170 



They are rather destructive, and I keep boughs in the 

 aviary for them to gnaw. 



Since writing the al)ove the least tame of the 

 Pceocephali escaped. I found the gardener and the 

 man and boy all busy with a ladder. That I knew 

 was of no use. But the bird when it saw me made an 

 absolute eflfort to come down. I caged one of the 

 others and put it out. The other bird took a flight 

 round, keeping rather high in the air. Then it flew 

 from tree to tree, and in the afternoon I left it on the 

 top of a walnut-tree, pecking the unripe walnuts to 

 pieces. When I returned at night I saw it had not 

 been caught. I asked the gardener at about seven 

 next morning where it was. He did not know. It 

 had gone at night across the river, towards which the 

 Vicarage slopes, on to the top of some high beeches 

 which crown the opposite bank. But as soon as I 

 came out of the Vicarage, at about ten, to take some 

 oat cake to the aviaries, it flew past me just over my 

 head, and came down to a box tree within reach. I 

 sent for a cage, on to the top of which it climbed, and 

 let me carry it into the house. It was rather rough 

 and very hungrN', but otherwise it seemed none the 

 worse. Then would have been the moment to turn it 

 out again if it is to be accustomed to flying loose. But 

 the season is too far advanced and I must wait to 

 educate it till 1908. 



Posocephali 3iXQ. delightful pets if taken young. My 

 own experience of wild ones is that they do not get 

 tame, but those taken from the nest make the nicest of 

 all pets amongst the Parrots. They talk, they are so 

 small — pocket pets — they have no dust like the Greys, 

 and are so affectionate. Even the less tame ones fly 



