on Foreign Birds at Benham Park. 233


have lived out in this unhealed aviary all the winter, and

looked in very good trim ; one Blue-banded Parrakeet (AT.

venusta) also in fine condition ; a pair of Yellow - mantled

Rosellas {Platycerms splendidus). A fine pair of Red-capped

Parrots (Pio?iopsittacus pileahis) seemed inclined to nest and

were driving the other birds somewhat.


A pair of small Guans were delightfully tame and some-

times follow their owner about the garden. The Mountain Cali-

fornian Quail {Oreortyx . pictus) is a most handsome species and

rarely imported ; a few have, however, reached this country and

Mr. Astley has a nice pair. These are all the birds I made special

note of, but there were numbers of others of less importance.


A number of Pekin Robins were liberated close to this

aviary some weeks ago, and several return daily for food. I was

specially interested in being shown a nest containing two eggs of

this species built in a laurel bush some fifty yards or so from the

aviary, — a perfectly natural nest composed of dead leaves, grass

and roots, and lined with horse-hair and a small piece of sheep's

wool.


Three kinds of Peafowl roam about the Park, the common

(Pavo cristatus), and its black- winged form (P. nigiipennis),

and a pair of the very handsome Specifer or Burmese Pea-

fowl {P. muticus).


In an enclosure of several acres of feu - like ground,

carpeted, when I was there, with marsh-marigolds and cuckoo-

flowers, where in warm evenings the trill of the Grasshopper-

Warbler is heard and the Sedge- Warbler's harsh notes appear to

come from every patch of reeds ; in this delightful spot Mr.

Astley keeps his Cranes, a most handsome collection consisting

of six Demoiselles, two white Asiatic, five Australian "Native

Companion," three Balearic and two European, and with them a

pair of Black Storks. The position would seem to be ideal for a

breeding place for Cranes, but I imagine they would need to be

separated in pairs for breeding. They are a most ornamental

group of birds and Mr. Astley's collection looked most pic-

turesque.


One part of the lake, a goodly expanse of water, is set apart^

for Waterfowl, which have an island all to themselves, and here



