240 Bird Notes from the Zoological Gardens.


run swiftly on the ground. They perform a sort of goose step,

each foot is raised and poised for half a second, which gives them

an air of swagger.


Their call is very penetrating and shrill ; it reminds me of

something—is it of the Wryneck? if so, it is a more rapid utter¬

ance. I had four of these birds, but all died before long, except

one, which I kept for over two years.


It was my ambition to see the curious oven nest of mud

built, but like other ambitious, it came to nought! Oven Birds

require artificial heat in cold weather, but my last bird, although

he had a warmed house to go into, used to often be out in the

outside run during the daytime in winter.


I had no time to attend very particularly to my birds, but

as I have said, I believe they need a supply of live insect food,

and plenty of space in which to run about, they are not cage

birds.



BIRD NOTES FROM THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS.


By The Curator.


The collection has been enriched by the acquisition of a

pair of young Australian Bee-eaters (/Merops ornatus), the first

ever received of this elegant species ; in fact the only other Bee-

eater that has been represented in the collection is the European

species ( M . apiaster). Another species which has been added to

the list is the Three-coloured Parrot-finch (Erythrura trichroa ),

of which a pair has been acquired by exchange.


An extremely rare Owl from West Africa, which has only

once previously been exhibited, is Bouvier’s Owl (Scotopelia

bouvieri), a young example of which, still retaining its nestling

down, has been received. It is closely related to (but considerably

smaller than) Pel's Owl (S. peli ), a specimen of which has been

living in the collection for some time.


A very nice collection has been received as a present from

Mr. Hugo Pam at Caraccas, Venezuela, to whom the Zoological

Society is indebted for a number of rare birds. It consists of

the following :—Two Orinoco Geese (Chenalopex jubalus), three



