88 D. Seth-Smith— Stray Notes


Conures, not to mention a host of Blue Budgerigars and Green

Budgerigars that have been bred from Blues, and are likely therefore

to produce Blues. There were Black-capped Lories intent upon nesting,

Hawk-headed Parrots, Guira Cuckoos, an Oven Bird, Ked-cheeked

Colies, and a great many more that I have forgotten.


Brinsop Court. — Thanks to the kindness of Mr. and Mrs. Astley,

I visited Brinsop Court, justly famed on account of the great interest

attaching to the house itself, and its splendid collection of birds.

Mr. Gerard Gurney has given us an account of the latter, and little

therefore remains to be said. Not only does the collection contain

many great rarities, but all are in the most splendid condition and kept

in ideal surroundings. When I was there during the last days of April

several interesting birds were nesting. The European Cranes in the

Park had just been robbed by Crows, but White-necked Cranes were

sitting. We found several Ducks' nests near the moat, and in the

aviary itself Queen Alexandra Parrakeets were incubating ; one hen

paired to her proper mate, another to a cock Barraband Parrakeet.

Baby Blue Budgerigars peeped from their nesting logs, and a Monaul

Pheasant hen sat tightly on five eggs. A number of eggs had been

laid by a Satyr Tragopan, which were being incubated by a domestic

hen, and I hear since that seven chicks have been hatched, while the

Monaul has a brood of five.


The Wood Hoopoe or Kakelaar. — Amongst a collection from

South Africa received by Mr. Hamlyn, I noticed a fine specimen of the

Wood Hoopoe (Irrisor viridis), which is, I believe, the first ever

imported. This bird has the head, neck, and upper back glossy green,

the rump and upper tail-coverts and wings blue, the latter spotted with

white. The strongly graduated tail is blue, the outer feathers spotted

with white ; the throat and neck are steel-blue, and the breast green.

The long, curved bill and the legs and feet are red. This is a forest-

loving species, frequenting the highest trees and usually associating

in parties of some half-dozen birds. They are said to possess an

extremely disagreeable odour.


Tataupa Tinamous. — Among the recent additions to the Zoological

Society's collection are six specimens of the Tataupa Tinamou

(Crypturus tataupa), a representative of a remarkable group of South



