12 Some Interesting Birds. 



the crown, rump, thij^hs and under tail-coverts ; bastard primary- 

 glossy black ; quill- and tail-feathers flossy greenish-black, the 

 latter tipped with white ; bill and feet yellow, as also is a bare 

 space round the eye ; iris white. Total leiigth inches, tail 3. 



Female : Similar, but slightly smaller. 



With birds of character, there is much individuality in 

 respective pnirs, thus it is difficult to make any definite pronounce- 

 ment as to their amiability towards smaller species, but, I saw a 

 pair in Mr. Sutcliffe's aviary some two years ago, and they had 

 been there for some months, and did no harm in a series consist- 

 ing of Flycatchers, Warblers, Waxbills, Finches, Weavers and 

 Buntings, also agreeing with a pair of White-throated Laughing- 

 Thrushes which were included in the series, and most inter- 

 esting birds they were, busy, inquisitivf, yet not annoying the 

 other occupants that I could observe, and Mr. Sutcliffe informed 

 me they had proved quite harmless — unfortunatly an epidemic 

 shortly afterwards decimated this series, thus a lengthened exper- 

 ience cannot be given, and so far we have no data at all how they 

 would behave in a mixed series when nesting. 



Mr. Willford's pair of birds, I saw several times during the 

 past year in their roomy enclosure, and a fine sight they were too, 

 especially when seen on the wing, swooping from end to end of 

 the flight — their flight was undulating and the rapidity of their 

 movements, suddenly sweeping from right to left, or vice i^ersn, 

 checking their flight and returning on their track with a dexterity 

 little short of marvellous, was most interesting and fascinating 

 to me, on the occasions I have had them under observation. 



T had a fairly long acquaintance with a specimen in the 

 Western Aviary at the Zoo, which was absolutely without fear, and 

 simply used any and every visitor who entered his enclosure as 

 some new kind of perching apparatus, inquisitively hopping 

 from shoulder to shoulder, hand to hand or arm to arm, inquisit- 

 ively poking its sharp bill into pocket or crevice and was not the 

 least averse to being handled — this is the bird from which the 

 above description of the plumage was taken. This bird was a 

 great attraction to thf/se present at our Members' Meetings at the 

 Zoo ; alas it is now no more. 



I have not been able in the time at my disposal to glean any 

 notes of its wild life. 



As regards treatment in captivity, if caged, its cage must b^ 



