Mr. Reginald Philupps,



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for the purpose of scaring its foes, as has already been described.

Doubtless it expands it also as a courting posture, and perhaps

as an ordinary display like a Peacock. When it spreads the tail

while feeding in the presence of a human being, it is from ner¬

vousness, a kind of instinctive action to keep him off. I under¬

stand that Mr. Peir’s bird was kept in a cage so that it was

compelled to stand its ground. After a time my bird became

tame and friendly, and perhaps occasionalh'- expanded his tail as

a display to me—but this too was in a cage.


I have not done with the tail yet. The colour and pattern

of the under, of the display, side differ from the upper. Mr.

Gronvold has taken an infinity of trouble in his endeavours to

bring the expanded tail into his excellent illustration, and to

shew both the pattern on the under tail and the distinctive

markings of the female which are in the fore-parts of the bird.

But he has never seen the bird alive, much less the display; and

to sketch a posture accurately from a verbal description is

practically impossible. And even the pattern on the under side

of the tail can hardly be seen in a dried faded skin, as a skin is

stiff and hard, cannot readily be opened, and if opened does not

shew the feathers evenly as in the living specimen. I have never

seen a female and do not know that it does raise and expand the

tail—though probably it does when alarmed ; and the pattern on

the female seems to be less distinct than on the male. It must

not be supposed that because two females appear in the illus¬

tration that the species is polygamous.


The following is the description of the under tail taken

from the living male:—The outer web of the outer feather on

each side is black, basal portion of inner bright slate, the black

from the outer web slanting across and occupying the apical

portion, but tipped with white. All the other feathers are bright

slate, with a subterminal band of black and tipped with white.

Taking the under surface of the expanded tail as a whole, the

bright slate forms a solid and slightly pointed arch. This is

surmounted by the arch of black with its shaft support (outer

web of each outer feather) on each side right down to the base,

the whole structure being crowned with white. I observe that I

have not made any special note of the part taken in the display



