542 COL. TEEBUBT AND MB. O. THOMAS ON [June 18, 



somewhat from the other bird. Briefly speaking, it did not begin 

 throwng off its feathers until the summer was somewhat advanced, 

 and took less time to complete its moult than the Aru-Island bird. 

 Habits in captivitif. — Besides being active and vigorous, as stated 

 by Wallace, the Great Bird of Paradise is amusing and demon- 

 strative, possessing many of the characteristics of a Magpie and 

 Bhimraj {Dissemurus j)aradiseus), but is liable to be stupid and 

 helpless when the economy of its ordinary mode of life is in any 

 way disturbed. At least such has been observed to be the case 

 with the Aru-Island bird. It behaved in a very strangely stupid 

 manner when let out in a large and lofty aviary a few days 

 after its arrival. Perhaps the vastness of the place bewildered 

 and frightened it. It, however, recovered its equanimity shortly 

 after being placed in its old and accustomed cage. It is very 

 fond of dancing, but want of company evidently acts as a check 

 upon this passion. It has a loud and deep note, which it constantly 

 utters Mith infinite variation and modulation. It maintains 

 excellent health upon diet consisting of a teacupful of bread and 

 milk in the morning, half a papya-fruit in the forenoon, and a 

 few grasshoppers or cockroaches the last thing in the afternoon. 

 Its low subdued chuckles and grunts while taking the insects from 

 off the fingers of the keeper clearly show its great insectivorous 

 propensity. It very much enjoys a shower-bath, administered by 

 a garden syringe, twice a week during summer. The smaller bird 

 (said to have been from the southern part of New Guinea) was less 

 demonstrative ; but this might have been its individual peculiarity. 



3. On the Mammals of Aden. 

 By Col. J. W. Yerbury and Oldfield Thomas. 



[Eeceived May 29, 1895.] 



The present paper is based on the collections made by Terbury 

 at and near Aden in February and March of this year, and, as there 

 has been remarkably little recorded about the mammals of this 

 southern point of Arabia, we have added to the list two species 

 not represented in the collection, but mentioned by other authors, 

 and have thus made the paper contain a complete list of the 

 mammals as yet known to occur in the district of Aden. 



The only two papers that we know of mentioning Aden mam- 

 mals are : — 



(1) MoNTiCELLi, r. S. "Note Chirotterologiche." ■ (1887.) 



[Description of Vespertilio dogalensis, and record from Aden 

 of Hipposiderus tridens, Nycteris thebaica, Rhinopoma micro- 

 phyllum, and Xaniliarpyia straminea.'] 



(2) Matschie, p. " Ueber einige von Herrn Oscar Neumann bei 



Aden gesammelte und beobachtete Saugethiere." - (1893.) 

 [Notice of Papio hamadryas, Xaniliarpyia straminea, Scoto- 

 philus schlieffeni, and Hystriv " africoi-australis"^ 



1 Ann. Mus. Genov. (2) v. p. 517. '■' SB. Ges. nat. Freuad. 1893, p. 24. 



