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obtain a Guilding under other circumstances, it had been the

invariable custom to bring it down with a gun, so that a perfect

specimen was very rarely secured.


The Guilding is fully 19m. long, and has a wide spread of

wing. The beak is light horn-coloured ; the head pale yellow,

deepening in shade towards a band of blue, green and mauve

round the neck ; the body and wings are mixed brown, orange

and 3 , ’ellow : and the tail shows a peacock band. With the wings

extended the bird is like a gigantic tropical butterfly. The eye is

red with a black pupil, small and, I must say, unintelligent. The

claws and beak are very powerful. No species of bird proves

more clearly that individuals of a species differ fully as much as

men and women of any one race. One of the birds brought

to me, evidently a young one, took food from our hands at once.

He was allowed to leave his cage from the first, and he shuffled

about the house with perfect confidence, and quickly learnt the

advantage of coming to meals with us. He showed no sign of

fear or resentment and allowed his head to be stroked at once,

and I bitterty regret his fate. We were all much occupied at the

time, and by some mistake he was allowed to get into the trees

a few days after his arrival, and he was killed in an attempt to

get him back.


The other bird, which I brought back to England last

month, was of a totally different character. He became attached

to me and to my maid, but to all others, vdiether black or white,

he showed fear and dislike. He showed no inclination to speak,

but, on the other hand, he quickly accustomed himself to his

modified form of captivity. His wing was slightly cut, and,

with the other Parrots, he spent the day on a bamboo on the

verandah, but during the hot hours he would wander about in

the trees and bushes near. He had a cat-like objection to rain,

shared, I noticed, b} r many other tropical birds. He would come

down from his hiding place at once, if called by name. He was

on good, if somewhat contemptuous, terms with my seven other

Parrots, but he killed a tame Dove I had with one stroke of his

beak. He took kindly to cake, but his favorite food was maize

and ground nuts. I have known several other specimens in

captivity, one of which, now in England, became extraordinarily

tame and affectionate, though it does not speak. I know

another, which has learnt to call certain names and to cry like a

child ; and I have heard of another, again, said to be a really

good talker; but the greater number of those I know never

attempt to speak.



