182 Sydney Porter—Notes on the Barer Foreign Softhills


consequently they do not get the attention which they deserve. I doubt

whether outside the Zoological Gardens there are many in private

hands.


More than one species has been bred in captivity, which I think

is a rare feat.


The majority of the Coucals live in Africa, where they are found

inhabiting the dense undergrowth close to the rivers and other damp

and swampy places. They are extremely agile on the ground and run

with great rapidity, looking very much like large chestnut-coloured

rats when quickly threading their way through the grass and reeds.

They are also very active in the trees and when put up out of the grass

will rapidly mount to the top of the nearest tree by a series of quick,

bounding jumps. When at the top they are difficult to observe owing

to their breasts being of a very light colour.


I have seen a great deal of these birds at liberty in Africa and have

made a study of several species which came under my notice. As

I mentioned before they are seldom seen far away from swampy and

marshy places, where they hide in the dense vegetation.


The plumage in all species is very light and soft in texture like that

of most Cuckoos, and unless the birds are handled very carefully the

feathers soon come out. Most species have a brilliant ruby-coloured

eye. Coucals are quite nice aviary pets providing they are kept

with such birds as the larger Jays, Pies, etc., for they are dangerous

with small birds, in fact in a wild state they supplement their diet of

insects, etc., with small birds and mammals. In captivity they readily

eat such things as small mice which they swallow whole, and live

fish, etc.


Coucals have a great variety of strange calls which rather resemble

those of the tropical American Cuckoos. Their usual call is a kind

of bubbling noise like water running out of a narrow-necked bottle.

These calls are extremely loud and can be heard from a great distance

owing to their penetrating quality.


An Abyssinian Coucal which I have at the present time growls

exactly like a cat if one goes too near to it. This bird, an old favourite,

was given to me by Captain Hammond and is perhaps one of my most

striking birds. At first he was shy, not knowing whether to make



