14 BULLETIN 17 6, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



this way. Corn in the milk was also sometimes injured, but not extensively. 

 Other favorite items of food were the seed balls of the sycamore and beech 

 and pecan nuts. In the South cypre.?s seeds were much eaten. 



Dr. Amos W. Butler (1892), quoting from W. B. Seward, thus 

 describes the parakeet's method of eating the cocklebur seeds: "In 

 eating, the bird picked up a burr with its beak, this was then deliv- 

 ered to one foot raised to receive it. Then one end of the burr was 

 cut off with the sharp-ended under beak, the burr being held with the 

 foot and the under side of the upper beak while two small kernels 

 were extracted with the assistance of the tongue and the husk was 

 thrown away." 



Dr. Butler, elsewhere (1898), adds to the items of food mentioned 

 above cherries, persimmons, black-gum berries, haws, and acorns. 



Voice. — Mr. Swenk (1934) says: "The common call notes consisted 

 of a loud, shrill series of rapidly uttered, discordant cries, given inces- 

 sently when the birds were in flight, resembling qui-qui, qui, qui, qui, 

 qui-i-i-i, with a rising inflection on each i and the last cry drawn out. 

 Another call resembled the shrill cry of a goose and was frequently 

 uttered for minutes at a time. When at rest they had a low, con- 

 versational chatter." 



Winter. — The Carolina parakeet was evidently a very hardy bird, a 

 remarkable quality, quite unique among parrots. Wilson (1832) 

 saw them "in the month of February, along the banks of the Ohio, in 

 a snow storm, flying about like pigeons, and in full cry." Dr. But- 

 ler (1898) was furnished the following note by Prof. John Collett: 



In 1842, Return Richmond, of Lodi (Parke County), Ind., cut down, in the cold 

 weather of winter, a sycamore tree some four feet in diameter. In its hollow 

 trunk he found hundreds of Parakeets in a quiescent or semi-torpid condition. 

 The weather was too cold for the birds to fly or even to make any exertion to 

 escape. Mr. Richmond cut off with his saw a section of the hollow trunk some 

 five feet long, cut out a doorway one foot by two in size, nailed it over a wire 

 screen of his fanning mill, rolled this cumbersome cage into the house and placed 

 in it a dozen of the birds. They soon began to enjoy the feed of fruit, huckle- 

 berries and nuts he gave them, and he had the pleasure of settling absolutely 

 the disputed question of how they slept. At night they never rested on a 

 perch, but suspended themselves by their beaks, and with their feet on the side 

 of their cage. This was repeated night after night during their captivity. 



RHYNCHOPSITTA PACHYRHYNCHA (Swainson) 

 THICK-BILLED PARROT 



HABITS 



This fine, large parrot is a Mexican species that claims a place on 

 our list as an irregular visitor across our southwestern border in 

 southern Arizona and New Mexico. Charles T. Vorhies (1934) has 

 published an account of all the Arizona records that he was able to 



