Bonrhe's Pdrrakeet. 49 



I have tried to rear one or two by hand after they 

 have k'ft the nest, but they are timid, and have not taken 

 kindly to their foster-father. One ought to be able to do it, 

 for I remember that a lady (Mrs. Ffoukes) used to rear 

 Turquoisines by hand, one of which I had for some time; 

 the dearest little bird, which would liy on to my shoulder, 

 and which was like his liourkc cousin, charmingly restrained 

 and " well-bred." 



j3ourke's I^irrakeets, like all f^arrakeets, need plenty 

 of good and varied green food, besides seeds of dill'erent 

 kinds; neither do they scorn a nibble at a dish of Insectiverous 

 mixture. 



They are to a large extent birds that become very 

 much more active as the evening approaches, for in the day 

 time they will sit for a long time looking as if they: had no 

 " go " in them at all; but towards sunset, and afterwards 

 until it is almost dark, they run swiftly over the ground, 

 uttering theii' soft chirrups, and feeding hi a little flock. 



Upon dry ground they must be completely invisible when 

 about amongst the grass in the Australian bush, and when 

 they rise on the wing, their llight is swift. 1 find the I^ourke's 

 very hardy, for although they have a heated inner house into 

 wliich they can go through an always open window, 

 they often in winter time seem to prefer to sit exposed on 

 perches out of doors in fog or rain, and sit still, too; which 

 is more than I should care to do 1 



In an aviary they are fearless, often hardly moving when 

 one walks up close to them. They are certainly bii'ds to 

 whom a close proximity improves, for it is only then that 

 one can ai^preciate the delicate tints of their colouring, and 

 they look their best when they are perched above you; then 

 the wonderiul contrast of the underparts shows to the highest 

 advantage; the pink is that of a lovely blush rose, and the 

 blue of the forget-me-not. Only in the Green Alexandra 

 Parrakeet can these delicious and delicate colours be seen, 

 and there they are on the throat and head. Bourke's Parra- 

 keets, like Budgerigars and others of their tribe, seem to 

 prefer to breed in little colonies; perhaps they are stimulated 

 by a spirit of competition and natural jealousy: but my 

 Bourkes were with me for four years before they nested — 



