75 



parrots an& parrahcet6. 



By Dr. C. S. Simpson. 



(Continued from page 42J. 



T^^ HE CocKATiEL {^Calopsittacu^ iiovcB hollandicB) 

 ((7^ being a crested Parrot, may conveniently be 

 ^^ mentioned here, though, in some respects, it 

 somewhat resembles the Ground Parrakeets. It is 

 one of the commonest and most hardy of foreign 

 birds, and breeds in confinement as readily as the 

 Budgerigar, requiring the same treatment as the 

 latter. The cock is distinguished from the hen by 

 his yellow cheeks. 



The Lories and Lorikeets {LoriidcB), We come 

 now to the last of our four sub-families, namely, 

 the Lories and Lorikeets, which are widely distributed 

 over Australia, the East Indian Archipelago, and 

 Polynesia. These Parrots differ widely in their habits 

 from the otlier members of the family Psittaci, and 

 consequently require quite different treatment in 

 confinement. No Parrots excel them in the exquisite 

 beauty of their plumage, but none are more trouble- 

 some to feed. 



The food of the Lories when wild consists of honey 

 from flowers, soft fruits, and probably unripe seeds 

 and insects, and I venture to think that a perfectly 

 satisfactory substitute for these articles of diet, when 

 in confinement, has yet to be found. Some species, 

 however, of which the Blue Mountain or Swainson's 

 Lorikeet is the best example, can be trained to eat 

 canary seed and otlier dry seeds, and are consequently 

 far less difficult to keep than those which will only 

 take soft food. Even Swainson's Lorikeet, however, 

 is apt to disappoint its owner by a sudden and 

 unexpected death from apoplexy, just as the change 

 of diet has been accomplished with apparent success. 



