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would be unlikely that a single Whistling Bob would be detected,

although dozens might be in hiding in the holes and hollows of

the forest trees above their heads ; for a Whistling Bob would be

absolutely invisible ; and no amount of noise and confusion

below would cause it to move a muscle ; only by the merest

chance could such a bird be discovered. Any way, be this all as

it may, Books do not speak about Bob, so here is Bob to speak

for himself.


The general character of my bird’s plumage and build is

the same as that of the genus. To the scientist, therefore, the

chief points of interest will be the points of difference. But I

find that living specimens of this genus are very little known in

this country ; and since Bob’s arrival I have not met with a

single avieulturist who seemed to have any personal knowledge

of the Whistling-birds, or Whistling-Thrushes as they seem

generally to be called. I propose, therefore, in the present

paper, even at the risk of wearying some of our readers, to enter

somewhat fully, however unscientifically, into a description of

Bob’s plumage, nature, and character.


Bob’s plumage is difficult to describe, and very

disappointing when one wants to show him off to the best

advantage. So much so is this the case that to the casual

visitor, especially the lady visitor, I have ceased to take the

trouble to point him out, as to do so is usually to invite a taste

of mortification. On one occasion, my mortification was

turned into a triumph. Bob had been for some time in the

dining-room, where I keep a select few of the foreign birds during

the winter months, and had become accustomed to human

society. A young lady, who had ignored my reference to Bob’s

rarity, passed him by with lofty indifference, and was chattering

away on the other side of the room. Suddenly she almost

screamed out, “ Why, that bird ’s blue ; i thought he was

black!” Bob, thinking he was unobserved, had just hopped

forward to the front of his cage ; and the lady’s eye had chanced

to catch a glimpse of the true colour of the external plumage.


Bob objects to being interviewed, and at the approach of

a stranger quietly retires, and when driven out of his inner

chamber just dashes forward for a moment and immediately

disappears again. Moreover, the colour of the plumage differs

according to the light and direction from which it is viewed ;

like the sea, too, it differs with the colour of the sky, on a dull

day appearing dull black to the casual observer, the amount

of scarcely concealed black amongst the feathers aiding greatly



