CHAPTER XXII. 



I HIS bird is nearly as large as the Moluccan : from 

 which it is readily distinguished by the yellow 

 colour of the hinder crest feathers, and the largish 

 circle of bluish coloured naked skin round the eye : the 

 eye itself, in the individual I am describing, was black, 

 from which I infer that it was a male. 



I did not exactly own this bird, but took care of it 

 for a time for a friend. It was long enough, however, 

 in my custody to show me that it was a very lovable 

 creature, extremely tame and gentle, but no linguist: 

 at least I never heard it utter a word, but it could 

 cackle like a hen, and occasionally did so, though 

 not in so distressingly powerful a voice as its friend 

 the Moluccan. I also heard it try to imitate the 

 clarion notes of <; Chanticleer the Bold," but it failed 

 miserably, I must say, and did not repeat the attempt. 



Afterwards its upper mandible grew to an enormous 

 length, curling downwards towards the chin, and the 

 lower mandible broadened out spoonwise, giving the 

 bird an extraordinary appearance and interfering with 

 its feeding. I cut and pared the over-growth, but have 

 heard no more of the subsequent history of Blue- Eye. 



The scientific name is Cacatua ophthalnrica. 



