82 
The Bare-eiied Cockatoo^ 
" very uniilcasautl.y. One knows at once why he is called the Bare-eyed 
" Cockatoo. The wonderful clear dark eye soon makes one forget its odd 
" surrounding, and when he held out his head to my bent finger to be 
" scratched, and, surveyed my face with his clever, expressive eyes — he 
" quite captured my heai t by storm." 
"He had been confined in a cage until he canie to me, but I always 
" like to give as much liberty as i)ossible. He is called Tessi. After a 
"few days I opened the door of his cage and after a very quizzical look 
" round, he very prettily swung himself out and up on the top of his cage. 
" What a picture he made as he stood there with fia])ping and outstretched 
"wings. Soon he showed his joy and sounded his powerful cry again and 
" again as he winged his way round the room. Ho was easilj- enticed back 
" again by a tit-hit, but now he returns voluntarily or at command when 
" his period of liberty is up. On account of the furniture Tessie needs to 
" be kei)t under observation, tame as he is, most of it bears his mark. In 
" an evil moment I permitted myself to be persuaded into cutting his 
" wing. Alas, his beauty was disfigured, his vivacity and confidence marred, 
" and he sat for days with a true Hamlet face. Fortunately the moult 
" soon set in and we both rejoiced when he was perfect once more. Un- 
" fortunately many of my other parrots are afraid of him, and he plays 
" upon their fears, giving them many a scare, though he has never harmed 
" them, but I had to remove two of them ; witli another " Jacko " and a 
" small Yellow-crested Cockatoo he is great friends and they have many a 
" romp together." 
"He is charming company when I am resting, clambering about my 
" person, turning somersaults on my knees, plaj ing with my fingers, pulls 
"the pin out of my cap and flies away with it, and is a very droll 
" companion." 
As the greater part of my notes and recollections bear a strong 
family likeness to the above, I do not purpose lengthening out 
this paper with a repetition of same, merely remarking, that 
speaking of some half dozen specimens, their demeanour was 
similar to the above " Tessi " and that I have only come across 
one morose and treacherous individual. 
Diet : A seed mixtuiv of canai'y, white millet, oats, "paddy" 
rice, maize, hemp and sunflower seeds, in somewhere near equal 
parts ; this will form the staple diet, individuals can be permitted 
to exercise their taste a little and any item they do not 
appear to care for can be left out of the mixture, but not to the 
extent of reducing the mixture to practically hemp and sunflower 
seeds. Ripe fruit they should have, and here again you 
must let the individual choose ; plain biscuit, piece of dry toast, 
nuts in variety, and any green food — such as lettuce, cabbage 
stalk, grass and maize in the ear, etc., as it cares for ; grit, water, 
