14 WANDERINGS AND MEMORIES 



There were Skuas, Eagle Owls, various raptorials, 

 and other creatures to feed, as well as putting fresh 

 labels with correct Latin names on all the collections 

 of Humming-Birds, Birds of Paradise and American 

 species. All this was excellent training for a young 

 naturalist- Moreover, when in London I always 

 accompanied Mr. Cholmondely when he went to 

 purchase specimens of shells, birds and insects of 

 the principal naturalists of the day, and this gave 

 me a considerable insight into the values and 

 proper methods of housing collections. 



One day we went to see John Gould, the famous 

 naturalist, from whom Mr. Cholmondely had bought 

 many Humming-Birds and Birds of Paradise. He 

 had just received two specimens of the then new 

 Parrotia sexpennis, the six-wired Bird of Paradise. 

 It was a gorgeous creature, and my friend at once 

 fell in love with the specimen offered to him at 

 the stiff price of £40. I was examining the bird, 

 and the bargain was practically concluded, when I 

 innocently remarked — 



" Why, then, Mr. Gould, is this bird called 

 Parrotia sexpennis ? I see it has only four wires." 



If a bomb had burst in the room it would scarcely 

 have created a greater sensation. Gould was lying 

 on a sofa, being a martyr to gout, but he rolled off 

 the couch and pulled the bird out of my hands and 

 threw it into the box, at the same time using 

 terrible language to his daughter to take all the 

 specimens away. The old naturalist was a man of 

 violent temper, and I had spoilt his little game, so 

 when Mr. Cholmondely told me to come away, 

 being himself convulsed with laughter, I thought I 

 had made an enemy for life. But I was quite wrong. 



