2 
mouse, which he attacked and devoured with great gusto, but the 
next one he had he only knocked about on the perch and left 
after he had eaten the brains, and now I do not think he would 
take any notice of one at all. Sometimes he will eat a small 
piece of raw meat, but not always, and when mealworm time comes 
and you get round to him, it is quite a speculation whether he 
will take any or not, sometimes he will eat six or eiglit, at others 
only three, but if he does not want to eat it he will generally take 
one and bite it and throw it down. The on!}' thing he gets at all 
excited about in the way of food is grapes, and he is always ready 
for them. He enjoys a good bath when the weather is warm, but 
evidently thinks it a mistake on cold, dull days. 
When I first had him and he had settled down, he was 
quite gentle, and would let me touch liis head and take my finger 
in his great beak and gently nibble it. He continued tame until 
we went for a holiday last stimmer; whether he was offended 
because he was not taken I do not know, but he has never been 
the same bird since. At times he seems to positively hate me 
and very often, if I stoop down to do anything by the corner of 
his cage, he literally throws himself down to try and get at me. 
I think my eye would be his choice, the way he drives at one's 
face reminds one very forcibly of a Heron striking. All tlietime 
he keeps up a harsh grating scream, and when he finds he cannot 
get at you he stands on the top perch, puts his head down, 
hunches up his back (looking very like that monstrosity the 
Belgian Canarj') puffs out his feathers and keeps on screaming as 
long as you keep near him. 
In Mr. Goodchild's beautiful picture of him it will be seen 
that he was offended by having his portrait painted, and is saying 
something not at all complimentary to the artist. I bought a 
cage for him that had been made for a Jay that had been very 
tiresome in knocking his previous cage about ; this one I was 
told resisted all his efforts, but it was not any good for the 
Barbet, whenever he was left alone or wanted something to do he 
would choose a spot either in the back or side and go for it just 
like a Woodpecker, you could hear him hammering in the rooms 
below, so I had to take him ottt of that and put him in a home- 
made cage with thick wooden sides, which will take him some 
time to get through. 
