TV//: /</: i//.v 



The forehead, top of the head, and neck are rather dark -laty-ash, and a patch of grayish- 

 white extends from liehind the eyes, partially down the n-- k on each side. The gein-ial *nr 

 face of the U>dy i.s.soft ashen-gray, and the primaries are black. The loin; plumy tcrtiaN form 

 two cre.st -like ornament*, wlii.-h can be raised or depressed at will. The eyes are red, aad the 

 IN ak i- \.-llow. with a gn-eii tinge. Th.- total length of the adult ('nine i* alnmt four feet, but 

 it is rather variable in [>oint ,,i .]/,-. and the males are rather larger than the females. 



THE two follow in- I'inl.s are remarkalile, not only for th.-ir beauty of form and |.liunuge. 

 Inn fm tin- i-xtraordiiiary autirs in which they occasionally indulge. 



I'he DEXOISELLK, or NCMIM \ \ ( i: \ N K, is common in many ]uirt of Africa, and haa been 

 .-teen in >oin.- ]Hniiun> of Asia, and occa.sionally in Hi.steni Kun)|'. The movriiifiit.s of this 



lit* wt tm vi 1 1 



i OKANB.-J 



beantiful bird are generally slow and grac'fiil. with a certain air of delicate daintiness about 

 them which has earned f..r it th- titl.- of I>.-niois<.]|,.. Rut on occasions it is seized with a fit 

 of eccentricity, and puts it^-lf throiiirh a series of most absurd gambols, dancing about on the 

 tips uf its toes, flapping its wings, and bowing its hul in the most grotesque fashion. It may 

 sometimes be seen performing these antics in the Zoological Oard>-ns. Imt it is very capricious in 

 its habits, and. like the parrot, will seldom jwrfonu its tri-ks when it is most desired to do so. 

 It is a very pretty bird, the soft texture of the tlowinir plumage, and the delicate grays of 

 the feathers, harmoni/inir with each other in a v.-ry agreeable manii'-r. Tin- u p(i tienil tint of the 

 plumage is blue-gray, taking a more leaden t..n.-on the head and n-'<-k. and ofT.-i ing a beauti- 

 ful contrast to the snowy-white ear tuft*. i-.-uinir fr-ini v.-lvrtyhlark. which decorate the head. 

 Then 1 is also a tuft of long flowing plumes of a deep black gray, hanging from the breast. Its 



