124 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



name of the Touracou in Xvassaland is " Ngalukula." 

 (See The Ibis, 1901, p. 592.)" 



Mr. C. F. M. Swynnerton (The Ibis, 1907, pp. 293, 

 294) says : " This lovely bird is the common Touraco 

 of Chirinda, and is also found in the wooded kloofs 

 and forest-patches of other portions of the district. Its 

 call is a bold crowing ' kurrrr kurrrr-kurrrr,' several 

 times repeated harsh, no doubt, but to my mind ex- 

 hilarating and by no means unpleasant, which may be 

 heard at all times of the day, but particularly towards 

 evening, and to a somewhat less extent in the early 

 morning. It is a somewhat unsociable bird, usually 

 going about in pairs, though sometimes, particularly 

 at the close of the breeding season, as many as four or 

 five individuals a family party, probably may be 

 found about one spot, answering one another or crow- 

 ing in chorus. Again, it is not unusual to see large 

 numbers a dozen or so feeding together on the ripe 

 fruit of some large forest-tree ; but these merely collect 

 for a common purpose, and, when satisfied, disperse 

 singly or in pairs. In October, 1901, two young birds, 

 just getting their wing-quills, were brought to me ; the 

 nest, which I subsequently saw, was a rough flat struc- 

 ture of small sticks, placed about 12ft. from the ground 

 in a small tree standing beside a stream in a kloof. 

 One of these birds, when commencing to fly, abruptly 

 ended its career in a bucket of milk ; the survivor 

 lived for two and a half years, becoming extremely 

 tame and a most charming pet. On one occasion it 

 was taken in the night, presumably by a wild cat, the 

 aviary being in bad repair, and feathers and blood on 

 the ground indicated that I should not see it again. 

 What was my surprise later in the day to find Mr. 

 Gwala-gwala on his accustomed perch, minus his tail 

 and a good many other feathers, and somewhat cut 

 about the hinder parts, but as jaunty as ever, having 

 returned of his own accord. I fed the bird chiefly on 

 bananas, but when fruit was scarce it would eat 

 mealie-meal porridge fairly readily, and appeared to 

 thrive on it. Though taking no notice of other birds 

 placed in the same cage while it was still young, I have 

 little doubt that later it would have proved aggressive, 

 for on my showing it a pair of young Purple-crested 

 Touracos, not long before its death, it puffed up its 

 velvety back-feathers, spread its wings and tail, and, 

 leaning forward, crowed loudly several times and 

 attempted to attack them through the bars. It was 

 very fond of water, bathing, in hot weather, several 

 times a day merely, however, splashing the water 

 over itself a few times and then at once making for a 

 sunny perch, where it drooped its wings and spread 

 out its tail and rump feathers to dry. According to 

 the natives, the eggs of this species are always two in 

 number and pure white. In my tame bird, and in all 

 others which I have examined, the bill and eyelids 

 have been carmine. The length of this bird in the 

 flesh is from 17in. to 18in. The stomachs examined 

 contained wild figs and other fruits, whole or nearly 

 so ; I found three-fourths of a wild fig, 1.25 inch in 

 diameter, in one of them." 



In The Ibis for 1908, p. 416, the same observer gives 

 its Singuni name as " Igwalagwala " and its Chindas 

 name as "Ihurukuru." He says: "I have noticed 

 that these Touracos call most in the morning and even- 

 ing, particularly the latter. One individual will start 

 the loud quick ' ka-ka-ka-ka-ka ' note, half a dozen 

 others will join in, and finally all will end up with a 

 regular chorus of the crowing note really quite deafen- 

 ing when close at hand." 



Two examples of this Touracou were presented to 

 the London Zoological Gardens in 1894 ; it has also 

 been represented in the Amsterdam Gardens. 



WHITE-CRESTED TOURACOU (Turacus corythaix). 



Differs from T. livingstonii in its shorter and more 

 rounded crest ; the back and wings with blue- washed 

 edges to the feathers, the tail bluer ; bill orange-brown ; 

 feet black; irides brown. Female not differentiated. 

 Hab., South Africa, from the Zambesi to Natal and 

 the Cape Colony. Messrs. Stark and Sclater ("Birds 

 of South Africa," Vol. III., pp. 215, 216) publish the 

 following notes on this species : " This bird, known as 

 the Touraco or Plantain -eater in Europe, as the Lourie 

 in South Africa, is entirely confined to forest districts, 

 where it frequents high trees, seldom descending except 

 during rainy weather ; its flight is very light and grace- 

 ful as it glides from bush to bush, feeding on wild figs 

 and other forest fruits ; the old' birds are usually seen 

 in pairs, the younger ones in small parties. 



" The cry is a loud croaking sound, uttered in early 

 morning and at sundown. At this time they are easily 

 traced, but during the day, when they are silent, it is 

 very difficult to find them. The nest is built like that 

 of a pigeon, of sticks laid horizontally in the centre of 

 a thick bush usually about 10ft. above the ground, and 

 is of the size of a dinner plate ; the eggs, five in num- 

 ber, are pure white and of about the same size as those 

 of a tame pigeon, according to Rickacrd, who found a 

 nest near East London on Jan. 27. 



" Perhaps the most interesting peculiarities about this 

 bird (which it shares with most of the other members 

 of the family) is the presence of a peculiar red pigment 

 on the wing-feathers, named by Professor Church. 

 ("Phil Trans.," Vol. CLIX., pp." 627-636, 1870; and 

 Vol. CLXXXIII A., p. 511, 1893), Turacin. 



" This pigment is soluble to a certain extent in water 

 and exceedingly so in a soapy (i.e., alkaline) solution, 

 and it has been observed by Verreaux and many others 

 since, that during heavy rains these birds descend from 

 the higher branches of tihe trees and seek shelter in the 

 lower and thicker undergrowth to avoid the wet, but 

 that not with standing this their plumage often becomes 

 so saturated with moisture that they axe quite unable 

 to fly, and they can then 'be caught with the hand. At 

 this time the greater part of the red colouring matter 

 of the wings has become washed out. The same effect 

 can be produced artificially by rubbing the feathers with 

 soapy Avater, when they can be reduced to a dull white 

 or grey colour. The bird, moreover, has the power of 

 renewing the turacin of the wings, and very shortly after 

 the plumage becomes dry the colour is as brilliant as 

 ever. 



" Turacin was carefully analysed by Professor Church, 

 and was found to contain, in addition to the usual car- 

 bon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen, about 7 per cent. 

 of copper, a substance not usually found in organic com- 

 pounds and never in such large quantities. Many sug- 

 gestions have -been put forward as to whence the bird 

 derives this metal, but it is probaible that the presence 

 of small quantities of it in plantains, bananas^ and other 

 fruits on which these birds feed is sufficient to account 

 for the matter without having recourse to suppositions 

 about their swallowing grains of malachite and other 

 copper ores, as has been suggested." 



Messrs. Alwiin Ha/agner and Robert H. Ivy 

 ("Sketches of South African Bird Life." p. 108) say 

 that the nest of this bird is situated "from 6 feet to 

 16 feet above the ground," and thait it " usually lays two 

 e^gs of a pure white colour, and rounded oval in shape." 

 Their account <is i Illustrated by an excellent phoitogira.vure 

 of the nest in situ, w r itih the two eggs and bird. 



The Messrs. Woodward, in their art/dele on the " Birds 

 of St. Lucia Lake, Zuluknd (The Ibis, 1900, pp. 519, 



