The Elegance and 
Horror of Bird Parasites. 
( 96 ) 
THE BIRD WORLD. 
each is a tiny narrow vase, of iridescent glitter, 
with a circular lid. Yet when they are found up¬ 
on the birds they are so compactly and curiously 
covered in and hidden by fluff and down that they 
resemble the most grotesque fairy flowers 
imaginable. The eggs of the parasite belonging 
to the Peacock are similarly flower-like, though 
extremely different from other kinds. It must be 
a unique instinct which implants in these reviled 
creatures the desire to trim and decorate their 
eggs in so novel a manner as to imitate minute 
blossoms; yet I can assure the reader that I have 
Photo, copyright by w. S. Berridge, F.Z.S. 
The Flock of Flamingoes at the Zoo. These have remained 
out all the winter. 
not exaggerated a single detail. What mysterious 
motive on nature’s part is here discernible? No 
one can reply with certainty. It seems too im¬ 
probable that mere chance can cause such com¬ 
mendable symmetry. 
In this article I have aimed purely at depicting 
curiosities. With regard to methods of eradi¬ 
cating, or preventing the appearance of, the para¬ 
sites I do not deem it advisable to say anything 
now, though I would gladly do so if the Editor 
desired me to. 
Chestnut-breasted Finch. 
Human and Bird Voices. 
Lovers of birds will often study their various 
voices till they can distinguish with great facility 
the difference between the notes of blackbird and 
blackcap, willow wren and wood wren, and other 
songsters that make the trees musical. But few 
of them have striven to get into conversation, as 
it were, with any particular warblers. The most 
sensitive bird to the sympathy of the human 
voice is, I think, the piping crow. At one time 
I had a whole aviary full of these birds for my 
friends, and I succeeded in imitating them so 
nearly that they would all set up a concert in 
response., The most easy of their phrases tc 
imitate with the human voice took the form of an 
arpeggio—from E flat, the fourth space, to the 
octave above. This had to be performed faultlessly 
with the mouth arranged as in whistling, though 
the whistled notes had no attraction for the birds, 
neither had any notes with the smallest haze across 
them. The worst part of the interviews was that 
when the birds replied they did so with great anima¬ 
tion, and appeared very much aggravated to find 
their visitor unable to proceed with the dialogue. 
They clustered around with heads twisted waiting 
for replies, and made you feel much as you do 
abroad when you have so successfully primed your¬ 
self with questions in the foreign lingo that you 
bring forth voluble replies for which, of course, 
your conversation book has not prepared you.— 
S.G., in The Manchester Courier. 
A trained Sparrow-hawk wearing hood and jesses (the leg straps 
by which the bird is held). 
