332



Dr. Graham Renshaw,



other and nearly plucked a King parrakeet, who was so ill advised

as to try and interfere with their house-keeping.


Since moving part of my collection to Hampshire and the

Isle of Wight, I have been greatly troubled by cases of cerebral

hoemorrhage among my birds—a disease I hardly ever had a case of

in the Midlands. An Albino Grey parrot, a very charming talking

bullfinch, a Stanley parrakeet, a Hooded, two Many-colours, and

several Red-vented blue-bonnets have all fallen victims within the

past year. I am positive that neither old age, excitement, fear, nor

over-feeding had anything to do with these birds’ illness, which I

am inclined, for want of a better solution, to connect with the very

hard water one gets here. The use of boiled water seems to decrease

the mortality.



CUVIER’S PODARGUS.


By Graham Renshaw, M.D., F.R.S.E.


Owing to the extra trouble involved in their upkeep, birds

which require to be hand-fed are comparatively rare in confinement.

This very rarity, however, renders them interesting, and much

remains to be learnt of their behaviour and habits. For instance,

Cuvier’s Podargus, an Australasian form, is but seldom imported into

Europe, and is practically unknown to aviculture. This is unfortu¬

nate, as the bird is very quaint and interesting, and is a species which

deserves to be much better known than it is.


Cuvier’s Podargus (Podargus cuvier) is a small form of

Podargus strigoides of Australia. These birds are very mutable,

both in size and colour : some individuals are light greyish brown,

others are darker, others again are markedly rufous. In spite of

their mottled plumage, crepuscular habits, and wide mouths, they

have no real affinity with the nightjars which they outwardly re¬

semble : their anatomical structure revealing important differences

from that of the latter birds.


I


The first specimen seen alive at the Zoo.—and probably the

first seen alive in England—was purchased on January 14th, 1862.

Apparently it did well in the menagerie, living till 1866 : its anatomy

was afterwards investigated by the Society’s prosector. Other ex-



