248 THE SPEAKING PARROTS. 



convince themselves that they were not the victims of decep- 

 tion. 



It is well known that the Undulated Grass Parrakeet has 

 only appeared in our market in modern times. It was first 

 described and scientifically named by Shaw in 1789-1813; in 

 1831 it was mentioned as a rarity in the museum of the Linnean 

 Society, in London. Gould gave the first description of its life 

 in freedom, and this renowned naturalist brought the first living 

 pair of Grass Parrakeets to Europe in 1840. In this short space 

 of time — the last four decades — this, the smallest of all parrots 

 imported alive, has become so common among us that it is to 

 be found everywhere, whether in palace or in cottage, and is as 

 completely at home as our yellow friend, the canary. Many 

 thousands are imported annually, besides which it is bred from 

 time to time in great numbers. 



It is a prettily coloured bird, of a yellowish-green on the 

 upper part of the body, the plumage appearing in undulating 

 lines, with blue spots on the cheeks, chin, and throat. It is 

 about the size of a sparrow, but slimmer and prettier, with 

 pointed wings and long graduated tail, and its comically dignified 

 mien gives it a charming appearance, as it runs about in a 

 lively manner, nodding its head and chattering so sweetly, as, 

 on this account, to have received the name of *' Singing Parra- 

 keet." 



It is marked as follows : The full-grown male — the forehead 

 and crown of the head pure straw-colour ; a narrow band of 

 sulphur-yellow on the forehead ; broad lores and marks on 

 the lower part of the cheek of the same colour ; in the centre of 

 the cheek there are some rather long blue feathers, which form 

 blue spots ; a long broad beard of yellow, and mixed in it also 

 blue spots, but these are of a darker shade ; the back of the 

 head (beginning about the middle) the sides of the head, the 

 back part and nape of the neck, the shoulders, and the greatest 

 part of the wing coverts are of a bright greenish-yellow, marked 

 regularly with transverse undulations (each feather has four fine 

 black transverse lines, those on the shoulders and wing coverts 

 only two, but the latter are broader, and form half-circles) ; 

 the hinder part of the back, the rump, and upper tail coverts, 

 grass-green, the latter with more of a bluish-green shade ; 

 the primaries and their coverts a dull green, the outer webs 

 having a narrow yellow edge, the inner webs blackish, and in 

 the centre broad yellowish spots (which below are lighter, 



