656 TAME MOORUKS. 



to inform me of the circumstance, when, to his surprise, I told him if he did not take care 

 they would swallow Ids hammer, nails, and chisel. The birds kept close to the man until 

 lie left for dinner, when they went about the yard as usual, resuming their position near 

 him as soon as he returned to his work, and not leaving until he had finished. 



These birds invariably retire to roost at dusk, and nothing more is seen or heard of 

 them until daylight, as they never leave their usual roosting-place after retiring ; indeed, 

 their usual time of roosting is as soon as the sun is on the verge of setting, even before the 

 poultry depart ; and on looking at them about this time in their retirement, they utter 

 their usual greeting chirps, and one may be observed reposing upon the breast, the other 

 upon the tarsi. The door may be safely left open during the night, as they will not move, 

 nor leave their sleeping-place, until the dawn of day. If, during any hour of the night, I 

 approached their resting-place, they immediately greeted me with their peculiar chirping 

 noise, being evidently, like geese, very watchful, or, according to the common saying, 

 '' sleeping with one eye open ; ' when gazed at, they not only chirped, but, if I continued 

 too long, I was saluted by a loud growl. 



One morning the male Mooruk was missing, and was found in the bedroom upstairs, 

 drinking water out of the water-jug. There were some silkworms in the room at the time, 

 but they were fortunately covered ; otherwise, I have no doubt, he would have made a meal 

 <>f them. The same bird swallowed a bung-cork which measured one and a half inch in 

 diameter ; indeed, they both seem to swallow anything, from butter and eggs to iron, in 

 the form of small bolts or nails, and stones. The bird did not appear well ; he was sulky 

 and heavy all day ; and when, in this sickly state, any one approached him, instead of 

 being greeted with a cheerful chirping, he uttered a loud sulky growl : we were afraid he 

 was dying. On the following day he was as lively as ever, having passed the cork in a 

 perfectly undigested state. 



To show how dangerous it was to leave any object capable of being swallowed, I will 

 relate the following occurrence : The servant was starching some muslin cuffs, and having 

 completed one and hung it up to dry, she was about to finish the other, when, hearing the 

 bell ring, she squeezed up the cuff, threw it into the starch, and attended to the summons. 

 On her return the cuff was gone, and she could not imagine who had taken it during her 

 brief absence, when she discovered that the Mooruk was the thief, its beak and head being 

 covered with starch : he had without doubt swallowed it. This occurred at eleven A.M., 

 und at half-past five P.M. the cuff was passed, quite undigested and uninjured, and with a 

 little washing was as good as ever. 



They could not digest unboiled potato. Maize, or any unboiled grain, was likewise 

 indigestible. When a piece of bread was offered them at a height beyond their reach, they 

 would first stretch up the body and neck as much as possible, and then, finding they could 

 not get it, they would jump up for it like a dog. They were freqiiently seen running and 

 tumbling about the yard together in high spirits. It is well to warn persons, inclined 

 to keep these birds as pets, of their insatiable propensities. When about the house, they 

 displayed extraordinary delight in a variety of diet ; for, as I have previously related, one 

 day they satisfied their appetites with bones, whetstones, corks, nails, and raw potatoes, 

 most of which passed perfectly undigested ; one dived into thick starch and devoured a 

 muslin cuff, whilst the other evinced a great partiality for nails and pebbles ; then they 

 stole the jabiru's meat from the water. If eggs and butter were left upon the kitchen 

 table, they were soon devoured by these marauders ; and when the servants were at their 

 dinner in the kitchen, they had to be very watchful, for the long necks of the birds 

 appeared between their arms, devouring everything off the plates ; or, if the dinner table 

 was left for a moment, they would mount upon it and clear all before them. 



At other times they stood at the table, waiting for food to be given to them, although 

 they did not hesitate to remove anything within their reach. I have often seen them 

 stand at the window of our dining-room, with keen eye, watching for any morsel of food 

 that might be thrown to them. The day previous to the departure of the pair for England, 

 in February, 1859, the male bird walked into the dining-room, and remained by my side 

 during the dessert. I regaled him with pine-apple and other fruits, and he behaved very 

 decorously and with great forbearance. Having had these birds for a considerable time 



