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and others with brown bases. One curious feather was brown

with a concealed centre of light yellow-brown. Two of the

brown feathers seemed to belong to the innermost scapulars, and

probably the others came from the same region.


Before the moult, Bob’s little tail was conspicuously out

of proportion to the size of the bird. I flattered myself that this

short tail was a special provision of nature to enable him to

squeeze into holes without detriment or inconvenience. The

enlarged size of the new tail seemed to squash my little theory,

but, on consideration, I do not know that it does. What are

these produced shaft ends for ? Surely not for ornament, but for

some practical use. For the immature bird, the short tail will

suffice ; but the adult, with its family to provide for, would need

greater powers of general movement, which the full tail would

furnish ; and may not the shaft ends have been provided as a

protection for the longer feathers, to protect the ends from

abrasion when in the tree hollows ?


Bob’s legs are long, and he holds his head high, and seems

to be continually on the look out. For about three weeks he was

loose in the aviary, and, during that time, would instantly

disappear on the slightest sound. No hole or crevice seemed too

small for him to creep into. And when in hiding the plumage

seems to absorb every ray of light, leaving the bird almost

invisible. When shut up in a four-foot cage in a corner of the

rather dull-liglited birdroom, but directly facing the window, I

found that I could rarely see him. On one occasion, I was so

absolutely certain that he was not in the cage that I opened the

large folding doors and thrust my head and shoulders in to

examine and see where he had broken through, but he was on

the top perch in a corner of the cage all the time. L,ater on I

found that I could best discover him by looking along the

lighter-coloured perch for the black toes. When in hiding, he

will not move a muscle or a feather, so that one could open the

door and attend to his cage as readily as if it had been empty.

Bob is a leopard in bird’s clothing. It seems to be the nature of

the bird thus to lurk in holes and dark corners, not alone for the

purpose of concealment from his foes, but also to lie in ambush

for unsuspecting prey that may approach or be enticed within

range of his spring. When hiding for concealment, the white

flank tufts are covered ; but, when lying in ambush, the white

downy feathers are often visible in the form of a little fan, each

tuft having the appearance of a moth with extended wings as

when at rest on the inner side of a tree-hollow, the bird himself



