The search for the elusive Pink-spotted Mountain Cat continues.
Noted naturalist Lionel Peabody, accompanied by his faithful companion Reggie the honey badger, and joined also by his niece Suki, continue their search for the elusive Pink-spotted Mountain Cat.
While stopping to have lunch by a stream, Lionel and Suki were visited by a flock of Blue-breasted Belchards, who proceed to try and scrounge something to eat.
The Belchard is a species of bird almost permanently afflicted by gastritis which accounts for the ongoing burping sounds that the bird emits. The Belchards diet is fairly appalling, being willing to eat pretty much anything, but in particular favors poisonous mushrooms, old toads, and pickled onions.
The Belchard was discovered in 1923 by amateur Austrian ornithologist, Hans Vordermemory. Hans kept several of the birds in his home as pets so that he could study them at close-quarters. Through extensive practice, Hans found that he was able to imitate the birds unique call and to strike up basic communication with them. In 1925 Mrs. Vordermemory banished the birds to the garden shed, and one year later her husband as well.
It is related to the crow family, but most respectable crows would certainly deny it. Although referred to here as a flock, the actual correct name for a collective of this species is ‘a gas of Belchards.’