108



Dr. Millet-Horsin,



each, which is quite dear enough. The two birds at this time were

quite naked. Mine. Chede fed them on cooked rice and bread and

milk. Very greedy, they soon became quite tame. After some time

they began fighting and had to be separated ; the weaker was put

into a large cage with Weavers and Pigeons, which never molested

it, while it was always quite peaceably disposed towards them.


The other bird, the larger, is the one which was given to me.

Like its brother, on August 12th it already had its shape and all its

feathers ; only the great quills of the wings and tail still remained

ensheathed, and were but two-thirds of their full length. I put it

into the aviary with the Ked-billed Hornbill, Glossy Starling and

Parrakeet; none of them made any unfriendly demonstration. It

settled itself in a corner of the cage, with the body vertical and the

knees drawn up, the tail perpendicular along the whole length of the

back, and the beak horizontal, shaking the head with a slow gesture

of negation. It accurately reproduced the appearance of a pitcher in

the form of a bird, and recalled the aspect of a seated Egyptain deity.

From time to time it cleaned itself, carefully preening its plumage,

and especially the tail. When I approached it, it came hopping

towards me, with half-open beak, uttering a strangled cry exactly

like that of a young Crow. If I gave it my finger it swallowed it

without ceasing its cries. I fed it with small native tomatoes, bread

and Duquesne's paste; it did not merely eat, but took at once food

offered from the hand—there was no need to cram it. When I gave

it live butterflies it tried to catch them. It could not fly, but jumped

up to a perch 20 cm. from the ground ; one must, however, admit

that it maintained its position with difficulty.


From the following day it began to feed itself. I had taken it

out of its cage to feed it on rice cooked with sugar ; I had put several

live grasshoppers into the cage, and had by me five or six dead ones,

which I did not want to give it all at once. The rice did not suit

my new pensioner, who rejected it. A half-killed grasshopper began

to move, and in a moment my bird escaped me, seized the grass¬

hopper, threw it into the air, caught it again and swallowed it, then

ate others, all by himself. From this moment he ate the food of

his companions ; he soon developed marked skill in catching live

grasshoppers and butterflies. He then desisted; not being very



