10 GREAT WHITE-CRESTED COCKATOO. 



got one nip, that stained with carmine his snowy plumes, and Cocky' s 

 mistress mourned the loss of her favourite, while everyone else about 

 the place rejoiced; for the poor fellow had not been too well beloved 

 by the children and retainers, who all, more than once, at one time or 

 another, had felt the powerful pressure of his formidable bill upon 

 their hands or necks: for the poor faithful Cockatoo was so fond of the 

 dear lady who had tended him and loved him from his early youth, 

 that he was madly jealous of anyone and everyone who dared to approach 

 her. On one occasion she called to a little son to bring her a news- 

 paper out of the house to an arbour where she was sitting, with Cocky 

 dozing on her shoulder, and the child, instead of handing the newspaper 

 quietly to his mother, tossed it at her playfully from the arbour door, 

 and the bird, always on the qui vive, even when apparently asleep, if 

 his dear mistress was near, dashed at once at the boy, who instinctively 

 turned and fled, but was nipped on the back of the neck by the furious 

 Cockatoo, who construed the playful act of the child into an assault 

 requiring condign punishment, and accordingly fastened his sharp beak 

 into the back of the youngster's neck, almost carrying away the piece; 

 and to this day, though many years have elapsed since then, the white 

 scar remains to attest the power of the Cockatoo's mandibles and the 

 strength of his affection for his mistress. 



"In March, 1775/' says Buff on, in his description of the Great 

 White one, "there were two, a male and a female, at the fair of St. 

 Germain, in Paris, which obeyed with great docility the orders given 

 to them, either to spread out their crest, or salute people with a bend 

 of the head, or to touch different objects with their beak or tongue, 

 or to reply to questions from their master with a mark of assent, which 

 clearly expressed a silent 'yes': they also showed by repeated signs 

 the number of persons in the room, the hour of the day, the colour 

 of clothes, -etc : they kissed one another by touching their beaks, and 

 even caressed each other: this showed a desire to pair, and the master 

 affirms that they often do so, even in our climates." 



We are inclined to think that they would readily nest, and bring up 

 their young in captivity, were they but afforded an opportunity for 

 doing so, but the experiment, we suspect, has never been fairly tried, 

 at least we have not heard of young of this species having been as 

 yet produced in Europe, although one of these birds, flying at liberty, 

 in the woods round Northrepps Hall, mated with a hen Leadbeater 

 (Tsittacus Leadbeateri) , and the pair produced a couple of fine hybrids, 

 partaking of the characteristics of both parents, but were, with the latter, 

 subsequently shot by a stupid farmer, who ought to have known better, 

 but could not, apparently, resist the temptation of "potting" some 



