90 BIRDS OF TASMANIA. 



theirs; cramped into a small cage, improperly or iiisutiiciently fed, 

 death soon puts an end to their miserable existence, for but coni- 

 paratively few survive the following winter." 



The natural food of this species consists of the honey extracted 

 from the flowers of various species of eucalypt; frequently when 

 just shot while feeding on the gum blossoms a wounded bird will 

 disgorge a quantity of liquid honey. 



LITTLE LORIKEET 



{Glossopittacus piisilhis, Shaw). 



Male- — ^General colour green; face red; hinder neck and shoul- 

 ders olive-brown, inner webs of lateral tail feathers red at base, 

 becoming yellow towards the tip ; bill black ; legs and feet blackish- 

 brown. Dimensions in mm.: — Length, 167; bill, 11; wing, 104; 

 tail, 60; tarsus, 9. 



Female. — Practically similar to male. 



Nest. — Placed within a small hole of a branch or in the elbow 

 of a limb of a tree. 



Eggs. — Clutch four; roundish to round oval in shape; texture 

 fine; surface without gloss; colour white. Dimensions in mm. of 

 a clutch :— (1) 19 x 15, (2) 18.5 x 15, (3) 18.5 x 16, (4) 19 x 15.5. 



Breeding /Season.— September to December. 



Geographical Distribution. — Tasmania, New South Wales, Vic- 

 toria, South Australia, and Queensland. 



Observations. — This chubby little Lorikeet is less plentiful, 

 generally speaking, than the preceding species. It frequents the 

 same class of country, and is sociable in its habits, for it may often 

 be seen feeding in the gum-trees with the ]\Iusk and Swift Lori- 

 keets. Owing to this sociable habit its presence is often over- 

 looked in a district. In addition to feeding on honej' from the 

 eucalypt blossoms, it may often be seen performing strange antics 

 among the branches of the ])arasitical Loranthvs, as it feeds on the 

 berries. Like all Lorikeets it favours well-timbered tracts, moving 

 from one belt of eucalypts to another, as they come out into blossom. 



FAMILY-CACATUID/E (4 species). 



Sub- Family — Cacatuinae. 



*BLACK COCKATOO 



(Calyptorhynclius fiinerens, Shaw). 



Male. — Brownish-black, slightly glossed with green; feathers of 



upper back and wings narrowly margined with brown tinged with 



olive; ear coverts dull yellow; tail darker than back; all the 



feathers save the two centre ones pale yellow, irregularly freckled 



with black on inner webs for basal two-thirds ; extreme tips of all 



