38 



Unfortunately be often declines to display his talents 

 before strangers. 



It is also an accomplisbed acrobat, the way it 

 throws itself about in its cage (22 inches sq. by 30 inches 

 high), hanging from one foot is both interesting and 

 little short of marvellous. And again it is amusing to 

 see him grip his perch with his feet and twirl round 

 like a boy on the horizontal bar, and then turn and 

 look at you with an expression that is equivalent to — 

 "What do you think of that?" 



Another of its droll habits is to whine like an 

 infant in trouble, and when he was being carried home 

 from the Zoo (in a closed box) he was responsible both 

 in the train and roadway for many glances round by 

 his indulging in this drollery ; the sound is most 

 realistic. 



He is very tame, and delights in coming out of 

 his cage (though when he came in my possession in 

 November last he did not speak a word, nor yet show 

 any evidence of knowing how to use his wings) for a 

 good fly round, and to be nursed, cuddled and tickled. 

 He will lie for an hour or more in one's lap while 

 gentle friction is applied to his person, purring with 

 intense satisfaction the whole of the time. When he 

 has had a fly round it is amusing to notice him when 

 he settles on the table (whether cloth is on or not), he 

 will bend forward and rest his upper mandible on the 

 table, and with wings slightly raised and tail outspread 

 will run round the table sometimes several times with- 

 out lifting his beak therefrom. While taking exercise 

 he will alight either on the uplifted hand, or shoulder 

 and fly from one to the other, frequently he will ignore 

 the hand and alight on the head instead; I may say 



