126 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



it has become very aggressive. It is extremely inquisi- 

 tive, and its curiosity appeared to be first aroused by 

 the metallic spots on the wings of the Tynipanistrias"; 

 these it attacked, plucking out the coloured feathers, 

 and, en. finding out that no resistance was made, pro- 

 ceeded to completely strap the backs of its victims, and 

 to attack the Haplopelias. It has thus from time to 

 time killed a good many of the Doves, apparently out 

 of sheer exuberance of spirits, for it never attempts to 

 ea-t either the feathers or the birds themselves. Just 

 after sunset it becomes particularly lively and aggreis- 

 e:ve, taking long hops from percih to perch, crowing, 

 and giving a .peck here and a peck there to each of the 

 Doves, already sleepy and settling down for the nighit, 

 as it passes ; then it returns, never assailing any indi- 

 vidual persistently, but filially sometimes felling one 

 by dint of repeated attacks, for they merely sit still 

 and cower. When one falls to the ground the Touraco 

 descends, gives it the coup-de-grdce, in the form of 

 two or three sharp blows on the back of the head, and 

 then resumes its sport. It never attacks the Roller, 

 the Parrot, oir the Bulbuls, having found prolbaibly that 

 these birds resent its first alt-tempts in that direction. 

 It feeds readily from the hand, and, after a meal, retires 

 to some higher branch, and there site, puffed out and 

 lethargic, with its head well down between its shoulders, 

 making a continual slight rasping noise, comparable 

 perhaps to snoring, for half an hour or more ; -when in 

 this condition it greatly enjoys having its breast 

 stroked. Not infrequently it -will eat a few small grass- 

 hoppers, but it is clumsy 'with regard to the larger 

 locusts, .going about and bruising them on the branches 

 somewhat after the manner of an insectivorous bird, 

 but usually letting them drop after a few seconds. 

 Wih en annoyed, or hungry and excited by the sight olf 

 food, it will utter a loud, quick ' Icd-lca-lcd-lca-kd ! ' a 

 note common to both Touracos, and frequently heard 

 in the forest. It is exceedingly tame, but when outside 

 the aviary will not come to the hand so readily as would 

 my T. livingstonii, seeming to take an impudent de- 

 ligiht'in teasing its pursuer. Its running powers are re- 

 markable. Being at large on one occasion when I had 

 to leave home for a few days, it had to be captured, 

 and when, after a long chase among>st the gum trees, 

 it took to the ground 'cultivated, but bare it ran, 

 apparently not thinking of flight, for a distance of 

 more than two hundred yards 'before I myself and 

 seven Kafirs, close on its heels from the start, could 

 .secure it ; it was then considerably exhausted. This 

 Touraco may frequently be seen running along the 

 horizontal branches of large trees, but its speed on this 

 occasion, and the distance covered, were a revelation 

 to me. The natives believe that, should a Touraco fly 

 across the road and call, it indicates that they will 

 find a buck or a beer-drink an ahead ; its crimson* w'ang- 

 qiuills are greatly prized by them, and in former times 

 used to be reserved for the king." 



Although, strangely enough, this speoies is omitted 

 from the " List of animals now or lately living in the 

 Hardens of the Zoological Society of London." we read 

 in the Proceedings of that Society for 1879, p. 218 : 

 "A Purple-crested Touracou (CorytJiaix porphyreo- 

 lopha), presented by the Rev. J. A. Gould, F.Z.S., 

 February 4th. 



" On his return from Natal, Mr. Gould was kind 

 enough to bring us the first example of this beautiful 

 Touracou whirh has been received alive by the Society. 

 The bird was obtained from a person on board the 

 Zanzibar mail steamer, and is doubtless from Mozam- 

 bique or from some part of the East Afr'cu.ii coast." 

 The species has also been represented in the Am. 

 dam Gardens. 



GREEN-NECKED TOURACOU (Gallirex chlorochlamys) . 



Diiffers from the preceding species in the uniform 

 colouring of the grass-green portions of the plumage, 

 which show no trace of pink shading ; it ie also a trane 

 smaller. Haifa., Eastern Africa north of the Zambesi 

 and extending to Abyssinia. 



According to Mr. F. J. Jackson (The Ibis, 1892, 

 p. 313), the bill and feet black and the eyelids coral- 

 red, so that in its soft parts this form does not appear 

 to differ from the southern race. 



According to Fischer, "at Maurui at the Pangani it 

 inhabits the densest portions of the forest on the banks 

 in flights of from four to twelve individuals ; they ex- 

 hibited a very lively, restless demeanour, hopping 'from 

 twig to twig and chasing one another without inter- 

 mission, in the tops of the trees, sometimes depressing, 

 sometimes erecting their crests, and uttering a short 

 growling note which sounded like 'korro.'" 



According to Dr. Bohm, "this species keeps chiefly 

 to the thicket of trees smothered with luxuriant para- 

 sitic elimlbeirs, but betrays itself here by its loud vodce, 

 which may be rendered by the deep and rapidly-jerked- 

 out syllables, ku-kulluck, ku-kulhicik, ku, ku, ku, ku. 

 It stays nowhere long, flutters much more up and down, 

 flips actively with its tail, shakes itself, erects and 

 droops the feathers on its head. The flight is rapid, 

 easy, and gliding. The birds are shy, and as soon as 

 they thiink they are being followed, endeavour to glide 

 away into the nearest thicket as easily and imper- 

 ceptibly as possible." (cf. Russ " Die Fremdlandischen 

 Stubenvogel, Vol. II., p. 674). 



In 1889 a specimen of this bird was presented to the 

 London Zoological Gardens by Miss Dolly Kirk ; three 

 yeans later a second, from British East Africa, was 

 presented, and in 1894 two more from British Central 

 Africa. In 1895 the Berlin Gardens secured an example. 

 and Mr. Meusel observed that when the bird washed 

 the wing-feathers lost their colouring and the water 

 became greenish. 



VIOLACEOUS TOURACOU (Musophaga violacea). 



General colour glossy violaceous blue, duller and 

 darker on lower back, abdomen, thighs, under tail and 

 wing coverts ; flights coloured crimson and black, much 

 as in Turacus ; crown and nape crimson, the feathers 

 short and somewhat hair-like ; orbital patch extending 

 to bill scarlet ; beneath the posterior half of the latter 

 a white band extends under the ear -coverts ; lower 

 t hroat and fore-chest glossed with green ; bill orange- 

 red (or chrome-yellow), fading to yellow on anterior 

 half of upper mandible; feet black; irides brown. 

 Female not differentiated. Hab., West Africa from the 

 Cameroons to Senegambia. 



Ussher met with this species in small companies, but 

 Reichenow says that in the marshy lands of the Cameroon 

 river he only observed it singly or in pairs. " They 

 affected low, dense scrub on the borders of the forest 

 rather than high trees. They keep hidden aVay, and 

 I have never heard a sound from them. They merit 

 the name of Pisang or Banana-eater as little as the 

 other members of the family, indeed not one of them 

 feeds upon fruits of that kind." (cf. Russ, " Die 

 Fremdlanischen Stubenvogel," Vol. II., p. 669.) 



Capt. B. Alexander (The Ibis, 1902, p. 362) says : 

 "This species haunts the vicinity of streams and is 

 generally observed in pairs. The male in the nesting 

 teason, which is in April, utters a turkey -like gobble." 



First exhibited at the London Zoological Gardens in 

 1863, since which time many examples have found a 

 home there, the last recorded in the ninth edition of 



