i(S_> Notes uii Kcii-sliiniug Parrakecis. 



the other birds and is afraid of most of them, allowing even 

 tlie little cock Many-colour to bully him. He is. however, 

 quite willing to share his dinner peacefully with rabbits or rats, 

 eating out of the same dish ! He dislikes being touched, but 

 is fond of human society, especially of men. He sometimes 

 pulls ladies' skirts and pretends to bite their feet, but rather, I 

 should say, from mischief than real malice. He has a great 

 liking for coming into the house, but is not encouraged, as he 

 knocks over flower vases and inkpots and devours fountain 

 pens, notepaper, and the fruit in the dining-room. He has a 

 passion for indigestible viand.s, particularly bread and butter, 

 tea, cod-liver oil, ink and tobacco, and, as he not infrequently 

 indulges his tastes when no one is about to restrain him, it is 

 really astonishing that he still survives ! His only natural cry 

 nppears to be a very harsh and hideous screech, and in addition 

 lie possesses a little English conversation, including a most 

 consumptive cough. His plumage is a very glossy green, with 

 blue flights, tail blue washed with green, forehead and cheeks 

 black, centre of breast yellow, and abdomen orange. 



I have had several Red Shining Parrakeets, but alas ! they 

 mostly belong to the past tense, for they are terribly difficult 

 to acclimatize. My first, a beautiful female, I received from an 

 aviculturist in England. She was a gentle, rather timid bird, 

 and died of swallowing a berberis thorn. T cannot remember 

 tliat her plumage was different from a male's in any respect. 

 Some writers on aviculture speak of Red Shining Parrakeets as 

 if they were near relatives of the Australian King. Both are 

 green birds, with red heads and breasts, and there the resem- 

 blance ends. In voice, flight, and habits generally the Red 

 Shining is no more like a King than it is like a Grey Parrot. 

 .My next venture in Red Shning consisted in three newly- 

 imported young birds. They looked well on arrival, and 1 

 turned two into an aviary and kept one in a cage. All were 

 dead within a month. The fourth and worst of the same lot 

 was retained by the importer and kept in a cage, and he sold 

 him to me later in magnificent condition. This bird won first 

 prize at (^lympia and is still alive. He lives with a female 

 A pros))}lctus siiluciisis and is outdoors all the year round. He 

 ii- much attached to his mate, but very vicious with human 



