54 G. H. Gurney—A Visit to the Brinsop Court Aviaries


birds they are to deal with satisfactorily, but this bird, which I think

Mr. Astley has had for considerably over a year, looked the picture of

health ; it was about the size of a Green Woodpecker, perhaps rather

smaller, and beautifully marked with yellow ; quite tame, and if one

put one’s hand near the bars of the cage, its long pink tongue would

dart out and vibrate up and down one’s finger with great rapidity,

being specially attracted by the glitter of my gold signet ring. In

this room also are a pair of Purple Sugar Birds, a Shama, and a lovely

Chestnut-breasted Blue Niltava. Down a passage is the bird-room,

a good-sized room, the walls lined with white china tiles ; here, flying

loose, are the pair of Cat Birds, most interesting and fairly tame; they

are rather heavy-looking birds, but very attractive and of course

extremely rare. I was pleased to see two Black-winged White Grackles ;

I kept this very handsome Starling before the War, and found them

most charming birds, with their black and white plumage and bright

yellow legs and bill. Three Queen Alexandra Parrakeets, a Black-

capped Lory, some Blue Budgerigars, and last, but by no means least,

a most beautiful Mot-mot, made up the inhabitants of the bird-room.

The Mot-mot, with its curious racket tail, was not loose, but in a cage ;

he was quite tame and the picture of health. In Mr. Astley’s study

were four Nightingales, three of them' anyhow singing beautifully ;

here also was a rare Kobin Chat (Cossypha caffra), a North American

Wood Thrush, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and a White-winged Mocking

Bird. Other birds noticed in various parts of the house were Liothrix,

two rare Mocking Birds (Mimus gilvus), Hooded Siskins, Mexican Red

Cardinal, Yucatan Blue Pie, and various others which I have forgotten.


The evening I arrived at Brinsop there was great excitement, for

the pair of Hokis, or Eared Pheasants, which are quite full-winged

and have the run of the garden, had gone off and after much difficulty

had been located in a large wood on the side of a hill some mile away

from the house ; however, later in the evening Mr. Astley’s bird-man

reported that they had been found, and had either been driven or came

back, and he told me the following morning that they had flown down

the hill-side at the most terrific pace, far faster than partridges. They

appeared to be none the worse for their adventure, and were most

attractive looking birds, I thought, with their ear tufts and odd tails,



