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and fed on watery sop, with a few peppers now and then ; but when let out

they show no disposition to get away, but go back quite contentedly to their

dreadful prisons. I asked the price of this talking bird, which was hanging

in a general store, and was told 40/-, which is, of course, rather absurd.

The proprietor may come down from this lofty altitude, if so “Serita,” as

the negroes called the bird, may go home with me. The ship’s captain on the

voyage out told me there was a nine-months’ quarantine imposed on all

parrots landing in England, as they were supposed to bring the plague in

their feathers, but whether this is true or not I have yet to find out. It

seems odd, however, that the dealers should advertise them so freely and at

such low prices if quarantine of any kind has been performed. The season

to buy these birds here is in September, when the young parrots of the

summer are brought down by negroes from the Blue Mountains where they

have been bred, and are sold at very low prices, two or three shillings each

at most. Just now, however, I was warned that I should be asked ten

dollars or so for acclimatised birds, which has proved to be the case.


When driving along the lovely roads hereabouts we see a good many

birds which give us no chance of distinguishing them, but none that are

gay of plumage. The “Black Sparrow ” is about as big as a butcher bird,

with a red throat in front, and seems to be a jolly little chap, and more

friendly than the rest. It is very difficult to understand what the black

people say until you are used to them, and I am therefore unable to give

you the local names for one or two other sober little birds we met. The

Banana-bird is, I am told, a beautiful yellow creature, and not at all un¬

common, but we have not succeeded in interviewing him. A solitary

Ground Dove, seen by the roadside in a guinea-grass planting, elicited the

remark from the driver that the cruel mongoose (pronounced mongoose)

had cleared this family out even more completely than the rest of the

birds, which as a whole are only now beginning to recover from the tyranny

of “Pikki Tikki.’’ I have left instructions at our Kingston Hotel for the

man who goes down to the boats to sell birds to the sailors to be, if

possible, invited to call on me when we return there before starting home;

and if I succeed in interviewing him the readers of the “Avicultural

Magazine” shall hear of any interesting purchases I may be able to make.

But the cult of birds seems an unknown tiling in the town, for outside the

solitary parrot I have mentioned, and one very poor Canary of the com¬

monest description in the hotel, I saw not a single cage.


I am sorry this is not an interesting description, but the birds are

really most disappointing. I take it that until we come over to settle here,

and are able to observe them at complete leisure, it will not be possible to

make a readable article out of them. N. L. Williams.



GOULDIAN FINCH ILL.


Sir, —I should be much obliged if you could assist me in the treat¬

ment of a sick hen Gouldian Finch.


She is not egg bound, but is suffering from some form of digestive

disorder, I fancy, as her crop is quite empty, although she is always eating.


Her feathers are all standing like a bird which has just had a

thorough soaking in water, though they are quite dry. She now and



