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349
The Journal of a Disappointed Man
·
W. N. P. Barbellion
198
We
entered
the
cages,
caught
and
examined
several
Tinamous,
Rhinochetus,
Eurypygia,
and
many
more,
to
the
tune
of
"The
Policeman's
Holiday"
whistled
by
a
Mynah!
It
was
great
fun.
Then
we
went
into
the
Ostrich
House
and
thoroughly
searched
two
Kiwis.
These,
being
nocturnal
birds,
were
roosting
underneath
a
heap
of
straw.
When
we
had
finished
investigating
their
feathers,
they
ran
back
to
their
straw
at
once,
the
keeper
giving
them
a
friendly
tap
on
the
rear
to
hurry
them
up
a
bit.
They
are
just
like
little
old
women
bundling
along.
The
Penguins,
of
course,
were
the
most
amusing,
and,
after
operating
fruitlessly
for
some
time
on
a
troublesome
Adèle,
I
was
amused
to
find,
on
turning
around,
all
the
other
Adèles
clustered
close
around
my
feet
in
an
attitude
of
mute
supplication.
The
Armadillo
required
all
the
strength
of
two
keepers
to
hold
still
while
I
went
over
his
carcass
with
lens
and
forceps.
I
was
also
allowed
to
handle
and
examine
the
Society's
two
specimens
of
that
amazing
creature
the
Echidna.
Balœniceps
rex
like
other
royalty
had
to
be
approached
decorously.
He
was
a
big,
ill-tempered
fellow,
and
quite
unmanageable
except
by
one
keeper
for
whom
he
showed
a
preference.
While
we
other
conspirators
hid
ourselves
outside,
this
man
entered
the
house
quietly
and
approached
the
bird
with
a
gentle
cooing
sound.
Then
suddenly
he
grabbed
the
bill
and
held
on.
We
entered
at
the
same
moment
and
secured
the
wings,
and
I
began
the
search--without
any
luck.
We
must
have
made
an
amusing
picture--three
men
holding
on
for
dear
life
to
a
tall,
grotesque
bird
with
an
imperial
eye,
while
a
fourth
searched
the
feathers
for
parasites!
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