42 / 
 
 Three-coloured, 42 
 
 White-headed, 41 
 Nutmeg Bird, 41 
 
 O. 
 
 Ocyphaps lophotes, 19 
 (Ena capensis, 1 6 
 Olive Finch, 31 
 Orange Bishop, 109 
 
 Weaver, 109 
 
 Orange-cheeked Waxbill, 98 
 Orange-headed Ground Thrush, 86 
 Orange- winged Parrakeet, 67 
 Oryx Weaver, 108 
 Owl, Burrowing, 48 
 
 Coquimbo, 48 
 
 Eagle, 44 
 
 Family, 44 
 
 Long-eared, 44 
 
 Passerine, 48 
 
 Prairie, 48 
 
 Scops, 45 
 
 Short-eared, 44 
 
 P. 
 
 Padda oryzivora, 74 
 Painted "Finch," 77 
 Paltzornis cyanocephahis, 64 
 
 Hodgsoni, 64 
 
 longicauda, 64 
 
 torquaitis, 64 
 Palceornithidtz, 51 
 Pal(zomithin<e, 64 
 
122 
 
 Index. 
 
 Paradise Whydah, 1 1 1 
 
 Paroaria capitata, 7 
 cucullata, 5 
 larvata, 7 
 
 Parrakeet Alexandrine, 64 
 All-Green, 67 
 Barnard's, 58 
 Bauer's, 58 
 Blossom-headed, 64 
 Canary-winged, 67 
 Golden-crowned, 58 
 Golden-fronted, 67 
 Hodgson's, 64 
 Long-tailed, 64 
 Malaccan, 64 
 Nanday, 66 
 New Zealand, 58 
 Orange-winged, 67 
 Pennant, 57 
 Pileated, 57 
 Quaker, 66 
 Red-fronted, 57 
 Redrump, 57 
 Ring-necked, 64 
 Rosella, 57 
 Sun, 66 
 Tovi, 67 
 Torquoisine, 57 
 Undulated Grass, 52 
 Warbling Grass, 52 
 Zebra, 52 
 
 Parrakeets, Indian, 64 
 
 Parrot, Dusky, 67 
 Family, 51 
 Grey, 58 
 
 Hawk-headed, 64 
 Maximilian's, 67 
 Red-vented, 67 
 Shell, 51 
 White-headed, 67 
 
 Parrots, Amazon, 51, 6 1 
 Broad-tailed, 51 
 Long-tailed, 51 
 Night, 51 
 Wedge-tailed, 66 
 
 Parson "Finch," 76 
 
 Passeridtz, 73 
 
 Passerine Owl, 48 
 
 Pastor, Rose-coloured, 79 
 
 Pastor roseuS) 79 
 
 Peach-faced Love-Bird, 54 
 
 Pekin Robin, 72 
 
 Pennant Parrakeet, 57 
 
 Peristera, 23 
 
 PhasianidfSy 68 
 
 Pheasant Finch, 97 
 Phillipps, Mr. R., quoted, 26, 45, 89 
 Phloganas cruentata, 19 
 Phonipara musictis^ 31 
 
 oiivaceuS) 31 
 Picazuro Pigeon, 23 
 Pie, Chinese Blue, 14 
 
 Spanish Blue, 14 
 
 Wandering, 14 
 Pigeon, Australian Green- winged, 20 
 
 Bare-eyed, 23 
 
 Blood-breasted, 19 
 
 Crowned, 23 
 
 Indian Green-winged, 20 
 
 Nicobar, 23 
 
 Picazuro, 23 
 
 Porto Rico, 23 
 
 Tambourine, 21 
 
 White-crowned, 23 
 Pileated Jay, 14 
 
 Parrakeet, 57 
 Pin-tail Nonpareil, 88 
 
 Whydah, 113 
 Pionus maximiliani, 67 
 
 menstrtiusy 69 
 
 seniliS) 69 
 
 violaceuS) 69 
 Piping Crow, Australian, 12 
 
 Crow, Tasmanian, 12 
 
 Crow, White-backed, 12 
 Pipridea nielanonota, 82 
 Platycerd, 57 
 Ploceidce, 1 06 
 Ploceus melanogaster, 107 
 Poephila cincta, 76 
 Pope, 7 
 
 Porto Rico Pigeon, 23 
 Prairie Owl, 48 
 Psittaci, 51 
 Psittacida, 51 
 Psittacus erithacuS) 58 
 Purple Finch, 33 
 Purple-headed Glossy Starling, 78 
 
 Quail, Argoondah, 70 
 
 Australian, 70 
 
 Californian, 69 
 
 Coromandel, 70 
 
 Family, 68 
 
 Tasmanian, 70 
 Quaker Parrakeet, 66 
 j Quelea sanguinirostris^ HO 
 
Index. 
 
 123 
 
 R. 
 
 Ramphoc&his brasilius, 8 1 
 Red African Waxbill, 103 
 Red-beaked Weaver, 1 10 
 Red-crested Cardinal, 5 
 Red-faced Love-Bird, 54 
 Red-fronted Parrakeet, 58 
 Red-headed Weaver, 109, no 
 Redrump Parrakeet, 57 
 Red-throated Sparrow, 74 
 Red-vented Parrot, 67 
 Ribbon Finch, 74 
 Ring-necked Parrakeet, 64 
 Robin, American, 84 
 
 Australian, 72 
 
 Blue, 71 
 
 Family, 71 
 
 Pekin, 72 
 Rock Thrush, 85 
 Rose-breasted Cockatoo, 62 
 Rose-coloured Pastor, 79 
 Rosella Parrakeet, 57 
 Ruddy Finch, 33 
 Rufous-vented Starling, 78 
 
 S. 
 
 Saffron Finch, 73 
 
 Sparrow, 73 
 St. Helena Seed-eater, 32 
 
 Waxbill, 97 
 
 Salmon-crested Cockatoo, 62 
 Scientific Names, 3 
 Scops gin, 45 
 Scops Owl, 45 
 Seed-eater, St. Helena, 32 
 
 White-throated, 34 
 Shamah, 89 
 Shell Parrot, 51 
 Short-eared Owl, 44 
 Short-toed Lark, 38 
 Sialia Wilsonii> /I 
 Silverbill, 42 
 Singing Finch, Green, 32 
 
 Finch, Grey, 32 
 Solitary Thrush, 85 
 Spanish Blue Magpie, 14 
 Sparrow, Diamond, 75 
 
 Family, 73 
 
 Java, 74 
 
 Red-throated, 74 
 
 Saffron, 73 
 Speotyto cuniciilaria^ 48 
 
 Starling Family, 78 
 Glossy, 78 
 Green Glossy, 78 
 Long-tailed Glossy, 78 
 Purple-headed Glossy, 78 
 Rufous-vented Glossy, 78 
 
 Stringopidw, 51 
 
 Sturnia malabarica^ 79 
 
 Stiirnidce, 78 
 
 Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, 64 
 
 Sun Parrakeet, 66 
 
 Superb Tanager, 80 
 
 Sydney Waxbill, 104 
 
 Synoecns Australis, 70 
 diemenensiS) 70 
 
 T. 
 
 Tambourine Pigeon, 2 1 
 Tanager, All -green, 82 
 
 Black-headed, 82 
 
 Brazilian, 81 
 
 Family, 80 
 
 Festive, 82 
 
 Green-headed, 82 
 
 Superb, 80 
 
 Thick-billed, 82 
 
 Violet, 82 
 Tanagridai, 80 
 Tanysiptera dea, 37 
 Tasmanian Quail, 70 
 
 Piping Crow, 12 
 Ternate Kingfisher, 37 
 Tiger Finch, 101 
 Thick-billed Lark, 38 
 
 Tanager, 82 
 
 Three-coloured Nun, 42 
 Thrush, Blue, 85 
 
 Brown, 86 
 
 Family, 83 
 
 Orange-headed Ground, 86 
 
 Rock, 85 
 
 Solitary, 85 
 
 Sorry, 86 
 
 Topela Mannikin or Finch, 43 
 Totta Finch, 33 
 Tovi Parrakeet, 67 
 Turdida, 83 
 Turdzts leucomelas, 86 
 
 migratorius, 8d 
 
 tS) 86 
 Turquoisine, 57 
 
124 
 
 Index. 
 
 Turtle Dove, Egyptian, 23 
 Turtles, the, 23 
 Turtur communis, 23 
 
 risorius alba, 22 
 
 vinaceus, 23 
 Tympanistria bicolor^ 2 1 
 
 U. 
 
 Ultramarine Finch, 116 
 Undulated Grass Parrakeet, 51 
 Urocissa sinensis, 14 
 
 V. 
 
 Vidtia macroura, 115 
 paradisea, III 
 principalis, 113 
 
 Violet Tanager, 82 
 
 Violet-eared Waxbill, 104 
 
 Virginian Nightingale, 9 
 
 W. 
 
 Wandering Pie, 14 
 Warbler Family, 87 
 Warbling Grass Parrakeet, 5: 
 Waxbill, Australian, 104 
 
 Avadavat, 101 
 
 Cinereous, 99 
 
 Common, 95 
 
 Crimson-eared, 100 
 
 Family, 95 
 
 Golden-breasted, IO2 
 
 Green, 102 
 
 Grey, 95 
 
 Orange-cheeked, 98 
 
 Red- African, 103 
 
 St. Helena, 97 
 
 Waxbill, Sydney, 104 
 
 Violet-eared, 104 . 
 
 Zebra, 102 
 Weaver, Black-faced, no 
 
 Crimson-crowned, 108 
 
 Family, 106 
 
 Grenadier, 108 
 
 Madagascar, 109 
 
 Napoleon, 107 
 
 Orange, 109 
 
 Oryx, 1 08 
 
 Red-beaked, no 
 
 Red-headed, 109, no 
 
 Yellow-shouldered, 108 
 Wedge-tailed Parrots, 66 
 White Cockatoo, Great, 64 
 White-backed Piping Crow, 1 2 
 White-crowned Pigeon, 23 
 White-eared Conure, 66 
 White-headed Nun, 41 
 
 Parrot, 67 
 
 White-throated Seed-eater, 34 
 Why dah Birds, no 
 
 Paradise, ill 
 
 Pin-tailed, 113 
 
 Yellow-backed, 115 
 Wiener, Mr., quoted, 108 
 
 Y. 
 
 Yellow-backed Conure, 66 
 
 Whydah, 115 
 Yellow-billed Cardinal, 7 
 Yellow-shouldered Weaver, 108 
 
 Z. 
 
 Zebra Finch, 76 
 Parrakeet, 52 
 Waxbill, 102 
 
J 
 
 BOUGHT, SOLD, OR EXCHANGED. 
 
 ANIMALS IN STOCK FROM W/- TO 500. 
 
 PET MONKEYS. 
 
 THOUSANDS OF FOREIGN BIRDS AND 
 ANIMALS IN STOCK. 
 
 70,000 BUNDLES OF LONG PEACOCK FEATHERS. 
 
 Carle Capelle's Insectivorous Bird Food, which 
 has obtained W Gold Medals. 
 
 NOTICE. Your Insectivorous Birds cannot be kept without it. 
 Once used always used. 
 
 SOLE AGENT FOR GREAT BRITAIN : 
 
 W. CROSS, 
 
 Xfcaturalist, 
 LIVERPOOL 
 
ESTABLISHED 
 
 33 YEARS. 
 
 FOR EXCHANGING, SELLING, 
 OR BUYING 
 
 OR FOB OBTAINING THE BEST 
 
 Advice and Information on their Management 
 in Health or Disease, 
 
 THERE IS NO BETTER MEDIUM THAN 
 
 TIE BU 
 EXCHAIGE 1MB 
 
 A most Interesting and Useful Newspaper. 
 
 Price 2d. of all Newsagents, Specimen Copy for 
 two stamps, direct from 
 
 TEE OFFICE, 170, STRAND, LONDON, I.C. 
 
IMPORTANT to all BIRD-KEEPERS. 
 
 PR Prepared Foods, Best and Cleanest Seeds, Remedies 
 most common to Cage Birds (in convenient form) ; also 
 Cages, Indoor and Outdoor Aviaries, and every requisite for 
 the Bird-room, send for my Illustrated Catalogue, containing all 
 Particulars and Prices, together with marvellous Testimonials, 
 Press Opinions, and other valuable information. 
 
 CANARIES, 
 
 OF EVERY VARIETY, CHEAPEST IN GREAT BRITAIN. 
 
 Trial respectfully solicited. Not a Shopkeeper. 
 
 \N. RUDD, Bird Specialist, 
 
 NORWICH. 
 
 I pARROTSj 
 tf 
 
 Selected Birds. 
 
 GEO. GOTTEN, m 
 
 NATURALIST, 
 Always in 76, Higher Ormond Street, 
 
 Stock, 
 
 All K^ds of specially selected Foreign Birds kept in stock. 
 
 GI^EY EAWWS. <00Gi{AJnoos. 
 
 -F^ONIlED AMAZON 
 
 INDIAN 
 
 South African GREY TALKING PARROTS a Speciality. 
 
 Aviaries stocked with every variety of Foreign Birds on 
 reasonable Terms. 
 
SPEATTS JP AY 
 
 "CANARY 
 
 AND 
 
 CAGE BIRD FOOD. 
 
 In Penny Packets and Sixpenny Tins. 
 
 PT1HIS FOOD contains all the elements of an invigorating- and health- 
 -*- preserving diet for Canaries, and most of the smaller varieties of British 
 Cage Birds. 
 
 FANCIEBS and all Lovers and Breeders of Canaries will find it an efficient 
 substitute for Egg Food. 
 
 CONCENTRATED 
 
 NATURAL ORANGE PLUMAGE 
 COLOUR FOOD FOR CANARIES, 
 
 &C. 
 Prepared from the Recipe of a Practical Chemist and Ornithologist. 
 
 For Producing a Deep Orange-Coloured Plumage 
 on Canaries, Mules, and other Cage Birds. 
 
 Warranted free from any variety of Cayenne, sweet or tasteless Pepper, or 
 
 indigestible matter. 
 It cannot possibly produce any tone of Red Colouration. 
 
 THE active colouring agent of this preparation is identical with that found 
 in the petals of bright orange-coloured flowers, such as French and 
 English Marigolds, Saffron-Crocus, Nasturtiums, and such roots as Turmeric, 
 such fruits as Oranges and yellow Solanums, and just as the sweet principle of 
 the sugar-cane is contained in crystallised sugar, so the essential colouring 
 agent of the above-mentioned flowers, &c., is contained in this Food, compounded 
 with such other nutritive and palatable ingredients that render it very 
 acceptable to the birds. While being quite as innocuous as any of the above- 
 mentioned flowers in its action on the digestive organism of birds, it is very 
 much more powerful and certain in its effects in deepening the Natural Orange 
 Colour of the Plumage. The colour of this Food is greatly enhanced when 
 mixed ready for use according to the accompanying directions. 
 
 I/- per Tin, or Post Paid, 1/3 ; 2/- per Tin, or Post Paid, 2/6. 
 
 Of all our Agents, Corn Dealers, Grocers, $c. 
 
 SPRATTS PATENT, Ltd., BERIYIONDSEY, LONDON, S.E. 
 
Catalog^te of Practical Handbooks 
 Publ&shed by L. Upcott Gill, 770, 
 Strand, London, IV. C. 
 
 ANGLER, BOOK OF THE ALL-ROUND. A Comprehensive 
 Treatise on Angling in both Fresh and Salt Water. In Four Divisions, 
 as named below. By JOHN BICKERDYKE. "With over 220 Engravings. 
 In cloth, price 5s. 6d., by post 6s. (A few copies of a LARGE PAPER 
 EDITION, bound in Roxburghe, price 25s.) 
 
 Angling for Coarse Fish. Bottom Fishing, according to the 
 Methods in use on the Thames, Trent, Norfolk Broads, and elsewhere. 
 Illustrated. In paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. ; cloth, 2s. (uncut), by 
 post 2s. 3d. 
 
 Angling" for Pike. The most Approved Methods of Fishing 
 for Pike or Jack. Profusely Illustrated. In paper, price Is., by post 
 Is. 2d.; cloth, 2s. (uncut), by post 2s. 3d. 
 
 Angling for Game Fish. The Various Methods of Fishing for 
 Salmon ; Moorland, Chalk-stream, and Thames Trout ; Grayling and 
 Char. Well Illustrated. In paper, price Is. 6d., by post Is. 9d. ; 
 cloth, 2s. 6d. (uncut), by post 2s 9d. 
 
 Angling in Salt Water. Sea Fishing with Rod and Line, from 
 the Shore, Piers, Jetties, Eocks, and from Boats ; together with Some 
 Account of Hand- Lining. Over 50 Engravings. In paper, price Is., by 
 post Is. 2d. ; cloth, 2s. (uncut), by post 2s. 3d. 
 
 AQUARIA, BOOK OF. A Practical Guide to the Construction, 
 Arrangement, and Management of Fresh-water and Marine Aquaria ; 
 containing Full Information as to the Plants, Weeds, Fish, Molluscs, 
 Insects, &c., How and Where to Obtain Them, and How to Keep Them 
 in Health. Illustrated. By REV. GREGORY C. BATEMAN, A.K.C., and 
 REGINALD A. R. BENNETT, B.A. In cloth gilt, price 5s. 6d., by post 
 5s. lOd. 
 
 AQUARIA, FRESHWATER : Their Construction, Arrangement, 
 Stocking, and Management. Fully Illustrated. By REV. G. C. BATE- 
 MAN, A.K.C. In cloth gilt, price 3s. Qd., by post 3s. lOd. 
 
 AQUARIA, MARINE : Their Construction, Arrangement, and Manage- 
 ment. Fully Illustrated. By R. A. R. BENNETT, B.A. In cloth gilt, 
 price 2s. Qd., by post 2s. 9d. 
 
 AUSTRALIA, SHALL I TRY? A Guide to the Australian 
 Colonies for the Emigrant Settler and Business Man. With two 
 Illustrations. By GEORGE LACON JAMES. In cloth gilt, price 3s. 6d., 
 by post 3s. IQd. 
 
 AUTOGRAPH COLLECTING: A Practical Manual for Amateurs 
 and Historical Students, containing ample information on the Selec- 
 tion and Arrangement of Autographs, the Detection of Forged 
 Specimens, &c., &c., to which are added numerous Facsimiles for 
 Study and Reference, and an extensive Valuation Table of Auto- 
 graphs worth Collecting. By HENRY T. SCOTT, M.D., L.R.C.P., c., 
 Rector of Swettenham. Cheshire. In leatherette gilt, price 7s. 6<Z., by 
 post 7s. lOd. 
 
 BEES AND BEE-KEEPING: Scientific and Practical. By F. R. 
 CHESHIRE, F.L.S., F.R.M.S., Lecturer on Apiculture at South Kensington. 
 In two vols., cloth gilt, price 16s., by post 16s. 4d. 
 
 159 C 10/94 
 
Published by L. UPCOTT GILL, 
 
 Vol. I., Scientific. A complete Treatise on the Anatomy and 
 Physiology of the Hive Bee. In cloth gilt, price 7s. 6d., by post 7s. lOcL 
 
 Vol. II., Practical Management of Bees. An Exhaustive 
 Treatise on Advanced Bee Culture. In cloth gilt, price 8s. 6d., by post 
 8s. lOd. 
 
 BEE-KEEPING, BOOK OP. A very practical and Complete Manual 
 on the Proper Management of Bees, especially written for Beginners 
 and Amateurs who have but a few Hives. Fully Illustrated. By 
 W. B. WEBSTER, First-class Expert, B.B.K.A. In paper, price Is., 
 by post Is. 2d. ; cloth, Is. 6d., by post Is. 8d. 
 
 BEGONIA CULTURE, for Amateurs and Professionals. Containing 
 Full Directions for the Successful Cultivation of the Begonia, under 
 Glass and in the Open Air. Illustrated. By B. C. RAVENSCROFT. In 
 paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 BENT IRON WORE : A Practical Manual of Instruction for Amateurs 
 in the Art and Craft of Making and Ornamenting Light Articles in 
 imitation of the beautiful Mediaeval and Italian Wrought Iron Work. 
 By F. J. ERSKINE. Illustrated. In paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 BOAT BUILDING AND SAILING, PRACTICAL. Containing 
 Full Instructions for Designing and Building Punts, Skiffs, Canoes, 
 Sailing Boats, &c. Particulars of the most suitable Sailing Boats and 
 Yachts for Amateurs, and Instructions for their Proper Handling. Fully 
 Illustrated with Designs and Working Diagrams. By ADRIAN NEISON, 
 C.E., DIXON KEMP, A.I.N.A., and G. CHRISTOPHER DAVIES. In one vol., 
 cloth gilt, price 7s. 6d., by post 7s. Wd. 
 
 BOAT BUILDING FOR AMATEURS, PRACTICAL. Contain- 
 ing Full Instructions for Designing and Building Punts, Skiffs, Canoes, 
 Sailing Boats, &c. Fully Illustrated with Working Diagrams. By 
 ADRIAN NEISON, C.E. Second Edition, Eevised and Enlarged by DIXON 
 KEMP, Author of "Yacht Designing," "A Manual of Yacht and Boat 
 Sailing," &c. In cloth gilt, price 2s. 6d., by post 2s. 9d. 
 
 BOAT SAILING FOR AMATEURS. Containing Particulars of 
 the most Suitable Sailing Boats and Yachts for Amateurs, and Instruc- 
 tions for their Proper Handling, &c. Illustrated with numerous 
 Diagrams. By G. CHRISTOPHER DAVIES. Second Edition, Eevised and 
 Enlarged, and with several New Plans of Yachts. In cloth gilt, price 5s., 
 by post 5s. 4cL 
 
 BOOKBINDING POR AMATEURS : Being Descriptions of the 
 various Tools and Appliances Required, and Minute Instructions for 
 their Effective Use. By W. J. E. CRANE. Illustrated with 156 Engrav- 
 ings. In cloth gilt, price 2s. 6d., by post 2s. 9d. 
 
 BUNKUM ENTERTAINMENTS : A Collection of Original Laugh- 
 able Skits on Conjuring, Physiognomy, Juggling, Performing FJeas, 
 Waxworks, Panorama, Phrenology, Phonograph, Second Sight, 
 Lightning Calculators, Ventriloquism, Spiritualism, &c., to which are 
 added Humorous Sketches, Whimsical Recitals, and Drawing-room 
 Comedies. In cloth, price 2s. 6d., by post 2s. 9d. 
 
 BUTTERFLIES, THE BOOK OF BRITISH: A Practical 
 Manual for Collectors and Naturalists. Splendidly Illustrated through- 
 out with very accurate Engravings of the Caterpillars, Chrysalids, and 
 Butterflies, both upper and under sides, from drawings by the Author 
 or direct from Nature. By W. J. LUCAS, B.A. Price 3s. Qd., by post 3s. 9d. 
 
170, Strand, London, W.C. 3 
 
 BUTTERFLY AND MOTH COLLECTING: Where to Search, 
 and What to Do. By G. E. SIMKS. Illustrated. In paper, price Is., 
 by post Is. 2d. 
 
 CACTUS CULTURE FOR AMATEURS: Being Descriptions of 
 the various Cactuses grown in this country ; with Full and Practical 
 Instructions for their Successful Cultivation. By W. WATSON, Assistant 
 Curator of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Profusely Illustrated. 
 In cloth gilt, price 5s., by post 5s. 3d. 
 
 CAGE BIRDS, DISEASES OF : Their Causes, Symptoms, and Treat- 
 ment. A Handbook for everyone who keeps a Bird. By DR. W. T. 
 GREENE, F.Z.S. In paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 CAGE BIRDS, BRITISH. Containing Full Directions for Success- 
 fully Breeding, Rearing, and Managing the various British Birds that 
 can be kept in Confinement. Illustrated with COLOURED PLATES 
 and numerous finely-cut Wood Engravings. By R. L. WALLACE. In 
 cloth gilt, price 10s. 6d., by post 10s. lOd. 
 
 CANARY BOOK. Full Directions for the Breeding, Rearing, 
 and Management of all Varieties of Canaries and Canary Mules, a^d 
 all other matters connected with this Fancy. By ROBERT L. 
 WALLACE. Third Edition. In cloth gilt, price 5s., by post 5s. 4d. ; 
 with COLOURED PLATES, 6s. Qd., by post 6s. Wd.; and in Sections 
 as follows: 
 
 General Management of Canaries. Cages and Cage-making, 
 Breeding, Managing, Mule Breeding, Diseases and their Treatment, 
 Moulting, Pests, &c. Illustrated. In cloth, price 2s. 6d., by post 
 2s. 9d. 
 
 Exhibition Canaries. Full Particulars of all the different 
 Varieties, their Points of Excellence, Preparing Birds for Exhibi- 
 tion, Formation and Management of Canary Societies and Exhibitions. 
 Illustrated. In cloth, price 2s. Qd., by post 2s. 9d. 
 
 CANOE BUILDING FOR AMATBURS : A Practical Manual, 
 with Plans, Working Diagrams, and full Instructions. By COTTEBILL 
 SCHOLEFIELD. Price 2s. Qd., by post 2s. 9d. [In the Press. 
 
 CARD TRICKS, BOOK OF, for Drawing-room and Stage Entertain- 
 ments by Amateurs ; with an exposure of Tricks as practised by Card 
 Sharpers and Swindlers. Numerous Illustrations. By PROF. R. KUNARD. 
 In illustrated wrapper, price 2s. 6d., by post 2s. 9d. 
 
 CATS, DOMESTIC OR FANCY: A Practical Treatise on their 
 Antiquity, Domestication, Varieties, Breeding, Management, Diseases 
 and Remedies, Exhibition and Judging. By JOHN JENNINGS. Illus- 
 trated. In cloth, price 2s. Qd., by post 2s. 9d. 
 
 CHRYSANTHEMUM CULTURE, for Amateurs and Professionals. 
 Containing Full Directions for the Successful Cultivation of the 
 Chrysanthemum for Exhibition and the Market. Illustrated. By 
 B. C. RAVENSCROFT. In paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 COINS, A GUIDE TO ENGLISH PATTERN, in Gold, Silver, 
 Copper, and Pewter, from Edward I. to Victoria, with their Value. By 
 the REV. G. F. CROWTHER, M.A. Illustrated. In silver cloth, with gilt 
 facsimiles of Coins, price 5s., by post 5s. 3d. 
 
 COINS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, A GUIDE 
 TO THE, in Gold, Silver and Copper, from the Earliest Period to the 
 Present Time, with their Value. By the late Colonel W. STEWAKT 
 
4 Published ly L. UPCOTT GILL, 
 
 THORBUEN. With 27 Plates in Gold, Silver, and Copper, and 8 
 
 Plates of Gold and Silver Coins in EAISED FACSIMILE. In cloth, 
 
 with silver facsimiles of Coins, price 7s. 6d., by post 7s. 10cZ. 
 COLLIE, THE. Its History, Points, and Breeding. By HUGH DALZIEL. 
 
 Illustrated with Coloured Frontispiece and Plates. In paper, price Is., 
 
 by post Is. 2d.; cloth, 2s., by post 2s. 3d. 
 COLLIE STUD BOOK. Edited by HUGH DALZIEL. Price 3s. Gd. each, 
 
 by post 3s. 9d. each. 
 
 Vol. I., containing Pedigrees of 1308 of the best-known Dogs, traced 
 
 to their most remote known ancestors ; Show Eecord to Feb., 1890, &c. 
 Vol. II. Pedigrees of 795 Dogs, Show Eecord, &c. 
 Vol. III. Pedigrees of 786 Dogs, Show Eecord, &c. 
 COLUMBARIUM, MOORE'S. Eeprinted Verbatim from the original 
 
 Edition of 1735, with a Brief Notice of the Author. By W. B. TEGET- 
 
 MEIER, F.Z.S., Member of the British Ornithologists' Union. Price Is., 
 
 by post Is. 2d. 
 CONJURING, BOOK OP MODERN. A Practical Guide to Drawing- 
 
 room and Stage Magic for Amateurs. By PROFESSOR E. KUNARD. 
 
 Illustrated. In illustrated wrapper, price 2s. 6d., by post 2s. 9d. 
 
 COOKERY POR AMATEURS ; or, French Dishes for English Homes 
 of all Classes. Includes Simple Cookery, Middle-class Cookery, Superior 
 Cookery, Cookery for Invalids, and Breakfast and Luncheon Cookery. 
 By MADAME VALERIE. Second Edition. In paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 CUCUMBER CULTURE FOR AMATEURS. Including also 
 Melons, Vegetable Marrows, and Gourds. Illustrated. By W. J. MAT. 
 In paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 CYCLES OP 1893, with Special Chapters on Tyres and Accessories. 
 By CHARLES W. HARTUNG (Stanley Cycling Club). Illustrated. In 
 paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 CYCLIST'S ROUTE MAP of England and Wales. The Third Edition ; 
 thoroughly Eevised. Shows clearly all the Main, and most of the Cross, 
 Eoads, and the Distances between the Chief Towns, as well as the 
 Mileage from London. In addition to this, Eoutes of Thirty of the most 
 Interesting Tours are printed in red. The map is mounted on linen, and is 
 the fullest, handiest, and best tourist's map in the market. In cloth, 
 price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 DOGS, BREAKING AND TRAINING : Being Concise Directions 
 for the proper education of Dogs, both for the Field and for Companions. 
 Second Edition. By "PATHFINDER." With Chapters by HUGH 
 DALZIEL. Illustrated. In cloth gilt, price 6s. Gd., by post 6s. lOcL 
 
 DOGS, BRITISH, ANCIENT AND MODERN : Their Varieties, 
 History, and Characteristics. By HUGH DALZIEL, assisted by Eminent 
 Fanciers. SECOND EDITION, Eevised and Enlarged. Illustrated with 
 First-class COLOUEED PLATES and full-page Engravings of Dogs of 
 the Day. This is the fullest work on the various breeds of dogs kept in 
 England. In three volumes, demy Svo, cloth gilt, price 10s. Gd. each, by 
 post 11s. Id. each. 
 
 Dogs Used in Field Sports. Containing Particulars of the 
 following among other Breeds : Greyhound, Irish Wolfhound, Blood- 
 hound, Foxhound, Harrier, Basset, Dachshund, Pointer, Setters, 
 ^paniels, and Eetrievers. SEVEN COLOURED PLATES and 21 full-page 
 Engravings. 
 
170, Strand, London, W.C. 
 
 Dogs Useful to Man in other Work than Field Sports ; 
 House and Toy Dog's. Containing Particulars of the following, 
 among other Breeds : Collie, Bulldog, Mastiff, St. Bernards, Newfoundland, 
 Great Dane, Fox and all other Terriers, King Charles and Blenheim 
 Spaniels, Pug, Pomeranian, Poodle, Italian Greyhound, Toy Dogs, Ac., 
 &c. COLOURED PLATES and full-page Engravings. 
 
 Practical Kennel Management: A Complete Treatise on all 
 Matters relating to the Proper Management of Dogs, whether kept for 
 the Show Bench, for the Field, or for Companions. Illustrated with 
 Coloured and numerous other Plates. [In the Press. 
 
 DOGS, DISEASES OP: Their Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment; 
 Modes of Administering Medicines ; Treatment in cases of Poisoning, &c. 
 For the use of Amateurs. By HUGH DALZIEL. Third Edition. In 
 paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. ; in cloth gilt, 2s., by post 2s. 3d. 
 
 ENTERTAINMENTS, AMATEUR, FOR CHARITABLE AND 
 OTHER OBJECTS : How to Organize and Work them with Profit 
 and Success. By ROBERT GANTHONY. In coloured cover, price Is., by 
 post Is. 2d. 
 
 FANCY WORE SERIES, ARTISTIC. A Series of Illustrated 
 Manuals on Artistic and Popular Fancy Work of various kinds. Each 
 number is complete in itself, and issued at the uniform price of 6d., by 
 post Id. Now ready (1) MACRAME LACE (Second Edition) ; (2) PATCH- 
 WORK ; (3) TATTING ; (4) CREWEL WORK; (5) APPLIQUE ; (6) FANCY 
 NETTING. 
 
 FERNS, THE BOOK OF CHOICE : for the Garden, Conservatory, 
 and Stove. Describing the best and most striking Ferns and Sela- 
 ginellas, and giving explicit directions for their Cultivation, the for- 
 mation of Rockeries, the arrangement of Ferneries, &c. By GEORGE 
 SCHNEIDER. With numerous Coloured Plates and other Illustrations. 
 In 3 vols., large post 4to. Cloth gilt, price 3 3s., by post 3 6s. 
 
 FERNS, CHOICE BRITISH. Descriptive of the most beautiful 
 Variations from the common forms, and their Culture. By C. T. DRUERT, 
 F.L.S. Very accurate PLATES, and other Illustrations. In cloth gilt, 
 price 2s. 6d., by post 2s. 9d. 
 
 FERRETS AND FERRETING. Containing Instructions for the 
 Breeding, Management, and Working of Ferrets. Second Edition, Re- 
 written and greatly Enlarged. Illustrated. In paper, price Qd., by 
 post 7d. 
 
 FERTILITY OF EGGS CERTIFICATE. These are Forms of 
 Guarantee given by the Sellers to the Buyers of Eggs for Hatching, 
 undertaking to refund value of any unfertile eggs, or to replace them 
 with good ones. Very valuable to sellers of eggs, as they induce 
 purchases. In boots, icith counterfoils, price 6d., by post Id. 
 
 FIREWORK-MAKING FOR AMATEURS. A complete, accurate, 
 and easily-understood work on Making Simple and High-class Fireworks. 
 By Dr. W. H. BROWNE, M.A. In paper, price 2s. 6d., by post 2s. 9d. 
 
 FOREIGN BIRDS, FAVOURITE, for Cages and Aviaries. How to 
 Keep them in Health. Fully Illustrated. By W. T. GREENE, M.A., 
 M.D., F.Z.S., &c. In cloth, price 2s. 6d., by post 2s. 9d. 
 
 FOX TERRIER, THE. Its History, Points, Breeding, Rearing, Pre- 
 paring, for Exhibition, and Coursing. By HUGH DALZIEL. Illustrated 
 with Coloured Frontispiece and Plates. In paper, price Is., by post 
 Is. 2d. ; cloth, 2s., by post 2s. 3d. 
 
6 Published by L. UPCOTT GILL, 
 
 POX TERRIER STUD BOOK. Edited by HUGH DALZIEL. Price 
 3s. 6d. each., by post 3s. Qd. each. 
 
 Vol. I., containing Pedigrees of over 1400 of the best-known Dogs, 
 traced to their most remote known ancestors. 
 
 Vol. II. Pedigrees of 1544 Dogs, Show Eecord, &c. 
 Vol. III. Pedigrees of 1214 Dogs, Show Eecord, &c. 
 Vol. IV. Pedigrees of 1168 Dogs, Show Eecord, &c. 
 Vol. V. Pedigrees of 1662 Dogs, Show Eecord, &c. 
 
 FRETWORK AND MARQUETERIE. A Practical Manual of 
 Instructions in the Art of Fret-cutting and Marqueterie Work. By 
 D. DENNING. In paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. [In the Press. 
 
 FRIESLAND MERES, A CRUISE ON THE. By ERNEST E. 
 SUFFLING. Illustrated from Photos and Special Drawings. In paper, 
 price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 GAME AND GAME SHOOTING, NOTES ON. Miscellaneous 
 Observations on Birds and Animals, and on the Sport they afford for the 
 Gun in Great Britain, including Grouse, Partridges, Pheasants, Hares, 
 Eabbits, Quails, Woodcocks, Snipe, and Eooks. By J. J. MANLEY, M.A. 
 Illustrated. In cloth gilt, price 7s. 6d., by post 7s. IQd. 
 
 GAME PRESERVING, PRACTICAL. Containing the fullest 
 Directions for Eearing and Preserving both Winged and Ground Game, 
 and Destroying Vermin ; with other Information of Value to the Game 
 Preserver. Illustrated. By WILLIAM CARNEGIE. In cloth gilt, demy 8vo, 
 price 21s., by post 21s. 9cL 
 
 GARDENING, DICTIONARY OF. A Practical Encyclopaedia of 
 Horticulture, for Amateurs and Professionals. Illustrated with 2440 
 Engravings. Edited by G. NICHOLSON, Curator of the Eoyal Botanic 
 Gardens. Kew ; assisted by Prof. Trail, M.D., Eev. P. W. Myles, 
 B.A., F.L.S., W. Watson, J. Garrett, and other Specialists. In 4 vols., 
 large post 4io. In cloth gilt, price 3, by post 3 3s. 
 
 GOAT, BOOK OF THE. Containing Full Particulars of the various 
 Breeds of Goats, and their Profitable Management. With many Plates. 
 By H. STEPHEN HOLMES PEGLER. Third Edition, with Engravings and 
 Coloured Frontispiece. In cloth gilt, price 4s. 6d., by post 4s. lOd. 
 
 GOAT-KEEPING FOR AMATEURS : Being the Practical Manage- 
 ment of Goats for Milking Purposes. Abridged from " The Book of the 
 Goat." Illustrated. In paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 GRAPE GROWING FOR AMATEURS. A Thoroughly Practical 
 Book on Successful Vine Culture. By E. MOLTNEUX. Illustrated. In 
 paper, price Is., by post Is. 2cZ. 
 
 GREENHOUSE MANAGEMENT FOR AMATEURS. Descrip- 
 tions of the Best Greenhouses and Frames, with Instructions for Building 
 them, particulars of the various methods of Heating, Illustrated Descrip- 
 tions of the most suitable Plants, with general and Special Cultural 
 Directions, and all necessary information for the Guidance of the 
 Amateur. Second Edition, Eevised and Enlarged. Magnificently Illus- 
 trated. By W. J. MAT. In cloth gilt, price 5s., by post 5s. 4d. 
 
 GREYHOUND, THE : Its History, Points, Breeding, Eearing, Training, 
 and Eunning. By HUGH DALZIEL. With Coloured Frontispiece. In 
 cloth gilt, demy Svo, price 2s. Qd., by post 2s. 9d. 
 
 GUINEA PIG, THE, for Food, Fur, and Fancy. Illustrated with 
 Coloured Frontispiece and Engravings. An exhaustive book on the 
 Varieties of the Guinea Pig, and its Management. By C. CUMBERLAND, 
 F.Z.S. In cloth gilt, price 2s. 6d., by post 2s. 9d. 
 
170, Strand, London, W.C. 
 
 HAND CAMERA MANUAL, THE. A Practical Handbook on all 
 Matters connected with the Use of the Hand Camera in Photography. 
 Illustrated. By W. D. WELFORD. Price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 HANDWRITING, CHARACTER INDICATED BY. With Illus- 
 trations in Support of the Theories advanced taken from Autograph 
 Letters of Statesmen, Lawyers, Soldiers, Ecclesiastics, Authors, Poets, 
 Musicians, Actors, and other persons. Second Edition. By E. BAUGHAN. 
 In cloth gilt, price 2s. 6d., by post 2s. 9d. 
 
 HARDY PERENNIALS and Old-fashioned Garden Flowers. Descrip- 
 tions, alphabetically arranged, of the most desirable Plants for Borders, 
 Kockeries, and Shrubberies, including Foliage as well as Flowering 
 Plants. Profusely Illustrated. By J. WOOD. In cloth, price 5s., by 
 post 5s. 4d. 
 
 HOME MEDICINE AND SURGERY: A Dictionary of Diseases 
 and Accidents, and their proper Home Treatment. For Family Use. By 
 W. J. MACKENZIE, M.D., Medical Officer for Lower Holloway, Medical 
 Eeferee for North London of the Scottish Provincial Assurance 
 Company, late Lecturer to the St. John's Ambulance Association, Author 
 of the " Medical Management of Children," &c. Illustrated. In cloth, 
 price 2s. 6d., by post 2s. 9d. 
 
 HORSE-KEEPER, THE PRACTICAL. By GEORGE FLEMING, C.B., 
 LL.D., F.E.C.V.S., late Principal Veterinary Surgeon to the British 
 Army, and Ex-President of the Boyal College of Veterinary Surgeons. 
 In cloth, price 3*. 6d., by post 3s. IQd. 
 
 HORSE-KEEPING FOR AMATEURS. A Practical Manual on 
 the Management of Horses, for the guidance of those who keep one or 
 two for their personal use. By Fox EUSSELL. In paper, price Is., 
 by post Is. 2d. ; cloth, 2s., by post 2s. 3d. 
 
 HORSES, DISEASES OP : Their Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment. 
 For the use of Amateurs. By HUGH DALZIEL. In paper, price Is., 
 by post Is. 2d. ; cloth 2s., by post 2s. 3d. 
 
 INLAND WATERING PLACES. A Description of the Spas of 
 Great Britain and Ireland, their Mineral Waters, and their Medicinal 
 Value, and the attractions which they offer to Invalids and other Visitors. 
 Profusely illustrated. A Companion Volume to " Seaside Watering Places.' 
 In cloth, price 2s. 6d., by post 2s. lOd. 
 
 JOURNALISM, PRACTICAL : How to Enter Thereon and Succeed. 
 A book for all who think of " writing for the Press." By JOHN DAWSON. 
 In cloth gilt, price 2s. 6d., by post 2s. 9d. 
 
 LAYING HENS, HOW TO KEEP and to Eear Chickens in Large 
 or Small Numbers, in Absolute Confinement, with Perfect Success. By 
 MAJOR G. F. MORANT. In paper, price 6d., by post 7d. 
 
 LEGAL PROFESSION, A GUIDE TO THE. A Practical 
 Treatise on the various Methods of Entering either Branch of the Legal 
 Profession ; also a Course of Study for each of the Examinations, and 
 selected Papers of Questions ; forming a Complete Guide to every Depart- 
 ment of Legal Preparation. By J. H. SLATER, Barrister-at-Law, of the 
 Middle Temple. In cloth, price 7s. 6d., by post 7s. lOci. 
 
 LIBRARY MANUAL, THE. A Guide to the Formation of a Library, 
 and the Values of Eare and Standard Books. By J. H. SLATER, 
 Barrister-at-Law. Third Edition. Eevised and Greatly Enlarged. In 
 cloth gilt, price 7s. 6d., by post 7s. lOd. 
 
 MICE, FANCY : Their Varieties, Management, and Breeding. Ee-issue, 
 with Criticisms and Notes by DR. CARTER BLAKE. Illustrated. In 
 paper, price Gd., by post Id. 
 
Published by L. UPCOTT GILL, 
 
 MODEL YACHTS AND BOATS: Their Designing, Making, and 
 Sailing. Illustrated with 118 Designs and Working Diagrams. A 
 splendid book for boys and others interested in making and rigging toy 
 boats for sailing. It is the best book on the subject now published. By 
 J. Dtr V. GROSVENOR. In leatherette, price 5s., by post 5s. 3d. 
 
 MONKEYS, PET, and How to Manage Them. Illustrated. By ARTHUR 
 PATTERSON. In cloth gilt, price 2s. 6d., by post 2s. 9d. 
 
 MUSHROOM CULTURE FOR AMATEURS. With Full Directions 
 for Successful Growth in Houses, Sheds, Cellars, and Pots, on Shelves, 
 and Out of Doors. Illustrated. By W. J. MAT. In paper, price Is, by 
 post Is. 2d. 
 
 NATURAL HISTORY SKETCHES among the Carnivora Wild and 
 Domesticated ; with Observations on their Habits and Mental Faculties. 
 By ARTHUR NICOLS, F.G.S., F.E.G.S. Illustrated. In cloth gilt, 
 price 5s., by pout 5s. 4>d. 
 
 NEEDLEWORK, DICTIONARY OP. An Encyclopaedia of Artistic, 
 Plain, and Fancy Needlework ; Plain, practical, complete, and 
 magnificently Illustrated. By S. F. A. CAULFEILD and B. C. SAWARD. 
 Accepted by H.M. the Queen, H.E.H. the Princess of Wales, H.E.H. the 
 Duchess of Edinburgh, H.E.H. the Duchess of Connaught, and H.E.H. 
 the Duchess of Albany. Dedicated by special permission to H.E.H. 
 Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lome. In demy 4o, 528pp., 829 
 Illustrations, extra cloth gilt, plain edges, cushioned bevelled boards, price 
 21s., by post 22s.; with COLOURED PLATES, elegant satin brocade 
 cloth binding, and coloured edges, 31s. 6d., by post 32s. 6d. 
 
 ORCHIDS : Their Culture and Management, with Descriptions 
 of all the Kinds in General Cultivation. Illustrated by Coloured 
 Plates and Engravings. By W. WATSON, Assistant-Curator, 
 Eoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew ; Assisted by W. BEAN, Foreman, Eoyal 
 Gardens, Kew. Second Edition, Eevised and with Extra Plates. In 
 cloth gilt and gilt edges, price 1 Is., by post 1 2s. 
 
 FAINTING, DECORATIVE. A practical Handbook on Painting and 
 Etching upon Textiles, Pottery, Porcelain, Paper, Vellum, Leather, Glass, 
 Wood, Stone, Metals, and Plaster, for the Decoration of our Homes. By 
 B. C. SAWARD. In doth, price 5s., by post 5s. 4d. 
 
 PARCEL POST DISPATCH BOOK (registered). An invaluable book 
 for all who send parcels by post. Provides Address Labels, Certificate 
 of Posting, and Eecord of Parcels Dispatched. By the use of this book 
 parcels are insured against loss or damage to the extent of 2. 
 Authorized by the Post Office. Price Is., by post Is. 2d., for 100 
 parcels; larger sizes if required. 
 
 PARROT, THE GREY, and How to Treat it. By W. T. GREENE, 
 M.D., M.A., F.Z.S., &c. Price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 PARROTS, THE SPEAKING. The Art of Keeping and Breeding 
 the principal Talking Parrots in Confinement. By DR. KARL Euss. 
 Illustrated with COLOUEED PLATES and Engravings. In cloth gilt, 
 price 5s., by post 5s. 4>d. 
 
 PATIENCE. GAMES OP, for one or more Players. A very clearly- 
 written and well-illustrated Book of Instructions on How to play 106 
 different Games of Patience. By Miss WHITMORE JONES. Illustrated. 
 Series I., thirty-nine games, Is., by post Is. 2d. ; Series II., thirty-four 
 games, Is., by post Is. 2d. ; Series III., thirty-three games, Is., by post 
 Is. 2d. The three bound together in cloth, price 3s. 6d., by post 3s. IQd. 
 (A copy has been graciously accepted by H.M. the Queen). 
 
170, Strand, London, W.C. 9 
 
 PEN PICTURES AND HOW TO DRAW THEM. A Practical 
 Handbook on the various Methods of Illustrating in Black and White 
 for "Process" Engraving, with numerous Design*, Diagrams, and 
 Sketches. By ERIC MEADE. In cloth gilt, price 2s. 6d., by post 2s. 9d. 
 
 PERSPECTIVE, THE ESSENTIALS OP. With numerous 
 Illustrations drawn by the Author. By L. W. MILLER, Principal of the 
 School of Industrial Art of the Pennsylvania Museum, Philadelphia. 
 This book is such a manual as has long been desired for the guidance 
 of art students and for self-instruction. The instructions are clearly 
 set forth, and the principles are vividly enforced by a large number 
 of attractive drawings. Price 6s. 6d., by post 6s. IQd. 
 
 PHEASANT-KEEPING FOR AMATEURS. A Practical Hand. 
 book on the Breeding, Rearing, and General Management of Fancy 
 Pheasants in Confinement. By GEO. HORNE. Illustrated with 
 Diagrams of the necessary Pens, Aviaries, &c., and a COLOURED 
 FRONTISPIECE and many full-page Engravings of the chief 
 Varieties of Pheasants, drawn from life by A. F. LYDON. In cloth 
 gilt, price 3s. 6d., by post 3s. 9d. 
 
 PHOTOGRAPHY (MODERN) FOR AMATEURS. By J. 
 EATON FEARN. In paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 PICTURE-FRAME MAKING FOR AMATEURS. Being Practi- 
 cal Instructions in the Making of various kinds of Frames for Paintings, 
 Drawings, Photographs, and Engravings. Illustrated. By the REV. J. 
 LTJKIN. Cheap Edition, in paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 PIG, BOOK OF THE. The Selection, Breeding, Feeding, and 
 Management of the Pig ; the Treatment of its Diseases ; the Curing 
 and Preserving of Hams, Bacon, and other Pork Foods ; and other 
 information appertaining to Pork Farming. By PROFESSOR JAMES LONG. 
 Fully Illustrated with Portraits of Prize Pigs, Plans of Model Piggeries, 
 &c. In cloth gilt, price 10s. 6d., by post 11s. Id. 
 
 FIG-KEEPING, PRACTICAL: A Manual for Amateurs, based on 
 Personal Experience in Breeding, Feeding, and Fattening; also in 
 Buying and Selling Pigs at Market Prices. By R. D. GARRATT. In 
 paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 PIGEONS, FANCY. Containing Full Directions for the Breeding and 
 Management of Fancy Pigeons, and Descriptions of every known 
 Variety, together with all other information of interest or use to Pigeon 
 Fanciers. Third Edition, bringing the subject down to the present 
 time. 18 COLOURED PLATES, and 22 other full-page Illustrations. 
 By J. C. LTELL. In cloth gilt, price 10s. 6d., by post 10s. lOd. 
 
 PIGEON-KEEPING FOR AMATEURS. A complete Guide to the 
 Amateur Breeder of Domestic and Fancy Pigeons. By J. C. LYELL. 
 Illustrated. In cloth, price 2s. 6d., by post 2s. 9cL 
 
 POKER BOOK, THE. How to Play Poker with Success. By R. 
 GUERNDALE. In paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 POLISHES AND STAINS FOR WOODS : A Complete Guide to 
 Polishing Woodwork, with Directions for Staining, and Full Information 
 for making the Stains, Polishes, &c., in the simplest and most satis- 
 factory manner. By DAVID DENNING. In paper, price Is., by post 
 Is. 2d. 
 
 FOOL, GAMES OF. Describing Various English and American 
 Pool Games, and giving the Rules in full. Illustrated. In paper, 
 price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
10 Published by L. UPCOTT GILL. 
 
 POULTRY-KEEPING, POPULAR. A Practical and Complete 
 Guide to Breeding and Keeping Poultry for Eggs or for the Table. By 
 F. A. MACKENZIE. Illustrated. In paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 POULTRY AND PIGEON DISEASES : Their Causes, Symptoms, 
 and Treatment. A Practical Manual for all Fanciers. By QUINTIN 
 CRAIG and JAMES LTELL. In paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 POULTRY FOR PRIZES AND PROFIT. Contains : Breeding 
 Poultry for Prizes, Exhibition Poultry and Management of the 
 Poultry Yard. Handsomely Illustrated. Second Edition. By PROF. 
 JAMES LONG. In cloth gilt, price 2s. 6d., by post 2s. 9d. 
 
 PYROGRAFHY OR POKER WORE. By MRS. MAUD MAUDE. 
 With Fifty-two Original Illustrations and Designs by WM. FREEMAN. 
 In paper, price Is. 6d., by post Is. 8d. ; cloth, 2s. 6d., by post 2s. 9<i. 
 
 RABBIT, BOOK OF THE. A Complete Work on Breeding and 
 Bearing all Varieties of Fancy Babbits, giving their History, Variations, 
 Uses, Points, Selection, Mating, Management, &c., &c. SECOND 
 EDITION. Edited by KEMPSTER W. KNIGHT. Illustrated with 
 Coloured and other Plates. In cloth gilt, price 10s. 6d., by post 11s. 
 
 RABBITS, DISEASES OF: Their Causes, Symptoms, and Cure. 
 With a Chapter on THE DISEASES OF CAVIES. Beprinted from "The 
 Book of the Babbit " and " The Guinea Pig for Food, Fur, and Fancy." 
 In paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 RABBIT-FARMING PROFITABLE. A Practical Manual, show, 
 ing how Hutch Babbit-farming in the Open can be made to Pay Well. 
 By MAJOR G. F. MORANT. In paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 RABBITS FOR FRIZES AND PROFIT. Containing Full 
 Directions for the Proper Management of Fancy Babbits in Health 
 and Disease, for Pets or the Market, and Descriptions of every known 
 Variety, with Instructions for Breeding Good Specimens. Illustrated. 
 By CHARLES BAYSON. In cloth gilt, price 2s. 6cL, by post 2s. 9d. 
 Also in Sections, as follows : 
 
 General Management of Rabbits. Including Hutches, Breed- 
 ing, Feeding, Diseases and their Treatment, Babbit Courts, &c. Fully 
 Illustrated. In paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 Exhibition Rabbits. Being descriptions of all Varieties of 
 Fancy Babbits, their Points of Excellence, and how to obtain them. 
 Illustrated. In paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 REPOUSSE WORK FOR AMATEURS : Being the Art of Orna- 
 menting Thin Metal with Baised Figures. By L. L. HASLOPE. Illus- 
 trated. In cloth gilt, price 2s. 6d., by post 2s. 9d. 
 
 ROSES FOR AMATEURS. A Practical Guide to the Selection and 
 Cultivation of the best Boses, either for Exhibition or mere Pleasure, by 
 that large section of the Gardening World, the Amateur Lover of Boses. 
 Illustrated. By the BEV. J. HONYWOOD D'OMBRAIN, Hon. Sec. of the 
 National Bose Society. In paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 SAILING GUIDE TO THE SOLENT AND FOOLE 
 
 HABBOUB, with Practical Hints as to Living and Cooking on, and' 
 Working a Small Yacht. By LIEUT. -COLONEL T. G. CUTHELL. 
 Illustrated with Coloured Charts. In cloth, price 2s. 6d., by post 2s. 9oL 
 
 SAILING TOURS. The Yachtman's Guide to the Cruising Waters. 
 of the -English and Adjacent Coasts. By FRANK COWPER, B.A. 
 
170, Strand, London, W.C. 11 
 
 Vol. I., the Coasts of Essex and Suffolk, containing Descriptions 
 of every Creek from the Thames to Aldborongh. Numerous Charts and 
 Illustrations. In cloth, price 5s., by post 5s. 3d. 
 
 Vol. II. The South Coast, from the Thames to the Scilly Islands, 
 with twenty-fire Charts printed in Colours. In cloth, price 7s. 6d., by 
 post 7s. lOd. 
 
 Vol. III. The Coast of Brittany, including the Departments of 
 Finisterre. the Morbihan, and the Lower Loire. Containing Descrip- 
 tions of every Creek, Harbour, and Eoadt-tead from L'Abervrach to 
 St. Nazaire, with an Account of the Loire and its celebrated Castl<-s. 
 With twelve Charts, printed in Colours. In crown 8vo, cloth gilt, pri<-e 
 7s. 6d., by post 7s. lOd. With larger Charts, mounted on linen 
 10s. 6d., by post 11s. Charts separately 3s., by post 3s. 3d. 
 
 ST. BERNARD, THE. Its History, Points, Breeding, and Bearing. 
 By HUGH DALZIEL. Illustrated with Coloured Frontispiece and Plates. 
 In cloth, price 2s. 6d., by post 2s. 9d. 
 
 ST. BERNARD STUD BOOK. Edited by HUGH DALZIEL. Price 
 3s. 6d. each., by post 3s. 9d. each. 
 
 Vol. I. Pedigrees of 1278 of the best known Dogs, traced to their 
 most remote known ancestors, Show Eecord, &c. 
 
 Vol. II. Pedigrees of 564 Dogs, Show Eecord, &c. 
 
 SEA-FISHING FOR AMATEURS. Practical Instructions to 
 Visitors at Seaside Places for Catching Sea-Fish from Pier-heads, Shore, 
 or Boats, principally by means of Hand Lines, with a very useful List of 
 Fishing Stations, the Fish to be caught there, and the Best Seasons. 
 By FRANK HUDSON. Illustrated. In paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 SEA-FISHING ON THE ENGLISH COAST. A Manual of Prac- 
 tical Instruction on the Art of Making and Using Sea-Tackle. With a 
 full account of the methods in vogue during each month of the year, and 
 a Detailed Guide for Sea-Fishermen to all the most Popular Watering 
 Places on the English Coast. By FREDERICK G. AFLALO. Illustrated. 
 In cloth, price 2s. 6d., by post 2s. 9d. 
 
 SEASIDE WATERING PLACES. A Description of nearly 200 
 Holiday Eesorts on the Coasts of England and Wales, the Channel 
 Islands, and the Isle of Man, including the gayest and most quiet places, 
 giving full particulars of them and their attractions, and all other infor- 
 mation likely to assist persons in selecting places in which to spend their 
 Holidays according to their individual tastes ; with BUSINESS DEREC- 
 TOEY of Tradesmen, arranged in order of the Towns. Illustrated. 
 In cloth, price 2s. 6d., by post 2s. lOd. [7th Edition in the Press. 
 
 SHAVE, AN EASY : The Mysteries, Secrets, and Whole Art of, laid 
 bare for Is., by post Is. 2d. Edited by JOSEPH MORTON. 
 
 SHEET METAL, WORKING IN : Being Practical Instructions for 
 Making and Mending Small Articles in Tin, Copper, Iron, Zinc, and 
 Brass. Illustrated. Third Edition. By the Eev. J. LUKIN, B.A. In 
 paper, price Is., by post Is. Id. 
 
 SHORTHAND, ON GURNET'S SYSTEM (IMPROVED), 
 LESSONS IN : Being Instructions in the Art of Shorthand Writing as 
 used in the Service of the two Houses of Parliament. By E. E. MILLER. 
 In paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 SHORTHAND, EXERCISES IN, for Daily Half Hours, on a Newly. 
 devised and Simple Method, free from the Labour of Learning. Illus- 
 trated step by step. Being Part n. of " Lessons in Shorthand on 
 Gurney's System (Improved)." By E. E. 'MILLER. In paper, price 9cL, 
 by post 10d. 
 
12 Published by L. UPCOTT GILL, 
 
 SHORTHAND SYSTEMS; WHICH IS THE BEST? Being a 
 Discussion, by various Experts, on the Merits and Demerits of all the 
 principal Systems, with Illustrative Examples. Edited by THOMAS 
 ANDERSON. In paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 SICK NURSING AT HOME : Being Plain Directions and Hints for 
 the Proper Nursing of Sick Persons, and the Home Treatment of 
 Diseases and Accidents in cases of Sudden Emergencies. By S. F. A. 
 CAULFEILD. In paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. ; cloth, Is. Qd., by post. 
 If. Sd. 
 
 SKATING CARDS : An Easy Method of Learning Figure Skating, as 
 the Cards can be used on the Ice. In cloth case, 2s. 6d., by post 2s. 9d. : 
 leather, 3s. 6d., by post 3s. 9d. A cheap form is issued printed on paper 
 and made up as a small book, Is., by post Is. Id. 
 
 SLEIGHT OP HAND. A Practical Manual of Legerdemain for 
 Amateurs and Others. New Edition, Eevised and Enlarged. Profusely 
 Illustrated. By E. SACHS. In cloth gilt, price 6s. 6d., by post 6s. Wd. 
 
 SNAKES, MARSUPIALS, AND BIRDS. A Charming Book of 
 Anecdotes, Adventures, and Zoological Notes relating to Snakes, Marsu- 
 pials, and Birds. A capital Book for Boys, and all interested in Popular 
 Natural History. By ARTHUR NICOLS, F.G-.S., F.E.G.S., &c. Illus- 
 trated. In cloth gilt, price 5s., by post 5s. 4td. 
 
 TAXIDERMY, PRACTICAL. A Manual of Instruction to the 
 Amateur in Collecting, Preserving, and Setting-up Natural History 
 Specimens of all kinds. Fully Illustrated with Examples and Working 
 Diagrams. By MONTAGU BROWNE, F.Z.S., Curator of Leicester 
 Museum. Second Edition. In cloth gilt, price 7s. 6cL, by post 7s. lOcL 
 
 THAMES GUIDE BOOK. From Lechlade to Eichmond. For Boating 
 Men, Anglers, Picnic Parties, and all Pleasure-seekers on the Eiver. 
 Arranged on an entirely new plan. Second Edition, profusely illustrated. 
 In paper, price Is., by post Is. 3d. ; cloth, Is. 6d., by post Is. 9d. 
 
 TOMATO AND FRUIT GROWING as an Industry for Women. 
 Lectures given at the Forestry Exhibition, Earl's Court, during July 
 and August, 1893. By . GRACE HARRIMAN, Practical 'Fruit Grower 
 and Counby Council Lecturer. In paper, price Is., by post Is. Id. 
 
 TOMATO CULTURE FOR AMATEURS. A Practical and very 
 Complete Manual on the Subject. By B. C. EAVENSCROFT. Illustrated. 
 In paper, price Is., by post Is. 3d. 
 
 TRAPPING, PRACTICAL: Being some Papers on Traps and 
 Trapping for Vermin, with a Chapter on General Bird Trapping and 
 Snaring. By W. CARNEGIE. In paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 TURNING FOR AMATEURS : Being Descriptions of the Lathe and 
 its Attachments and Tools, with Minute Instructions for their Effective 
 Use on Wood, Metal, Ivory, and other Materials. Second Edition, 
 Eevised and Enlarged. By JAMES LUKIN, B.A. Illustrated with 144 
 Engravings. In cloth gilt, price 2s. Qd., by post 2s. 9d. 
 
 TURNING LATHES. A Manual for Technical Schools and Apprentices. 
 
 A guide to Turning, Screw-cutting, Metal-spinning, &c. Edited by 
 
 JAMES LUKIN, B.A. Third Edition. With 194 Illustrations. In cloth 
 
 gilt, price 3s., by post 3s. 3d. 
 VAMPING. A Practical Guide to the Accompaniment of Songs by the 
 
 Unskilled Musician. With Examples. In paper, price Qd., by post lid. 
 
170, Strand. London, W.C. 13 
 
 VEGETABLE CULTURE FOR AMATEURS. Containing Concise 
 Directions for the Cultivation of Vegetables in Small Gardens so as to 
 insure Good Crops. . With Lists of the Best Varieties of each Sort. By 
 W. J. MAT. Illustrated. In paper, price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 VENTRILOQUISM, PRACTICAL, AND ITS SISTER ARTS. 
 A thoroughly reliable Guide to the Art of Voice Throwing and Vocal 
 Mimicry ; Vocal Instrumentation ; Ventriloquial Figures ; Entertaining, 
 &c. By ROBERT GANTHONY. Numerous Illustrations. In cloth, 
 price 2s. 6d., by post 2s. 9d. 
 
 VIOLIN SCHOOL, PRACTICAL, for Home Students. A Practical 
 Book of Instructions and Exercises in Violin Playing, for the use of 
 Amateurs, Self -learners, Teachers, and others. With a supplement on 
 "Easy Legato Studies for the Violin." By J. M. FLEMING. 1 handsome 
 vol., demy 4o, half Persian, price 9s. 6d., by post 10s. 4d. Without 
 Supplement, price 7s. Qd., by post 8s. Id. 
 
 WAR MEDALS AND DECORATIONS. A Manual for Collectors 
 and for all who are interested in the Achievements of the British Army 
 and Navy, and the Rewards issued in public recognition of them ; with 
 some account of Civil Rewards for Valour. Beautifully Illustrated. By 
 D. HASTINGS IRWIN. In cloth, price 7s. Qd., by post Is. lOd. 
 
 WHIPPET AND RACE-DOG, THE : How to Breed, Rear, Train, 
 Race, and Exhibit the Whippet, with the Fullest Particulars relating 
 to the Breed on the Track and Show-Bench, the Management of Race- 
 Meetings, and Original Plans of Courses. By FREEMAN LLOYD, of 
 the National Whippet-Racing Club. In cloth gilt, price 3s. 6d., by 
 post 3s. lOd. 
 
 WIRE AND SHEET GAUGES OF THE WORLD. Compared 
 and Compiled by C. A. B. PFEILSCHMIDT, of Sheffield. In paper, 
 price Is., by post Is. Id. 
 
 WOOD CARVING FOR AMATEURS. Containing Descriptions of 
 all the requisite Tools, and Full Instructions for their Use in producing 
 different varieties of Carvings. 2nd Edition, Revised, and with a number 
 of new Illustrations. Edited by D. DENNING. Price Is., by post Is. 2d. 
 
 A SUPERIORJRINTIN6 OUTFIT FOR 1/6. 
 
 Consisting of seventy -four letters, 
 points and ornaments, a type holder, 
 supply of ink, pad and tweezers, 
 Any name, &c., can be set up at 
 pTeasure, for marking linen, stamping 
 books, papers, and printing cards. 
 
 Postage 3d. extra. 
 ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE FREE. 
 
 INDIARUBBER STAMPS of Every Description 
 
 Made to Order. Estimate Free. 
 
 B. LINDNER, Manufacturer, 170, Fleet St., London, E.C. 
 
DEAN'S 
 
 SIXPENNY PRACTICAL GUIDE BOOKS. 
 
 Dean's Champion Hand Books. 
 
 Series 64, 
 
 1 Football, Lawn Tennis, Golf, 
 
 and other Sports and Games ; 
 Rounders, La Crosse, Hurling, 
 Trap-Ball, Skittles, Bowls, Racquets, 
 &c. By Capt. WILSON. 
 
 2 Billiards, with its Rules. With 
 
 Diagrams, New and Revised Edition. 
 
 4-Cricket, and How to 
 
 Edited by ROBERT ABEL. 
 5- Draughts, and How to Play. 
 
 W. PATT 
 
 Play. 
 
 By 
 
 PATTERSON. 
 
 6 Fishing (Handbook of the Art of). 
 For River and Sea. By G. C. DAVIES. 
 
 8 Indian Clubs, Dumb-bells, and 
 Sword Exercises. With Diagrams. 
 By the late Professor HARRISON. 
 
 9 Magic Lantern. By J. ALLEN. 
 
 10 Stuffing and Preserving 
 Animals, Birds, Fishes, Rep- 
 tiles, &c. By JAS. GARDNER. 
 
 11 Rowing, Sculling, Canoeing, 
 and Yachting. By a Member of 
 the Thames Yacht Club. 
 
 13 Art of Attack and Defence; 
 Fencing, Sword and Bayonet Exercise, 
 Singlestick, Boxing. By Major ELLIOTT. 
 
 14 The Handbook of Boxing. 
 With the Marquis of C^ueensberry and 
 Amateur Boxing Association Rules for 
 the Regulation of Contests with the 
 Gloves. By JOHN C. EARL, Ex-Cham- 
 pion of Heavy Weights, Ireland. 
 
 16 The Art of Swimming. By 
 HARRY GURR, ex-champion Swimmer 
 of England. 
 
 Sixth Edition. By GORDON STABLES, M.D., R.N. 
 
 Handsomely Bound, Cloth Gilt, 6/6, Post Free 7/-, t and Richly Illustrated. 
 
 OUR FRIEND THE DOG. 
 
 CONTAINING : 
 
 (a) All that is known about every breed of Dog in the World, 
 and the show-points, properties, uses, and peculiarities of each. 
 
 (6) A complete digest of the diseases from which Dogs are apt to 
 suffer, and plain advice for the treatment. 
 
 (c) Important information on the Rearing of the Puppy and the 
 treatment of the Dam. 
 
 (d) The approved methods of Kenneling, Grooming, Feeding, and 
 Preparing for bringing Dogs to the Show Benches. 
 
 (e) Valuable hints about Buying and Selling. 
 
 o ixr 
 
 O 3XT: 
 
 DEAN $ SON, Ltd,, I60a, Fleet Street, 
 
 Publishers of the "DOG OWNER'S ANNUAL." 
 
ROWLANDS' ARTICLES 
 
 FOR THE HAIR, COMPLEXION, and TEETH, are the 
 
 BEST. 
 
 ROWLANDS' ODONTO, 
 
 An antiseptic, preservative, and aromatic denti- 
 frice, which whitens the teeth, prevents and arrests 
 decay, and sweetens the breath. It contains no 
 mineral acids, no gritty matter or injurious astrin- 
 gents, keeps the mouth, gums, and teeth free from 
 the unhealthy action of germs in organic matter 
 between the teeth, and is the most wholesome 
 tooth-powder for smokers. 2s. 9d. per box. 
 
 ROWLANDS' MACASSAR OIL 
 
 Is the best preserver and beautifier of the hair of children and adults ; prevents it 
 falling off or turning grey, eradicates scurf and dandruff, and is also the best 
 brilliantine for ladies' and everybody's use, and as a little goes a very long way 
 it really is most economical for general use ; is also sold in a golden colour for 
 fair-haired ladies and children; it contains no lead or mineral ingredients. 
 Bottles, 3s. 6d., 7s., 10s. 6d., equal to four small. 
 
 ROWLANDS' KALYDOR, 
 
 A most cooling, soothing, healing, and refreshing preparation for the Skin and 
 Complexion of Ladies, and all exposed to the summer sun and dust, or the cold and 
 damp of winter ; it is warranted free from all mineral or metallic ingredients, or 
 oxide of zinc, of which most Cosmetics are composed, and which ruin the skin. 
 It effectually disperses Chaps, Chilblains, Freckles, Tan, Sunburn, Stings of 
 Insects, Redness, Roughness of the Skin ; relieves Irritation of the Skin, 
 Prickly Heat, &c., renders the 
 
 SKIN SOFT AND SMOOTH, 
 
 and produces a beautiful, pure, and delicate complexion. Size 4s. 6d. and 
 8s. 6d. ; half-sized bottles, 2s. 3d. 
 
 ROWLANDS' ESSENCE OF TYRE 
 
 Effectually dyes red or grey hair a permanent brown or black. 4s. 
 
 ROWLANDS' EUKONIA. 
 
 A pure Toilet Powder in three tints, White, Rose, and Cream, for ladies of 
 a Brunette complexion and those who do not like white powder. Boxes, Is. ; 
 large boxes, 2s. 6d. 
 
 Ask Chemists for ROWLANDS' ARTICLES, of 20, HATTON 
 GARDEN, LONDON, and avoid spurious imitations. 
 
SPRATTS PATENT 
 
 DOG CAKES. 
 
 Pamphlet on CANINE DISEASES GRATIS. 
 
 SPRATTS PATENT LIMITED, BERMONDSEY, S.E, 
 
. 
 
 i 
 
 RETURN TO the circulation desk of any 
 University of California Library 
 or to the 
 
 NORTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 Bldg. 400, Richmond Field Station 
 University of California 
 Richmond, CA 94804-4698 
 
 ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS 
 2-month loans may be renewed by calling 
 
 (415)642-6233 
 1-year loans may be recharged by bringing books 
 
 to NRLF 
 Renewals and recharges may be made 4 days 
 
 prior to due date 
 
 DUE AS STAMPED BELOW 
 
 IF DUE JAN 17 19 
 
VB 16144