Ornithological and Other Oddities 



They are good birds to have about a place in 

 the tropics, as they destroy snakes and other 

 vermin. My pet bird mentioned above, which 

 could hardly have seen a live snake in its life 

 before, immediately attacked one I offered it when 

 it was confined in the Zoo aviary, instinctively 

 attacking the neck of the reptile in the first 

 place. 



I noticed, by the way, that when loose in the 

 Museum grounds it keenly hunted a lizard, and 

 took care to get its head " in chancery " in the 

 same way, so that this would seem to be its 

 usual method of attack — obviously one which 

 does not give much chance of retaliation even to 

 a poisonous victim. 



The most curious thing about the snake 

 episode, however, was that after mortally wound- 

 ing the unfortunate reptile, the bird altered its 

 demeanour for the time, and would not let me 

 handle it as usual, as if the latent ferocity of its 

 nature had been aroused. A very marked cor- 

 vine trait in this bird is its habit of holding prey 

 down with its foot, and, speaking of this member, 

 it is worth while to note its curious structure. 



The toes are placed two before and two be- 

 hind as in ordinary cuckoos, but the inner or 

 true hind toe is provided with a long, nearly 

 straight claw like that on the hind toe of a 



lark. 



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