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The Passerine Parrot [Psittacula passerina) is 

 often called the Blue-winged Love-bird. It is a native 

 of Brazil. It requires the same food as the Love-birds, 

 and will breed in confinement. 



The Hanging Parrots {Loriadus) form another 

 group of tiny Parrots, varying from four to six inches in 

 length. Twenty species are known, but onl}' two are 

 imported. They are found throughout India and Ceylon, 

 Burmah, the Philippine Islands, the Malay Peninsula, and 

 adjacent Islands. The two species kept in this country' 

 are the Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot {L. galgulus), and 

 the Ceylonese (Z. indicus). Their habits, at any rate in 

 captivity, resemble the Lories, and the}' require some- 

 what similar treatment, but their anatomy, especiall}- the 

 absence of the brushy tongue, proves that this resem- 

 blance is but superficial, and that their true relationship 

 is to the Love-birds. Their popular name indicates 

 their habit of hanging head downwards, which is their 

 favourite attitude when at rest. 



These little Parrots are very beautiful and are more 

 active and interesting in a cage than the Love-birds, but 

 the}' are difficult to keep alive in this country, trouble- 

 some to feed, and very dirty in their habits. They are 

 birds for the experienced aviarist, not for the beginner. 

 The diet usually recommended for them in captivity is 

 boiled rice sweetened with Demarara sugar. Those 

 which I kept, however, did not thrive on this food, and 

 I found that bread soaked in milk and squeezed out, 

 sponge cake, and plenty of ripe banana, were more 

 suitable. After a time they learned to eat canary seed, but 

 would never take very much of it. They would never 

 touch ants' eggs or other insect food. They did not 

 appear to be very susceptible to cold. 



The Blue-crowned Parrot is green, with a blue spot 

 on the crown, a triangular gold-coloured mark in the 

 interscapular region, and a scarlet patch on the throat. 

 The scarlet patch is absent in the hen, and her colours 

 are duller. The Ceylone.se Hanging Parrot is also green ; 

 pileum and upper tail coverts scarlet; nape and inter- 



