Mr. H. Willford,



182



(as of course they are of other fruits—notably strawberries) and

they get all that my other insectivorous birds leave unsoiled. On

the other hand my English Jay will not touch orange, though he

is fond of banana and grapes : most fruit-eaters delight in grapes.

I am told that some Shamas will eat fruit; my bird will not look

at it, and on one occasion when I put a small sweet-water grape

into his cage, which he apparently mistook for a coiled up green

caterpillar, and so pecked it, he was so disgusted that he con¬

tinued jerking his bill sideways for quite a long time in the

effort to get rid of the objectionable taste.



TWO UNCOMMON BIRDS.


THE WHITE-CRESTED TURACO & MAROON ORIOLE.


By H. WlLLFORD.


It may be of interest to some of our members to have a

few notes on the two species I am about to describe, and I am

able to show photographs of both, taken from life in my bird

studio.


The White-Crested Turaco is an exquisitely beautiful

species belonging to the family Musophagidcz, which consists of

six genera, comprising about two dozen species. They are

natives of Africa, the present species (71 corythaix) ranging over

South Africa where it is locally called the Lory. The Alusopha-

gidcB are also known as Plaintain eaters. Their feet are.semi-

zygodactylous, the outer toe being reversible and the claws

strong.


The Plaintain eaters are mostly to be seen on the tops of

high trees, though they are also to be seen amid the tangled

creepers below, flitting from shrub to shrub if disturbed, and

alighting with crest erect and upturned tail.


In a state of nature their food, we are told, consists of

bananas, tamarinds, papaw'-apples and other wild fruits and

berries, which are varied with insects, worms, caterpillars and

even small birds.


The nest is a mere flat structure of sticks in some tall

tree ; the clutch usually consisting of three greenish or bluish-

white eggs.



