THE UNDULATED GRASS PARRAKEET. 24.7 

 CHAP. CV— THE UNDULATED GRASS PAERAKEET. 



Psittacus undulatus, Shw. 



Zehra Grass Parraheet, Zebra ParraJceet, Singing Parraheet, 

 Shell or Scallop Parrot, Grass Parraheet (Ger., Wellenstreijiger 

 Sittich, Wellenpapagei, Wellensittich, Kanariensittich, Mus- 

 chelsittich, Undulatus, frilher Pepitapajjagei, fdlschlich audi 

 Andulatus, Angidatus oder gar Andalusier, Dr. Finsch 

 henannte ihn Wellenstreijiger Sin g sittich ; Fr., Perruche 

 ondulee ; Dut., Grasparlciet) — Distinguishing MarJcs of the 

 Genus — Description of the Species — Habitat — Breeding^ 

 Capacity for Speech. 



The Undulated Parrakeet {Melopsittacus, Gld.) — literally tlie 

 Singing Parrakeet — may be easily distinguished from all other 

 talking parrots, for the only one of this genus is much smaller 

 than any other, being about the size of a sparrow. Their 

 special distinguishing marks are as follows : Beak rounded, with 

 thin, long point to the upper mandible, which is bent outwards 

 and provided with two fine indentations ; the nostrils are small 

 and round, set in broad puffed-up cere ; the lores and eye 

 cere feathered ; the wings long and pointed ; the tail long, 

 wedge-shaped, the two central feathers projecting far beyond 

 the rest ; the feet slender and weak ; the tongue short, fleshy, 

 blunt pointed ; the plumage soft. As there is only one species, 

 I shall give all other details in speaking of it. 



The points of contact between men and animals in general, 

 and between men and speaking birds in particular, upon which I 

 touched in the Introduction to this book, offer abundant matter 

 of surprise for the amateur, and, indeed, for every intelligent 

 person. But scarcely any illustration of this kind could have 

 made so great an impression on all who witnessed it as the 

 speaking Undulated Grass Parrakeet in the Ornis Exhibition 

 in Berlin, in 1880. 



Stories of canary birds gifted with speech had long been 

 made public, but were generally received with incredulity, 

 though they came from an unquestionably trustworthy source. 

 There, however, stood the Undulated Grass Parrakeet, certainly 

 not more highly gifted by nature, bodily before the eyes of the 

 unbelieving, and thousands of visitors to the exhibition could 



