The Natural History of Cage Birds. Bechstein Johann Matthäus
and returning the beginning of the following May15. It generally frequents woods, orchards, and the hedges of fields. Always perched on the tops of trees, it rarely descends into the lower bushes. It feeds on insects.
In the house, it must have a large wire cage like the larks, but with three perches. It is not safe to let it mix with the other birds, as it would soon kill them.
Food. – In its wild state it feeds on beetles, cockchafers, crickets, breeze-flies, and other insects; when these fail, in consequence of a long continuance of rain, it sometimes seizes young birds.
In the house, if an old bird and lately taken, as soon as it is put in the cage, some living insects, or a small bird just killed, must be thrown into it. After some time, it will be satisfied with raw or dressed meat; but it is not always an easy task to get it to eat this food, for it will sometimes take eight successive days, during which meal worms and other insects are added; but as soon as it is accustomed to meat, it becomes so tame that it will feed from the hand, and if the cage door be opened it will even perch on the wrist to eat. Notwithstanding all my care, I have only been able to preserve those two years, which have been taken wild, they have all died of decline16; those, on the contrary, which have been reared from the nest, do not require so much attention, being contented with any kind of common food.
Breeding. – This bird generally builds in a tree on the edge of a wood, or in a garden, the nest being rather large and irregular. The young are fed on beetles and grasshoppers. In order to rear them, they must be taken from the nest when the tail begins to grow, and fed at first on ants' eggs, and afterwards on white bread soaked in milk.
Mode of Taking. – When the particular brambles and branches have been observed, on which this bird watches for its prey, it is not difficult to catch it; for notwithstanding its great quickness, it is not the less imprudent, for it allows itself to be caught in the bird-lime in the most stupid manner.
Attractive Qualities. – This species has no particular song: the female has none at all; but the male imitates, with wonderful facility, the songs of other birds, not only the detached parts, but the whole notes, so correctly that it would not be difficult to mistake it. Thus it imitates exactly, and in order, all the variations of the song of the nightingale, though more feebly, and like an echo, its notes not being so full and clear: it imitates equally well the song of the lark, and similar birds. This wonderful power of imitation cannot fail to please amateurs, and make them wish to possess this interesting bird. I have observed that it likes best to repeat the call of the quail. One of this species which I had among my collection, always stopped its song, however lively, when it heard that of the quail, for the purpose of imitating it; the latter, before it was accustomed to this, became very jealous, and as soon as it heard it, ran about in every direction, furiously endeavouring to fight its fancied rival.
THE WOODCHAT
This is smaller and more delicate than the former species, being only seven inches long, of which the tail measures three and a half; the folding wings cover one third; the beak is eight lines in length, and black; the iris greyish yellow; the shanks bluish black; the forehead black, from the base of which a band of the same colour extends over the eyes. The tail feathers are also black, but the outer ones only so to the middle, the rest being white.
The female only differs from the male in its colour being less brilliant.
Habitation. – When wild it is a bird of passage, arriving at the end of April, and departing about the middle of September17. It inhabits mountains, forests, and wooded plains, but prefers enclosed pastures where horses are kept day and night.
In confinement it requires the same treatment as the preceding.
Food. – In its wild state it prefers beetles, the dung of cows and horses, maybugs, grasshoppers, breeze-flies, and other insects; it often also darts upon lizards and young quails.
In a state of confinement it is fed like the preceding; but being more delicate it is better to rear it from the nest, feeding it on raw meat. If an old bird be taken, it is impossible to preserve it unless it be constantly fed on live insects.
Breeding. – The woodchat commonly builds its nest on the thick and bushy branches of large trees, and makes it of small sticks, moss, hogs' bristles, wool and fur. The female breeds twice, laying each time six reddish-white eggs, marked particularly at the large end with distinct red spots, mixed with pale ones of a bluish grey. The young ones are hatched in fifteen days; their colour, before the first moulting, is on the upper part, dirty white, spotted with grey; the under part is also dirty white, clouded with pale grey; the wing coverts are bordered with rust colour; the quill feathers and tail are black.
Mode of Taking. – A cruel method, but the surest, is to place bird-lime on its nest, this being the most wary species of shrike; but as it bathes freely it may be taken about the middle of the day at its washing place, if near hedges. It is often found drowned in large ponds.
Attractive Qualities. – Although this species appears endowed with as good a memory as the preceding, its notes are less agreeable, not being so soft, and it introduces some stanzas of its own shrill and harsh warbling into the songs that it imitates, which are those of the nightingale, linnet, redstart, and goldfinch. But this bird is most admired for its beautiful plumage.
THE FLUSHER
This pretty species seems to form a connecting link between the pies and the singing birds, so much does it resemble the latter in its different qualities. Its length is a little more than six inches, of which the tail measures three and a quarter. The wings, when folded, cover one third. The beak is black, and the iris of the eyes light brown; the legs, bluish black.
In the male, the head, the nape of the neck, the tail coverts, and the thighs, are grey. This colour is lighter on the forehead and above the eyes. A black band extends from the nostrils to the ears. The beak and wing coverts are of a fine red brown; the rump and under part of the body white, slightly tinged with pink on the breast, sides, and belly; the centre tail feathers are entirely black, the others white at the tip.
The colours in the female differ considerably from those of the male. All the upper part of the body is dirty reddish brown, slightly shading into grey on the upper part of the neck and rump; there is a scarcely visible shade of white on the back and shoulders; the forehead and above the eyes is yellowish, the cheeks brown, the throat and belly dirty white; the under parts of the neck, breast, and sides, are yellowish white, crossed with waving brown lines; the quill feathers are dark brown, the outer ones edged with white, the others to the four centre ones have only a white spot; the tail dark brown, with some shades of orange.
Habitation. – When wild it is one of the latest birds of passage, as it does not arrive till May. It is sometimes found in woody valleys where cattle graze, more commonly in hedges, and fields with bushes in them, or in inclosed pastures where horses and cows are kept. It is one of the first migratory birds to depart, which it does in August, in families, even before the young ones have moulted.
In the house, it must be treated like the former, and kept in a wire cage, for it would soon kill its companions, as I experienced some years ago. The bird I refer to had been three days without eating, although I had given him a great variety of dead birds and insects. On the fourth day I set him at liberty in the room, supposing him too weak to hurt the other birds, and thinking that he would become better accustomed to his new food if I left him at liberty. Hardly was he set free than he seized and killed a dunnock before I had time to save it; I let him eat it, and then put him back into the cage. From this time, as if his fury were satisfied, he ate all that was given him.
Food. – In its wild state, it eats large quantities of beetles, maybugs, crickets, and grasshoppers, but it prefers breeze-flies, and other insects which teaze the cattle. It impales as many of these insects as it can catch for
It is not a native of Britain. – Translator.
Perhaps from not having been given now and then feathers, the fur and skin of animals, or even beetles, to cleanse the stomach. – Translator.
It is doubtful as a native of Britain. – Translator.