28o



therefore, agreeably surprised on my visit this mouth to find

that the birds as a whole were looking remarkably well, the

summer heat having evidently restored to health and spirits the

brightly coloured inhabitants of sunny climes.


The arrivals in the Western Aviary this month are com¬

paratively few, consisting chiefly of Doves, about which, I regret

to say, I am very ignorant, and several Weaver Birds; these last

are well worth seeing at the present time, many of them being

clothed in the most gorgeous tints.


The Crows seem to hang in the moult more than most

birds, and the attractions in their cages at the present time are

not great, if we except a beautiful Piping Crow, who was piping

away for all he was worth. The Gulls’ Pond is also not very

attractive just now, most of the birds looking very sulky and

mopish.


Wandering by the Goose Paddocks, I noticed two speci¬

mens of the Black and White Goose (Anseranas semipalmata)

to which I think I drew attention some months back. They are

very queer looking birds, more resembling an Oyster Catcher

than a Goose, being very long in the leg, which is only partially

webbed, and having a curiously shaped head which slants

upwards and backwards, almost following the slope of the bill.


The Pheasants, of which the Gardens have acquired

several this month, were not visible, nor was it much loss as

apart from their beauty they are about the most uninteresting

birds it is possible to confine, aud are practically untameable {£).


The Little Bittern and another small heron, not yet re¬

corded, looked rather miserable in the Fish House in a cage full

of Waders, a Puffin, Terns, etc. The Waders looked very well,

and seemed to thrive in spite of their foreign companions.


I visited the Northern Aviary where Owls and Hawks

exist; there are some nice birds there but in such bad trim as

not to be worth a visit.


The only remaining house is the Parrot House, where the

moult was greatly to the fore ; the Westerman’s Fclecti which

arrived last winter seem to have gone among several others, and

nothing of great rarity has arrived. The Grassfinches, Toucans,

Touracous, etc. which inhabit that house were looking well, and

seem to thrive where the rightful inmates perish.



(g) I regret to differ from my g-ood colleague; but lest any one should be prejudiced

against Pheasants by his opinion, I cannot help recording the fact that almost all my

home-bred foreign Pheasants eat from my hand. — O. 1$. C.



