On the Black Lory.



I introduced one of my Black-capped Lories, thinking they

would make friends, and the Black Cap take the sheaths off

the feathers and improve Aters plumage. A ter appeared to

approve of the Black Cap’s appearance through the wires of his

cage, but no sooner did I introduce him inside the cage than

Ater flew at him with great fury, much to poor Black Cap’s

alarm, who rushed up my arm uttering shrill screams of surprise

and terror. Clearly Ater preferred to live alone.


This trait is not an uncommon one amongst single birds

brought up by hand. He will still, when I put my hand inside

his cage, flutter his wings and utter little squeaks of pleasure

much as any young bird will do when fed by the parent bird.


I give him sweetened milk sop and sweet water grapes.

This fruit he prefers to any other, and will eat them in large

numbers. Where the difficulty arrives in importing them I

cannot say. Mr. Goodfellow told me the natives feed them

principally on boiled rice, a diet which I find suits few birds.


He imported his Lories on Swiss milk and fruit and I

think his success proves that this is the most suitable food for

the majority of these birds.


[Through the kindness of Mrs. Johnstone I have had the

privilege of seeing her living example of this rare Lory. It is a

fine specimen, in excellent condition, and very tame. The skins

in the British Museum all look very dull compared with the

living bird, especially in the colour of the upper tail coverts and

rump which appear quite bright blue in life, but dull purplish

blue in the dried skin.


Dr. Mivart in his Monograph of the Loriidce writes : “ This

most sombre of the whole family of the Lories is one of the

oldest known, having been described and figured by Sonnerat

in his account of his voyage to New Guinea, on which he set

out in June, 1771.


“ It is said to be common in certain localities, flying

through the woods and frequenting the smaller branches and

branchlets of the trees. It seems frequently to approach human

habitations : hence it is often caught, when it is easily

domesticated and shows itself gentle and attractive.”



