77 



I am inclined to think that their good qualities have 

 been, on the whole, exaggerated. One author attributes 

 to the Purple-capped Lory the power to " throw its 

 voice" to various parts of the room. Inasmuch as 

 ventriloquists have no such power, the statement is 

 obviously absurd. Though I have seen a good many 

 Lories, I have never yet come across a talker, and 

 most of those I have known have been noisy and 

 untameable. 



Swainson's or the Blue Mountain Lorikeet (7>2- 

 ^hoglossiis novcE hollandicB) is the best known species. 

 It is the hardiest of the Lorikeets and the most easily 

 fed, as it readily takes to canary seed. It ought, 

 however, to be supplied with a certain amount of 

 soft food as well. 



The Scaly-breasted Lorikeet {^Psitteutelcs flavovi- 

 ridis) is another species which will eat seed. It is a 

 rare bird. Its general colour is green with numerous 

 transverse bars of yellow on the breast, producing 

 a scaly appearance whence it derives its name. 



The Ornamented Lorikeet {T. oniatus) is a very 

 beautiful species, and was at one time very rare. The 

 forehead and crown are violet, the upper parts of the 

 body green (the feathers of the back withyellow stripes), 

 the cheeks and throat are scarlet, the breast scarlet, 

 with yellow stripes, the abdomen is green, and the 

 beak red. It requires to be fed principally on soft food. 

 Of the Short-tailed Lories, the Purple-capped {Loriiis 

 do7nicelld) is the best known and the most easily kept, 

 and may be fed partly on seed. It derives its name 

 from the purple-black pileum or cap. Its prevailing 

 colour is crimson, the wings are green, and there is a 

 narrow yellow band across the upper part of the 

 breast. Like the other Lories, this species is some- 

 what impatient of cold. The Ceram or Chattering 

 l^oxy {L.garruhis) resembles the preceding, but is of 



