PSITTACID.E. 307 



elegant, and vigorous, capable of being long sus- 

 tained, and tliat many of tlie s^^ecies are in the habit 

 of describing circles and other aerial evolutions, 

 previous to their alighting upon the trees which 

 afford them food. Many of the species are grega- 

 rious, and, except during the breeding season, are 

 always seen in numerous bodies. Others, as the 

 Black Cockatoos, are met \\4th only in pairs or 

 families. The places selected for hatching and 

 rearing their young are the hollows of decayed 

 trees : they make little or no nest, but deposit their 

 eggs, which, according to the species, vary from two 

 to six in number, upon the bare rotten wood. In 

 these hollows they frequently roost for the night. 

 The natural cry of the tribe consists entirely of 

 hoarse, shrill, and piercing screams frequently re- 

 iterated; some species possess the power of imitating 

 the human voice and learning to articulate a variety 

 of words and sentences; but this faculty seems to be 

 principally confined to the short and even-tailed 

 parrots, in which the tongue is large, broad, and 

 fleshy at the tip. These birds are tender and well- 

 flavoured, and are frequently used as food in the 

 districts they inhabit. 



To this family belong the Ground-Parrots, the 

 ]\Iacaws, the Lories, the true Parrots, and the 

 Cockatoos. 



