6 HAWK-BEADED P ABBOT. 



about as if he thoroughly enjoyed the bonne louche, over which he 

 actually smacks his lips; if the latter term can be applied to the sides 

 of his horny mandibles. At the same time he is not in a general way 

 allowed to have meat, which we believe to be very injurious to these 

 birds, causing them to moult at all seasons, and even sometimes to 

 pluck out their own feathers and disfigure themselves. In fact we 

 look upon this partiality of our pet as an evidence on his part of 

 depraved taste, and have strictly forbidden him the luxury he un- 

 doubtedly covets ; and which may have been, most likely was, forced 

 upon him in the first instance by a former injudicious owner or 

 attendant. 



Since he has been in our possession, "Pinto" has always enjoyed 

 the rudest health; when he first arrived from Manchester he had a 

 cold in his head that caused us a little uneasiness, but it soon passed 

 off, and he has never ailed anything since. Last summer we turned 

 him out into the aviary, thinking the change would be beneficial, but 

 he seemed so thoroughly miserable there, that we soon took him in 

 again, and allowed him instead the range of the house, which he now 

 enjoys. 



He has quite recently developed a curious taste for sitting at the 

 bottom of the cage and grubbing among the sand and splinters of 

 wood, making the while a curious noise not unlike that of a hen whose 

 chickens have just come out of their shells, which, according to Mr. 

 Dutton's observations, would tend to prove that the bird is, after all, 

 a female! a supposition that l^eceives support from the fact that the 

 top of "Pinto's" head is dark grey, while that of the "pair" at the 

 "Zoo" is white. 



As already observed, the feathery coatiug of the Hawk-headed Parrots 

 is decidedly thin, and the birds are moreover quite destitute of the 

 inner covering of down, that enables our native birds to successfully 

 resist the inclemency of our winters, and this is particularly observable 

 on the sides under the wings, which are almost naked; nor is this a 

 peculiarity of an individual specimen, but is the normal condition of 

 the species, from which it is fair to conclude that these birds are 

 chilly and could not readily be housed out of doors in this country. 



"Pinto" indeed is so fond of warmth that if, as we have occasionally 

 done, he is let out of the cage in the morning, before we are up; he 

 will fly on to the bed, and make his way under the bed-clothes to 

 our side, when he will nestle down as close as he can and purr and 

 chuckle in evident enjoyment of the congenial warmth. 



He, for we cannot make up our mind to use the feminine pronoun 

 in this bird's regard, is very ticklesome, and if touched under the 



