210 A Tour in South Amrrica nvd Ariain/ Xntcs. 
Tn Paris on our way home I got some Waxbills from my 
frieiid M. Tniversee, Quaie de Louvre : as usual his birds were in 
perfect ordei-, s|)otlessly clean, and not crowded. I also got what 
he called a Troupial. it is not at all like the Troupial I got in New 
York some years ago. This i)ird is the same bright yellow with 
a black mask, black shoulders, black wings with a broad yeHow 
stripe parallel to flight feathers, black tail, three feathers on each 
side being yellow. The one I got in New York (now stuffed) has 
black head and neck and most of the Ijivast, black shoulders and 
yellow ring round neck, tail quite black, black wings with yellow 
at the shoulder joints, and a white stripe down the wings. Its 
beak also is much larger and more slender than the new l^rds. 
there is far more yellow on the new one. T also bought a Mock- 
ing Bird which rivals the Blackbirds and Thrushes, singing be- 
tween 9 and 1(1 ar night. The Mirlos are (juite tame and one of 
them eats out of my hands. All the birds I bought eat canary 
seed as well as soft ff)od, and some of them like small l)itsof meat. 
I keei> tiie Afirlos and the Tordo in the aviary with the Nut- 
crackers and Ciiouglis, Avhich I l)ought fi'om Mr. .Tamrach before 
f'lu'istmas. The Nutcrackers live entirely on Monkey nuts, it is 
very amusing to watch them crack the nuts against stones with 
their powerful beaks: they are all in splendid plumage. All my 
other l)irds ai'e we]], hut there are very few nests at present, only 
a few Zel)ra Finelies and Canaries, tlie lattt-r liatch ami then sit on 
them till tliey die. This occurs every year. 
T^ast January three Canaries built out of doors and hatched 
their young liel'ore I went abroad, l)ut as usual sat close on them 
till they died. I do not tliink CaJiaries do well in an aviary with 
other birds, but I like them as tliey give such life and colour, and 
their song out of doors is so delightful. I forgot to mention that 
we saw hundreds of Parrots brought to the sliip for sale, they 
were all Bra/illian and most of them had short chains on their 
legs. One passengei' luid a small cage with about thirty of these 
wretcheil birds in it ; poor little things I tliey liad not even room 
to stand in : tliey were teri'ibly draggled and dirty, 1 got the 
owner In wasli some and to put tliose that had chains on to boxes 
on tlic deck, these got mucli better l)Ut many died. He 
told nif lie knew nothing about liirds (1 (piite lielieved him) and 
was bringing these home for a friend. It would l)e so much more 
