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and in the depths of the bush — are duU-pliimaged 

 birds rather smaller than the Red-vented Bulbnl of the 

 East, and are dusky brown all over unrelieved by any 

 dash of brighter colour, with slightly crested darker 

 brown heads and lighter under parts. They can 

 therefore hardly pass as beautiful cage-birds, but are 

 interesting for their lively ways, captivity not appear- 

 ing to lessen one whit their wild-life vigour and 

 activity. If these birds are still alive, or if I can 

 obtain others when my time is nearly up, I hope to 

 bring some home with me. 



When I first came to this country one of my pets 

 was a Crow {^Corvus scapulattis^, a bird about the size 

 of the Carrion Crow, but black and white like a Mag- 

 pie. He, like all Crows, did well in confinement, and 

 went home with me, where he still survives (now fottr 

 years old) in the Zoo. With him also went one of our 

 large storks, the Marabouts, which make amusing pets 

 to have loose about one's compound, and soon get so 

 tame that they can be allowed the full use of their 

 wings, as although they often go far afield during the 

 day, they always return at nightfall to their home. 

 This particular bird had a most eventful early life, for 

 he was presented to us away in the bush, and had to 

 be carried each marching day for a month in the arms 

 of a small boy ; he also at first refused to eat anything 

 but fish, which was only rarely forthcoming, so that 

 his early meals were remarkable for their irregularity 

 and scantiness, in fact he ought almost to hold the 

 record for fasting birds, as I hardly like to saj^ now 

 how long we had to make a tin of sardines last him. 

 However, he did survive the perils of his infancy and 

 grew up to full adult life, when he became quite a 

 feature of our camp. By then he was anj'thing but 

 fastidious as to food, for he would eat anything he was 

 given or could steal, — kitchen-refuse, mice, lizards and 

 snakes, as well as more civilized luxuries such as bread 



