238 Small Birds of Paradise. 



Among'st those that have been phiced in tlie Small Bird 

 House the most notable are four Lesser Birds of Paradise, all 

 adult males, in fair ])lum;ij4e considerin,^- the louii,- voyage they 

 have undergone. Fortunately these beautiful birds are still 

 fairly abundant in New Guinea and some of the smaller islands 

 of the Malay Archipelago. Their plumes are bright yellow, 

 tipped with white, and have a few stiff scarlet feathers amongst 

 them . The head is marked with green and black, and the 

 general plumage is a rich brown, washed with golden yellow 

 and straw colour. I'heir diet consists of fruit, seeds, grubs and 

 insects. In captivity they covet mealworms, and the offer of 

 one of these is the best inducement to them to go into the 

 brilliant display, characteristic of the Birds of Paradise. 



Another cage in the Small Bird House contains a very fine 

 example of the Pileated Hornbill of Sumatra. The bird is an 

 adult male, black with a long white tail and a chestnut-coloured 

 head. The huge bill is yellow, marked with red at the base. 

 It is nearly omnivorous, taking fruit, insects, and any small rats 

 or mice that it is able to capture. Hornbills become very tame, 

 and have a good deal of intelligence, but their dirty habits make 

 them unsuitable as pets. Another, not rare, but very attractive 

 part of the collection is a pair of Red-sided Eclectus parrots from 

 New Guinea. No one, not an expert in parrots, would guess 

 that the male and female belong to the same species. In all the 

 species of Eclectus, the females are brighter than the males, 

 although it is not known whether there is a reversal in the 

 breeding habits of the sexes as in the Phalaropes, where the dull- 

 coloured males tend the young. In the Red-sided Eclectus the 

 male is green with a yellow beak, and a pair of bright yellow- 

 and-red tufts on the chest. The female is brilliant red, with a 

 faint wash of blue on the chest, a dark beak, and bright yellow 

 tail. 



Two young One-wattled Cassowaries, belonging to the 

 same collection, and obtained in New Guinea, have been placed 

 in the Ostrich House. The birds are healthy and tame, but 

 are too young to show the bright coloration of the adult. 

 Cassowaries do fairly well in captivity, and take vegetables, 



