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Mr. Russell Humphrys,



moroseness. Yet the Augusta I had, which was obtained in that

way and is now in the Zoo, is the most friendly of birds, and

learnt to talk readily.


However there is one set-off— Versicolor , though devoted to

me, won’t learn a word, and is intolerably noisy. Guilding’s, at

least, is silent, and hardly ever makes a sound.


If he ever should determine to make a friend of me,

perhaps he might do great things. One can always conquer

Grey Parrots and Amazons—at any rate of the larger kinds—by

soundly cuffing them. But I don’t want to make the bird afraid

to bite me, but glad to see me. So I still wait. Ret us hope that

“ tout vient a-point a qui sait attendre ” will come true in this

case.



A RAMBLE IN CEYLON.


By Russell Humphrys.


It is 6 a.m. and a typical July morning as we emerge

Irom the rest-house at Kaltura, and. finding a dilapidated trap

previously ordered in readiness, we prepare ourselves for an

exceedingly uncomfortable journey. Our destination is a patch

of jungle some eight miles away, and our equipment consists of

a butterfly net, collecting box, and a pair of powerful field

glasses. For the first few miles all goes well, the road being

excellent, and passing through the most luxuriant tropical

scenery, the eccentricities of our native driver and his antiquated

quadruped pass unheeded, but on leaving the main road and

striking up a rough bullock path towards the scene of our

intended operations, the entire absence of springs combined

with a seat consisting of a plank of banana wood necessitates a

halt, and we proceed on foot leaving our Jehu delighted at the

idea of spending his day after his own fashion, under the friendly

shade of a cocoa-nut palm.


As we tramp along the side of a large paddy swamp alive

with various aquatic birds, numerous White Egrets ( Herodias

alba ?) are observed usually associating in small flocks of from

ten to fifteen ; they are wary, and the ground being devoid of

cover we are not allowed a very close inspection. Yellow



