i6o



Having then satisfied myself as to the bird’s identity and

appearance I accordingly commenced a search for this “sad

locust devourer,” and at length, after a good deal of trouble, for

he does not appear to be a stock article with the dealers, found

just two hanging up in the rain outside a filthy east-end bird-

shop, and looking very sad indeed, poor things, in a cramped and

dirty cage, with hardly a drop of water and a diet of dirty boiled

potato and bread. The purchase was soon negotiated and I was

able to study my new friends. Fine powerful-looking birds they

were, in spite of their bad condition, a trifle superior in size to a

black-bird, and of a cinnamon brown ground colour deepening to

glossy black on the head, tail, and flight feathers, and fading to

dirty white on the belly, the undercoverts of both wings and

tail being also white. The patch of white on the wing, formed

by the flights having each an inch or so of this colour at the

base and noticeable only when the wing is open, and the sharp,

strong, orange coloured bill and thick yellow legs, together with

the little patch of bare yellow skin behind the eye, are striking

features in the bird’s appearance, and when one sees their busi¬

ness like walk and sharp searching glance, their relationship to

our English bird becomes very apparent. There was a pair in

fine condition, but not shown to advantage, at the last Crystal

Palace Bird Show.


Given a roomy cage and suitable food, the birds soon

picked up and were not slow to bathe and get their plumage into

better trim, and then it was not easy to understand why

Ivinuaeus called them “ tristis ” for more comical, lively fellows

one could hardly find. It was soon evident that the} 7 were a pair, for

the male would jump up beside his companion, puff out his

feathers, and stand up and bow in a most amusing fashion,

uttering meanwhile a curious guttural cry, mingled with a clear

whistle, and finishing up with a kind of purr to which the other

would respond with a contented chuckle. They were an

interesting couple and very tame indeed, but their stay with me

lasted only a few days, when with one more of their kind, all

that could be had at the time, they were taken out to Montevideo

by a gentleman travelling to the Plate, and duly liberated. I

found them very nice birds, but, owing to their tremendous

appetites, rather a nuisance to feed and clean when one has not

suitable indoor accommodation. With plenty of room I should

think a pair would make very interesting pets, as they appear

docile and hardy, and, from what I can gather, easily taught to

whistle and even speak.


As for feeding I found that little came amiss to them; potato,



