on my Moreporks.



165



to a sparrow from which I have removed the sharp part of the bill

and tail feathers. If not very hungry they pound the bird against

the branch or perch ; more often they just gulp it down like meat.

They are exceedingly fond of mice, and become quite excited when

they see one ; but what they like, above all, are the big Elephant

moths. Whenever I bring them one alive they will all try together

to tear it out of my fingers, yet if dropped on the floor they will not

pick it up. I don’t quite see the necessity for soaking the meat

before feeding, as Dr. Renshaw suggests ; I have had my birds for

years and have never known them to have had a drink yet. The

only time they ever see water is when it rains, and that is extremely

seldom, and is out of their reach. When newly caught there is, of

course, as with most meat and insect-eating birds a little trouble to

induce them to take the food out of one’s hands, but with a little

patience and perseverance this shyness or obstinacy is quickly over-

eome. This trouble may be the reason why these birds are not kept

even in the Zoos of Australia. Once quieted down, it just takes less

than a minute to feed a bird ; it takes me longer, because I talk and

play with my birds when I have time. Their mouth is very large

and their looks most awe-inspiring, yet they could hardly pinch one’s

fingers, and are as peaceful as a dove. Their plumage has been

described by Dr. Renshaw, but not their eyes, which are their point

•of beauty. These are of an enormous size and perfectly round. In

the old birds the pupil is coal-black, the iris of a light old gold

colour and very wide; in the young birds the pupil is a dark blue

and the iris a mottled yellow. There seems to be no difference in

the plumage between the sexes ; the only way to distinguish them is

by the iris, which in the male birds is adorned by an orange-brown

ring round the edge of it, as with the Kagus. The eyes so motionless

and full of lustre give one the impression as if they were of glass and

certainly have neither the vicious or cruel impression one might

expect from the general appearance of these birds. Generally the

birds sit upright, owl-like, with the neck deeply set in the shoulders,

yet they will often rest stretched out upon the limb upon which they

sit, and in that attitude will close the upper eyelid, only giving the

impression that they had just half an eye. When asleep they close

both lids which are heavily coated with down. I love to see my



