53



on the Rege?it Bird.



fool with some other bird, with a stone, a projecting stick, any¬

thing. It is never so happy as when making itself ridiculous.


Moreover the Regent, in addition to its many and varied

calls, has quite a pleasing little song; squatting in some sheltered

corner, softly and sweetly he will warble away for quite a long

time ; and he is no mean mimic. On September 4 last, I caught

my second female singing like the male.


The Regent is not a cage-bird ; it is quite out of place in a

cage or small aviary ; but in a large natural garden aviary, with

proper protection during the cold season, it is about as nice a

species as one can have. It is remarkably intelligent, and will

become very tame if nicely treated. Another very important

point in its favour is that it is usually quite amiable with other

birds. Unfortunately it is uncertain in its temper with members

of its own species ; and when once two males come to blows

there is nothing for it but to shut up one of them, and it may be

weeks or even months before he can again be enlarged in the

general aviary; and in a confined space even two females cannot

be relied upon to keep the peace.


The Regent Bird must not be over exposed to cold; the

protracted moult when it is in the open air speaks volumes in

this connection.


Moreover, great care must be taken with the food, or it will

have fits. The more I know of the bird the more I am satisfied

that, in confinement, it should be fed chiefly upon a fruit and

vegetable diet. Even with fruit one must be careful. For instance,

one autumn I threw some unripe, perhaps exceptionally hard and

unripe, grapes into the aviary, and two of the Regents were

seized with severe fits. One lingered a few weeks, the other for

a twelvemonth, but the grapes were the original cause of death

in each case. Doubtless it is a more delicate and a more difficult

•species to keep in confinement than the Satin-bird.


It very freely eats the leaves of growing trees, and care

must be taken that no injurious ones are planted in the aviarv.

It will be seen by-and-by how serious the results may be if there

be any thoughtlessness in this respect.


Indeed the Regent is a very bad forester, for it is inces¬

santly plucking the leaves off some trees and taking bites out of



