. Bird notes . they proved most interesting andbut for the breaking up of my aviaries in 1910, and the deathof the hen, while fresh aviaries were going up, I think they wouldhave bred, as they gave every indication of doing so. On oneoccasion the cock bird escaped while they were being trans-ferred from the birdroom to the outdoor aviary. It at onceflew away to some distance and I gave it up for lost. Itwas out of sight for longish periods, though its weird andstrange cries, sounding most un-English, were frequently re-peated with about ten to fifteen minutes silent intervals. Ipresume it must
. Bird notes . they proved most interesting andbut for the breaking up of my aviaries in 1910, and the deathof the hen, while fresh aviaries were going up, I think they wouldhave bred, as they gave every indication of doing so. On oneoccasion the cock bird escaped while they were being trans-ferred from the birdroom to the outdoor aviary. It at onceflew away to some distance and I gave it up for lost. Itwas out of sight for longish periods, though its weird andstrange cries, sounding most un-English, were frequently re-peated with about ten to fifteen minutes silent intervals. Ipresume it must have attracted much attention and for me, after six hours of liberty, it returned,and went into the greenhouse-birdroom, flew into its enclosure,the door of Mhich I had left open and quickly settled downon a perch, to my very great relief. Though the period ofits liberty was a most anxious one for me—a commingling ofmuch interest and anxietv—was softened in a measure by the Bird Phnt<,frn,n life hij II. II V/Z/i/rJ. j The Superb Tanager. So}ne tnlercstbif) Birds. 211 periods (about luilf-hour) of observation I g^ot of it, dis-l)ortiiig itself amony the trees of my neiglibours species, though plainly clad, is very handsomeand striking even in a siinall flight; but jsoeing it thus disportingitself at large among tiie tops of my neighbours fruit trees,was the sight of a life-time—It was a bit of Australian wildlili enacted in a London suburb—and will ever be green inmy memory; it certainly was some compensation for theanxiety I endured while it was at large. Plain! its beautywas simply marvellous, and though it is a large bird itsdeportment was Tit-like, with a beautiiul Swallow-like attitude was also very striking, as it stood on the topmosttwigs of some high tree, with its head thrown well back, utter-ing its loud weird cries, which were answered by the female(hers being quite different) and to this fact I attribute
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