THE MOT-MOT. 



(May 17, 1890.) 



THE Parrot-house is always well worth a visit, and 

 were its inmates less noisy would, no doubt, be much 

 more frequented than it is, as it contains not only 

 an excellent collection of parrots, of all sorts and 

 sizes, but also many other very beautiful and inte- 

 resting birds. At the present time, however, a 

 bird of more than ordinary interest is to be seen in 

 this house which, though not "new to the collec- 

 tion," will certainly be new to a very large majority 

 of the present visitors to the Zoo, as it is a very 

 long time how long we cannot say with certainty, 

 but at least twenty years since the last specimen 

 died there. The bird in question is a mot-mot, 

 presented about a week since, and is to be seen in 

 the large cage nearest to the keeper's room. It 

 has not yet been labelled, but is, we believe, 

 Momotus 'brasiliensis. It is an extremely striking, 

 though not very brilliantly coloured, bird, about 

 the size of a jay, with a long tail; its brightest 

 colour, a most beautiful blue, forms a band round 

 the crown of its head, which is black, and there 

 are smaller patches on its cheeks; it has a bold 



