Review.



181



“ Sir, I have lately acquired a humming-bird new to aviculture, viz.,

Thalurania refulgens —the Refulgent Wood-Nymph.” It is the sort

of thing one might see in an up-to-date Drury Lane Pantomime.


I feel that if I look through Lord Brabourne’s and Mr.

Chubb’s index much more, that I shall either take the first aeroplane

to Brazil, Ecuador and British Guiana, or expire from futile and

fatal longings.


I have, for I cannot resist it, turned over another page (p. 123)

and the first name that catches my eye is i! Little Violet-ear,” and

feel certain that this is no dry museum index of ornithological

research, but a fairy story, which after all would not be astonishing,

for Lord Brabourne’s grandfather wrote very charming fairy stories.


Yet not for the world would I encourage the capture of these

living jewels, at least not until we are quite quite certain we can

feed them and keep them well and happy.


But there are hundreds of other species which could be

imported. Barbets, galore. Five-coloured; gold-fronted; orange-

banded ; Many-coloured, etc. ; some from Peru, some from Ecuador,

some from Venezuela, Brazil, etc. And the Woodpeckers! One

hundred and ten species under ten family titles. Golden green ;

black and green; Blood-coloured; Beautiful; Crimson-banded ; and so

on. I think the Piculets must be rather attractive too ; [ Picwnnus \

stick a lot of them ! There are ever so many Bush-Shrikes and

Bush-Birds and Ant-Birds and Ant-Wrens and Ant-Creepers and

Ant-Thrushes. It bewilders one, and one feels inclined to exclaim

“ My giddy Aunt.” “The pale Earth-creeper” sounds rather too

much like a worm, as does also the red-tailed ditto, but for all that

they are apparently birds, and no worms. And imagine winning' a

special prize at the Horticultural Hall for the rarest bird in the

show, and having to catalogue it as an “ Equatorial Whiskered

Recurved-bill.” “ Tyrants ” there are too, any amount. I should’nt

care for them, we already have one or two too many at home ! and

they ought to be ‘ in captivity ! ’


Flycatchers, too, of sorts by the hundred; and Manakins ;

amongst which are coroneted ; fire-crowned; golden-winged; fiery-

headed ; opal-crowned ; azure-crowned; etc.


Of Thrushes, or things allied to Thrushes, there are many.



