S 4



Mr. R. Phillipps,



But it did more than this for, little by little, it became very tame,

and now will hardly move out of a feeding saucer for me when

I am attending to the food. It has found out that I am not a

person to be feared, but an amiable kind of food-producing

creature whose presence in the birdroom is rather to be

encouraged than otherwise.


I have not the time to attempt to make a pet of it, but

Mr. Harper has told us how familiar this species will become,

everything he tells us being corroborated by my own observations

on my solitary Golden Eye, excepting only the “ tickling,” which

my specimen, so far, has managed to exist without.


I do not know the sex of my bird, the sexes being alike

we are told (Cat. Birds, Vol. VII. p. 510); but probably it is a

female. It is a pity that it should be alone, for with a companion

it would be so much more at home, and one would have a better

chance of observing its true nature. So far, it has not shewn

the slightest inclination to keep company with any other bird ;

even when confined with the Mesias, they kept as separate as oil

and water. It spends much of its time with a Golden-throated

Barbet (Cyanops jranklini), but probably that is only for the sake

of convenience ; it is I think the Barbet’s house and food that

attract it, not the Barbet himself.


It is an insectivorous and more or less frugivorous species,

doubtless in the wild state climbing amongst the underwood,

etc., and searching for insect life in every form. In captivity it

seems to be fond of preserved yolk of egg, picking this out of

the food dishes when there chances to be any.


To what extent it is actually frugivorous I do not know,

but I frecpiently see it at the fruit saucers. When I bring the

latter, freshly attended to, into the birdroom, there are five birds

that are stirred up into active life at the sight. The two Golden-

throated Barbets and the Black-naped Oriole (p. 33 ; and p. 100

of Vol. VIII.) at once take their stand by the place where each

bird’s dish is invariably placed. This shews reasoning power—

for they never fly towards the dishes in my hands, but know

their several destinations to an inch. Directly I enter the room,

a light slim little figure perches 011 the edge of a saucer; the



