254



Corresponde?ice.



R. I. Pocock, Mr. Rathborne, Mrs. Setk-Smith, Mrs. Staveley

Hill, Lord Tavistock, Mr. B. Thomasset, Mr. S. M. Townsend,

Mr. Trevor-Battye, Mr. and Mrs. Williamson Wallace, and others.

Dr. A. G. Butler, Mrs. Currey and one or two more, who intended

to be present, sent messages expressing their regrets at being

prevented at the last moment from doing so.



THE SOCIETY’S MEDAL.



Mr. Astley is apparently entitled to a medal for success¬

fully breeding the Queen Alexandra Parraiceet. Should any

Member know of a previous instance of this species having bred

in this country will he kindly communicate with the Hon. Sec.



CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES, ETC.



notes on the sun-bittern.


Sir,—May I be pardoned for exposing further ignorance and for

asking the following question?


Is it usual for birds to try to remedy defects in the condition of

their beaks by the means which I, to-day, observed the Sun-bittern in

the Western Aviary of the Zoo to be employing ?


The nether mandible has, apparently, received some slight injury,

and the upper one protrudes about a quarter-of-an-incli more than it ought

to. Eurypyga lielias was squatted down in the front of the flight and

was pushing his beak backwards and forwards along the metal ledge, at

an angle which just prevented contact between the lower mandible and

its surface. Having done this for some considerable time, he scraped the

point of his beak in the gravel, in an almost vertical position ; and these

movements he continued, alternately, for quite six or eight minutes after

my advent.


The ledge, being of iron, is so smooth that very little, if any, success

can attend the one effort; the gravel being soft, but little can follow from

the other : and so it is probable that others will have noticed repetition of

this very intelligent attempt on the part of a very strange bird to “strop”

his beak back into shape. What I should like to know is, whether his

method is one which is recognised. Arthur Denman.



