Some Experiences of Cockatoos. 
221 
comer of either sex— but later in the day she managed to lose 
him, and being chased by Rooks grew frightened and flew out 
into the park. "Cocky" was far too busy enjoying himself 
in a storm of rain to trouble to go and look for her, and, as 
every flight she took carried her further from home, it began 
to look as though Ave might end by losing her altogether. 
In this emergency I decided, in spite of the cohlness of the 
day and the ragged condition of his plumage, that the only 
thing to be done was to use the rough cock as a decoy for 
the recapture of the wanderer. He responded nobly to the 
occasion, and by his incessant yells ultimately induced her to 
leave her perch in a lofty beech tree and enter an empty 
cage beside his own, when she was carried home in triumph. 
A few days later I gave the ragged bird his liberty, 
and for some weeks the worn condition of his flight feathers 
prevented him from going any distance. " Cocky " was just 
as pleased to see him as he bad been to see the ben, and 
in a very short time the two were preening each other's 
feathers in the most affectionate manner, although " Cocky " 
was seldom able to resist the temptation to give an occasional 
sly nip, whatever the sex of the friend which was caressing 
him. A Roseate, it may be remarked, seldom or never " dis- 
plays." The male bird, on first meeting the lady of his choice, 
walks up near her and begins eating grass or pecking at the 
^ound. She does the same until after a little while he stops 
and begins to preen his feathers. She follows suit and also 
preens herself, while he, still apparently wrapped u]) in his 
toilet, edges slowly nearer and nearer to her, a few inches 
at a time. Finally when they are almost touching, he reaches 
cautiously out and gently nibbles the top of her head, and if 
she accepts this in good part, and returns his caress, it usually 
means that they have decided to take one another for better 
or worse. 
The next bird to go out was the circus hen, who, being 
more or less familiar with her suiToundings, gave no trouble, 
and soon afterwards the stump -tailed one was again allowed 
freedom. I let her out in the late evening when " Cocky " 
and his mate were wheeling and swooping round the house 
in wild enjoyment of their last flight, and the ragged cock, 
who with considerable difficulty had at length gained the roof, 
