258 
Some Experiences of Cochatoos. 
to its full extent, and at the same time take five or six 
stej)s in a p eculiarly jaunty fashion, as if performing- some 
kind of stately dance. Occasionally, too, he would bring up 
food from his crop in the characteristic Parrot fashion. 
As soon as Teddy appeared to have thoroughly settled 
down, I gave Toby her liberty also, leaving the door of the aviary 
wide open in case she wished to return at any time for shellor, 
and placing Yalla-yalla inside in a cage to act as a decoy. 
For two days evei-ything went well and, altliough she did not 
re-enter the aviary, Toby came down to feed and showed no 
disposition to stray. Then I released Timmie, and the same 
evening, as ill-luck would have it, a heavy cold rain set in, 
which lasted for 48 hours. Teddy was easily persuaded to 
remain under cover— Banksians dislike rain and take no 
pleasure even in a warm summer shower, Avhich sends most 
Cockatoos wild with delight— but the two hens refused to follow 
his example, and when on the second day both had disappeared, 
I began to feel extremely anxious. On the third day, however, 
Toby wa-; discovered in a weak and draggled state not far 
from the door of the aviary she had so foolishly declined to 
enter and a few hours later the excitement of a flock of Rooks 
attraetea me to the spot where Timmie was lying about half a 
mile away, in an equally exhausted condition. Both made a 
quick recovery under the influence of food and warmth, but 
I had come unpleasantly near losing them and determined to 
run no more risks until the weather became milder. Teddy, 
however, remained at large and for several weeks seemed 
perfectly indifferent to frost, rain, and snow, and it was not 
until we had had three consecutive days of fog, accompanied 
by a very low temperature, that I noticed him sitting Avitli 
his head under his wing more than I liked and decided that 
it would be prudent to keep him shut up for some timq. 
Towards the end of winter I exchanged Yalla-yalla with the 
late Herr Carl Hagonbeck for another male black Cockatoo. 
Nearly a week afterwards, I received an anxious telegram 
saying that the bird had touched no food since her arrival, and 
was very weak, and would I say to what diet she had b.e.i accus- 
tomed. I wired back " Sunfiower-sced and monkey-nuts," and 
was later relieved to hear that Yalla-yalla's appetite had 
returned when her familiar menu was provided, and tlrat she 
