WILD ANIMALS IN CAPTIVITY 
MEMORANDUM BY COL. O’CONNOE, C.B., LIEUT.-COL. IST W. I. REGT. 
(Sketch of Nero, the Old, a “ Feetish Bird,’’’ f rom the River Gambia, 
Westeim Coast of Africa.) 
“ During seven years’ exploration of Western Africa I only 
met with one of the species of the owl ‘Nero.’ He was brought 
‘ a chicken,’ full of pen-feathers, or rather down, of a delicate 
straw-colour, and very thick, from a lagoon in the Barra 
country. No native would admit ‘Nero’ as a visitor; and 
when the bird was installed in Government House the servants 
and head people came in a body to remonstrate, asserting ‘he 
was a Gumbi owl,’ ‘a Feetish ’ ! ! ! and would ‘destroy and kill 
any ol>ject he looked on.’ The chief groom (an old soldier, who 
liad charge of the poultry) insisted that ‘ every cock and hen 
would go dead.’ Strangely enough, an epidemic broke out, and 
carried off from fifty to sixty head of fowls ; and each day the 
groom placed the defunct birds on the steps of Government 
House to meet the eye of Mrs. O’Connor, seeming to exult in 
the mortality among the feathered tribe. ‘ You see wid your 
own eye. Missus, dat Debil Jumbi bird, he go kill all de fowls ; 
Govenor think he hab long head, but lie no sabey owl. Suppose 
you meet him in de stable, he see Nelly (Mrs. O’Connor’s 
favourite mare), de horse he go tumble down dead.’ Death at 
last ceased to reign amongst the poultry population, and ‘ Nero’ 
became my principal j^et ; he ranged over the piazza, perching 
on the branch of a tree ; he was fed regularly by the orderly on 
roasted fish, but he often came to the dinner-table and flew 
down for scraps of meat, bread-and-butter, which he took gently 
from myself or Mrs. O’Connor, permitting us to rub his head, 
crest, neck, and back, seemingly enjoying the caressing, but he 
would snatch meat or bones from the cat or dog, and when the 
eagle was introduced into his company he beat him in a most 
unmerciful manner away from his peculiar and original portion 
of the piazza, the eagle being one of the fiercest and most 
pugnacious of African birds, brought from the upper part of 
the Gambia river, near ‘Wallie,’ and when in vigour, able to 
carry away a kid or small lamb. ‘Nero ’ luxuriated in a tub of 
water, frequently washing himself, and perching on the rim 
until dry. He was wont to go out to the garden or fields, where 
instantly an immense commotion arose among all the birds ; 
the larger ones flew round the owl, keeping a very civil dis- 
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