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Mrs. Cox—An Unusual Friendship



head and neck covered with what looked like tiny ticks or feather

lice. For ages I couldn’t get a feather to grow ; but after a few weeks

in a cold greenhouse, on a diet of a good insectile mixture, Virol, and

rabbit’s liver, he began to improve and now is almost in perfect

condition. He is about the size of our Jay, a dark blue all over, with

grey flecking on head and neck, large strong black legs, a yellow beak

(pale), lower mandible greyish, large full black or dark brown eyes.

So far the only attempt at conversation is an absurd Thrush-like

sibilant squeak. I gather he does not hail from Mexico, but India or

China, but I wish I could find out more about his kind. He is, I am

sorry to say, a murderer : he has eaten a blue Mountain Grosbeak.

I had no idea he was that kind of person, but I ought to have been

more careful, as the fondness for rabbit’s liver should have given me

the clue. He is a friendly soul, nevertheless.


The birds indoors at the moment consist of a pair of Red-headed

Gouldians, a Superb Tanager, and an old Shama cock, a great

character.



AN UNUSUAL FRIENDSHIP


By Mrs. Cox


The following is an account of a somewhat unusual friendship :—


A young Leadbeater’s Cockatoo, hatched and reared here in 1935,

was removed from the parent birds at the age of four months (by

which time they took no further interest in him), and placed in another

aviary, the sole occupant of which at that time was a cock Lady

Amherst X Golden Pheasant.


I was not sure to which sex the Cockatoo belonged, as until

they reach the age of twelve months I find the eyes do not attain

their true colour ; in consequence of which they are extremely hard

to sex. The bird, however, has proved to be a hen.


For the first few weeks after the Pheasant and the Cockatoo met

they kept at a respectful distance from one another, afterwards a

period of indifference set in, relieved occasionally by the Cockatoo

stalking the Pheasant and trying to frighten him by pretending to

swoop down on him, but never quite touching him. Later I would



