38



Karl Plath—Notes from a Chicago Aviary



frequently stand in the water up to their bellies and enjoy bathing,

as do all the other shore birds, with a comical tip-up motion. Like

all the other birds of this class, they often doze standing on one leg.

Suddenly awakening, they seem to forget that they have two legs and

go hopping off on one for some distance.


At one time I had a beautiful Cuban Trogon which lived well for

over four years then suddenly dropped dead. It was a harmless creature

and very tame. I tried for years to get another then had the oppor¬

tunity to get two. These were even more beautiful as the red under parts

were exceptionally rich and deep in tone. Then suddenly we began

to find a small bird dead occasionally and more or less mangled. It

was very mysterious and there was no clue to the culprit. One day

one of the Trogons was seen with a Wren Tit in its bill but dropped it

as soon as it saw that it was observed. But I did not suspect the Trogon

as being the killer until one day it was seen with my prize beauty of

the small birds, an exquisite American Redstart, not only holding it

in its beak but savagely beating it up and down on a rock. This was

enough, and though I had not seen any of this misbehaviour both

Trogons were removed. To the average person both were alike, but I

was able to distinguish between them and had I seen the affair would

have known which was the guilty one. But to be on the safe side

I took them out and later sent them to the Catalina Island Bird Park.

I think this aberration of conduct is unusual in the Trogons and

Mr. Crandall, of the New York Zoological Society, says they have never

had any trouble in their molesting other birds. It is my thought that

the bird confused the small birds with butterflies and would seize them

as they fluttered near. I regretted very much having to give them up

as they were very difficult to obtain and it may have been that one of

them had not caused any harm.


For years I have had a pair of Red-crested Finches (Coryphospingus

cristatus) but the male had a crippled foot and though the female

frequently laid nothing ever came of it. I also had a male Pileated

Finch ( Coryphospingus pileatus), and when later the male Red-crested

Finch died the female mated with the Pileated. Several times eggs

were laid and hatched but the young always disappeared after a day

or two. So I took one of the small wicker travelling cages and fastened



