32 THE SPEAKING PARROTS. 



be taken that no leaves in such a condition be among it. 

 Many of these species are bred in captivity*, and then they 

 require, in addition to varieties of seed and fruit, some animal 

 food, such as ant-grubs and mealworms. When kept only as 

 speakers they should seldom or never get this food. With 

 respect to tit-bits of all kinds, and the gnawing of branches 

 or sticks, the directions given for the large parrots may be 

 exactly followed. 



The genera to which the foregoing remarks apply are the 

 following : Long-winged Parrots, Cockatiels, Long-billed Parra- 

 keets (Henicognathus), Noble or Alexandrine Parrakeets, Wedge- 

 tailed Parrakeets, Thick-billed Parrakeets, Slender-billed Parra- 

 keets, Flat-tailed Parrakeets, and Undulated Parrakeets. 



The members of the remaining group, the Lories, must be dif- 

 ferently fed, in accordance with their food in freedom. It is less 

 possible in their case than in that of any other species to give 

 the natural nourishment, for they are said to subsist partly on 

 extremely sugary tropical fruits, and honey from the blossoms, 

 and partly on insects. Of the substitutes which have been given 

 them, and, I am pleased to say, with the best results, I will 

 speak at greater length when describing this genus fully. 

 Here, however, I may state explicitly that many of the 

 articles of diet given satisfactorily in hot regions, especially 

 soaked Indian rice,t boiled potatoes, tropical fruits, such as 

 bananas, fee, very often — indeed, almost invariably — cause 

 sickness and death. On the contrary, experience has taught us 

 that the Broad-tailed or True Lories, and the Lorikeets, can only 

 be considered hardy in this country when they are quite 

 accustomed to live on seed, principally canary seed, but also 

 on the different kinds of millet and oats. Some, such as the 

 Blue Mountain Lory, eat seed by preference. Besides the 

 two genera mentioned above, the Cropped-tailed Lory, or Nestor, 

 may be here included. Although it has been asserted that it 

 must get raw meat, it has been proved that it will keep in 

 perfectly good health on the same food as its fellows. 



Having given so many directions upon this subject, it 

 is only necessary for me to repeat now that all the articles 



* Directions for tlii^ breeding of parrots may be found in Rnss' " Manual 

 for Bird Fanciers" (Handbuch filr Vogelliebbaber," Vol. I. ; Magdeburg). 



t The rice sbould be soaked in water, and then parboiled, the water poiired off 

 and the pot with the half-cooked grains put in a hot place, and allowed to steam 

 until fully cooked. Rice thus prepared is said to taste better, and to be more 

 wholesome, than when wholly cooked in water. 



