178 THE SPEAKING PABROTS. 



pleasant of the lories, for it is neither unclean of habit nor will 

 it scream, and it soon learns to speak. Its talent, however, must 

 not be rated very high, for it sits rather motionless and un- 

 sympathetic upon its perch. Another, which I got afterwards, 

 was scarcely half the size, and with less blue on the hinder 

 part of the body, not dull in parts on the wing, but, on the 

 contrary, almost yellowish red. Figs and heads of millet are 

 the favourite food of the first-mentioned bird, which has the 

 peculiarity of going regularly at eleven o'clock at night to its 

 food vessel and eating hemp, although the room may be in total 

 darkness." 



In Dr. Platen's collection there were seven specimens ; but 

 usually it is extremely rare in the trade. 



CHAP. LXVIIL— THE SHAEP-TAILED LOEIES OR 

 LORIKEETS. 



Trichoglosaus, Vgra. 



Description. 



This family of magnificent and brilliant plumaged birds con- 

 tains many species, yet up to the present it is only known 

 to include two which are speakers ; but these are to be accounted 

 as the most interesting of all parrots, for they are distinguished 

 in various ways ; they are beautiful, peculiar, and affectionate in 

 manner, healthy and hard}^, and one of them has bred several 

 times in captivity, and is, moreover, the only brood bird in the 

 whole group of lories. 



As, in all probability, other species may in course of time 

 ■prove to be gifted with speech, it is proper that I should speak 

 first of the Sharp-tailed Lories in general. They have the 

 ■following distinguishing marks : The beak is usually as deep as 

 it is long, compressed at the sides ; the upper mandible has an 

 ^angular ridge, an overhanging point, which gradually becomes 

 narrower, and is hollowed out gently but distinctly ; the lower 

 mandible has a socket edge, which goes up in a slanting direc- 

 tion ; the sharp edge is straight, not hollowed out ; the tongue 

 is thick and jfleshy, with a spoon-like cavity on the upper side 

 tnear the point, and covered with flexible papillae capable of 



