COMMON PETCHARY. 183 



ahead, and took no notice ; and the war continued 

 until my informant left. The Petchary continued, 

 in this case, on the wing ; but frequently he alights 

 on the dog to peck him. 



Both this and the Grey Petchary, when excited, 

 open and shut the coronal feathers alternately. 

 When opened, the appearance is as if a deep fur- 

 row had been ploughed through the plumage of 

 the head, the sides of which are vividly coloured. 

 Occasionally this furrow is opened in death, and 

 remains so : one or two birds being brought me 

 in this condition, when my acquaintance with the 

 species was slight, I suspected that some of the 

 feathers had been plucked out, in order to enhance 

 the value of the specimens by displaying the gayer 

 colour. A male of the present species, which I 

 wounded one day in April, on my taking it up, 

 began to scream passionately, and to open and 

 shut the crown, biting ferociously; another from 

 the same tree, probably his mate, attracted by his 

 cries, pursued me, endeavouring to peck me : and 

 when repelled, continued to gaze, stretching its 

 neck anxiously, whenever the screams were re- 

 peated. 



In the quotation from Robinson's MSS., page 180, 

 the early habits of this bird were noticed. On the 

 same subject, Mr. Hill writes me, " I know no 

 bird-voice, not excepting ' the cock's shrill clarion,' 

 that is earlier heard than the pi-pi-pihou of the 

 Loggerhead Tyrant. In my neighbourhood seve- 

 ral of the yards are planted with cocoa-nut trees. 

 On a very lofty cocoa palm to the north of me, a 



