132 GANG-GANG COCKATOO. 



and unteao table; while Mr. Westerman, of Amsterdam, on the contrary, 

 declares that no bird could be tamer, or more gentle, and moreover 

 that it speaks very well; a statement that is supported and confirmed 

 by Dr. Russ, who says he bought one of the dealer Hieronymi, which 

 would come on his finger, let itself be stroked, and would return of 

 its own accord to its cage. 



The price of this bird is necessarily high, in consequence of the 

 infrequency of its appearance in the bird-market. £8 was demanded 

 in 1880 by Jamrach of London for a fine specimen that had come 

 into his possession. 



The London Zoological Society first obtained a Ganga in 1859; since 

 which date four more are recorded in their list, the last of them having 

 been purchased in August, 1870. At present the species is unrepresented 

 in the Parrot House in the Gardens. 



These birds are not long-lived as a rule in captivity; a fact which 

 would tend to prove that the proper treatment for them has not yet 

 been discovered, and that some more appropriate substitute for the 

 aromatic seeds of the peppermint gum-tree must be found, than hemp 

 and maize, before connoisseurs can hope to see the Gangas established 

 as inmates of their avairies or bird-rooms. 



It is not surprising that amateurs should differ with regard to the 

 disposition and adaptability or otherwise of this bird for cage life, for 

 but few of them have enjoyed an opportunity of intimately studying 

 the Helmeted Cockatoo in confinement. Our own experience with the 

 species does not extend, we regret to say, beyond a casual acquaintance 

 with two specimens of the race in the Parrot House of the Zoological 

 Society, in Regent's Park, a few years ago ; since which time we have 

 tried our best to obtain one, but without success. 



One London dealer, to whom we spoke upon the subject, went so far 

 as to assure us, confidentially, that it was impossible to bring over 

 the Ganga alive, because it subsisted entirely upon roots, for which 

 no adequate substitute could be provided on the journey. We ventured 

 to suggest potatoes; but the dealer, a very consequential personage, 

 pooh-poohed the idea, and said it could not be done. We then spoke 

 to the late Mr. A. Jamrach, who promised to look out for one for us ; 

 but his untimely death put a stop to the strong hope we entertained 

 that our desire to possess a Ganga would one day be realized. 



In looking over Dr. Karl Russ's Die Pajpageien a short time since, 

 we lit upon the following curious passage, which we transcribe in the 

 original : — Eline wunderliche Erfahrung hat Dr. Hasskarl im zoologischen 

 Garten von Buitenzorg auf Java i. J. 1842 gemacht. Dort ertappte 

 man einen schwarzen Kakadu mit rothem Schopf, welcher inhermals 



