NEW SOUTH WALES 99 



to quit the nesting ground. An ejectment is often 

 necessary and occasionally a young bird lies down 

 rather than be hustled away by wing and claw. 

 If it is firm in its refusal to budge, the parents 

 reconsider the matter and finally tolerate it during 

 the following nesting season. 



The position is that the parents need all the 

 grubs for the coming brood, and prefer that their 

 selection be left free of mouths able to feed just 

 as well abroad. 



It is really sentiment on the part of the young. 

 If a drought season does set in the weakling young 

 in the nests certainly die, and many of the strong, 

 as the food is slender. 



INLAND DISTRIBUTION 

 Grass-seed eaters. 



a. Parrots. 



b. Finches. 



Looking at map 41 it would appear as if the 

 grass areas of Australia were correctly defined by 

 those parrots and finches which feed on grass seed. 

 If millions of small birds have been feeding on 

 grass seeds for centuries, it is natural they should 

 know of the good pastoral land. 



Burke's Parrot *'d" is the rarest of this group, 

 and the Blue-winged species the most common. 

 They make an elegant and shy genus which nests 

 in logs. 

 7 



