110 The Mot-Mot. 



berries from the underwood, and very rarely is 

 seen in the lofty trees, except the bastard silolabi- 

 tree, the fruit of which is grateful to him. He 

 makes no nest, but rears his young in a hole in the 

 sand, generally on the side of a hill." 



In captivity the mot-mot may fairly be said to 

 be omnivorous, as Dr. Murie tells us that it "will 

 then eat bread, raw meat, oranges, water-melons, 

 small birds, mice, lizards, snakes, cockroaches," 

 &c. He further tells us that "in pouncing on 

 these latter, they afterwards strike them violently 

 against the ground or perch." 



The bird at the Zoo is not, so far as we are 

 aware, supplied with mice, lizards, or snakes 

 cockroaches, we should imagine, it could have for 

 the asking, as the large American species commonly 

 known as the " ship's cockroach " swarms in many 

 of the houses ; but the bird's food consists of raw 

 meat, boiled rice, bread, fruit, and vegetables, on 

 which we hope it may live and thrive as well as did 

 its predecessor, mentioned by Messrs. Salvin and 

 Bartlett. 



