on the Regent Bird.



131


By mid-December the plumage of the young bird had

become fairly settled. The last notable change that attracted my

attention—early in December—was that the lower back region

had fallen into line with the general plumage and become brown,

only a few flecks of whitish being visible on December 21. It is

now very like the second female, but may readily bedistinguished,

(1) By the two horns, which are clear and distinct, (2) By the

conspicuous light sandy-buff spot towards the tip of not less than

three of the inner secondaries of each wing. These are much

plainer than they were at first, and seem to embrace more of the

actual tip of each feather. I have no note of the existence of

any such mark on No. 3 ; at two years old then, as with the

older bird, these spots are inconspicuous and have to be looked

for. The young bird is slightly smaller than the second female,

and markedly smaller than its mother.


Baby is beautifully wild yet beautifully tame. On a mild

day, and on a windy day such as January 6, it dashes about the

place like a mad creature, it cannot hold itself in ; yet at times

it just looks at me, and will not budge an inch though I come

close up to it; and it still has a way of flying up to and

perching close to me when I enter the aviary. Its inclination

to remain immoveable at times reminds me of the male—or is this

but a relic of the Branclier habit? nevertheless the light-hearted

second female is so fond of Baby that I think it may be a

male. Its wild instincts are ever present and alert. It is always

just on the point of flying away from me, yet for its very life it

cannot see any reason why it should fly away from me—and

so it doesn’t!


The largest bird in my possession, and the smallest bird

(p. 95) in my possession, has each reared a brood, at the same

time, and within a few feet of one another. If this had occurred

in a couple of cages, it would have been but ordinary. But

that such a record should have taken place in an aviary —I can

only raise my two arms and exclaim with Dominie Sampson—

PRO-DI-GI-OUS ! ! !



