A T otes on some Fijian Birds in Captivity.



53



with the ground thus explaining, in all probability, the ease with

which the Kula becomes wiped out by the Mongoose in other

localities. In one such nest we found a young bird partially

feathered 2J inches long. Though undoubtedly too young to be

removed, I attempted to rear it.


Nests are said to be very hard to find, as the old birds are

very wary about entering any hole while under observation. At

finding nests, natives are much more expert than white men.

Another bird, almost fledged, was brought in by a party of Solo¬

mon Island labourers which had been sent out for the purpose.

At first I attempted to rear these young birds on honey, but they

did not take very kindly to it. One of them, however, on being

placed on the breakfast table, made a bee line for the porridge

and commenced feeding on it with great alacrity with, his brush¬

like tongue. Tea with sugar and milk he absolutely could not

resist, though milk and sugar alone or Nestle’s milk he was not

at all partial to. Henceforward the younger bird was fed by

means of a spoon on sweetened tea and milk, and became

very fat and grew rapidly ; porridge and gruel he would not or

could not take. The older bird became extraordinarily tame and

familiar and never attempted to fly away.


Subsequently five more young birds were brought in by a

Fijian ; they were half-starved and were being fed on mummy

apple, which did not agree with them. So infested were they

with white mites that I also became covered with these creatures

whose bites caused considerable inconvenience. Frequent baths

with dilute lysol effectually cleansed the birds of these parasites.

Though the weather was very warm they required a considerable

amount of extra heat; the youngest bird especially was never so

happy as when placed in the incubator at 97 P Falir. Of the new

arrivals I lost one, which vomited all food and died in convul¬

sions. The others lived in a large cage and became very tame

and familiar. They were always lively and cheery, tumbling about

the floor quarrelling like monkeys and greeting others of their

kind with shrill cries as they winged their way over our house.


The youngest of the family came to a sad end. I had had

him for over a month and he had then become completely fledged.

One day, in its anxiety to reach the others, he fell out of the



