366 Letters, Announcements, ^c. 



young birds, although fully fledged. Mr. James Masler, the 

 mate of a vessel plying to the Solomon Islands, who presented 

 them to me in return for some kindness which he alleges I 

 showed him in Fiji, states that they were procured by the 

 natives of Savai (one of the Solomon gi'oup) from a hole in a 

 tree, both from the same nest, and that they are male and 

 female. I observe that the bird we call the male has a small 

 elongated spot of red feathers on the bare black space in a 

 line between the top of the eye and the nostril. He is also 

 the master of the other, and much the noisiest and most active, 

 answering to our call, and filling the air with his numerous 

 notes. Whether all these are natural or, in part, artificial, I 

 do not know ; some of them bear a wonderful resemblance to 

 the words '' Joey," or " pretty Joey," by which names Marler 

 had christened them. He also pipes a long shrill whistle, and 

 has numerous other flute-like notes, and sounds as of a hearty 

 "kiss^^ being given. We have never heard the female say 

 " Joey '," and she is generally more silent than the male. The 

 iris is pale brick-red ; and between that and tlie black pupil is 

 a narrow white circle. 



Mr. Marler kept these birds three months in a small cage 

 made out of an old gin-case ; I have had them two more in a 

 large airy cage built on purpose. When they first entered it 

 they could not use their wings in the least, could not even reach 

 the centre perch from tlie wire sides to which they clung. 

 They seldom use the wings now, but sometimes stand on their 

 perch and vibrate them with wonderful rapidity. This 

 makes me think that their flight Avhen at liberty Avould be 

 very swift. 



They rarely descend to the lower perches, except for food, 

 and never by any chance touch the ground, except from a 

 fall when fighting ; and then they scramble up again as soon 

 as they can. In their wild state they never descend to 

 the earth. 



They feed on bread soaked in sugar and water (drinking 

 large quantities of the latter well sweetened), potatoes, a 

 little boiled rice, ripe pawpaw fruit, and especially boiled 

 yams. For a long time we apprehended they would starve 



