346 ON THE PLUMAGE AND HABITS OF 



then darting out its head in the most grotesque manner towards 

 anything which particularly attracted its attention. At night 

 it became again listless, and remained so until towards morning 

 when it uttered its ordinary note which, when grown up and 

 living in the aviary, it always made use of when hungry. It 

 was a low screech, resembling somewhat the grating of a sharp 

 instrument along the teeth of a comb. At this hour he com- 

 menced regularly every morning a peregrination round the room, 

 flying from one object to another until he got back to his original 

 starting place. Before leaving the edge of its box, however, 

 it would revolve its head first in one direction and then in the 

 other, and hinge it forward towards the object it intended to 

 perch on, until it had ascertained its exact position and where- 

 abouts, and then it would fly off to it.* When placed in the 

 aviary at three months old, it invariably chose the lightest parts 

 to perch in, appearing rather to covet than shun the light, 

 and was able instantly to spy any food, such as a lizard or bird 

 held up to the bars, even of the opposite side of the apartment, 

 and flying across would seize it greedily, pushing its head 

 between the bamboos and dragging it from me with a tita-tita- 

 tita, a note which it usually uttered in such occasions, or when 

 annoyed or teased in any way. It showed great avidity at all 

 times, often chosing and taking away the food of a young 

 crested Eagle, which at that time dwelt in harmony with it. It 

 would deliberately sidle up to the Eagle, and poking its head 

 down would seize the meat, grasped between the bird's talons 

 and the perch ; his majesty astounded at such audacit}' - would 

 stretch up his head, raise his crest, and lift his foot to strike 

 his pursuer, when the latter would quietly walk off with the 

 coveted morsel. 



When given anything of no great size to eat, such as a 

 Calotes or small bird, it invariably seized it in its foot, grasping 

 it with the outer toe to the rear, and holding it up after the 

 manner of a Parrot, nibbled at various parts with a view of 

 tasting it, after which it would suddenly jerk it into its mouth, 

 head foremost, and sw r allow it without any exertion whatever. 

 On the 16th June, when only three months old, it swallowed 

 entire a large Calotes lizard, but this feat, I consider, was outdone 

 by its companion which I reared the following year, and which 



* Whether this singular movement was essential in any way to its sight, or whether 

 it was performed under emotions of surprise in some instances and curiosity in others, 

 I will not pretend to say, but I rather incline to the latter belief, and fancy it was 

 analogous to the rocking from side to side motion of the little 'EpMalites bakhamcena, or 

 the twisting upside down of the head of Limncetus cristatellus when shown a tempt- 

 ing morsel of food or any object which highly excited its curiosity. 



