Pseplwtiis Parrakects at Liberty. 11 



eventually reared a brood of four. The young Red-rumj)s 

 were a pair and usually, though not always, to be seen to- 

 gether. The cock quickly tired of feeding them and drove 

 them oft" if they got in his way, for Red-runips. like Roscllas, 

 do no! believe in coddling their children. Barnard, Mealy 

 Rosella and Adelaide fathers, on the other hand, are very 

 meek and long-suftering, feeding their young long afier the 

 latter are well • able to fend for thcmschcs and submitting 

 to a lot of worry from them while engaged in the care of a 

 second brood. 



Many-coloured Parrakeet {P. multicolor) . 1 have 

 have never been lucky with this species. When a numlK-r of 

 these birds were imported a few years ago I turned four 

 pairs with cut wings into a grass quadrangle in the centre of 

 the hou.se. This plan answers well enough with Blue-bonnets, 

 but it is not to be recommended with the other Psephoti, and 

 is far better to keep the birds until they are in thoroughly 

 good trim and then release them in pairs, full-winged. Some 

 of the Many-colours died of chills, others missed their males 

 and wandered when they were beginning to fly. and one hen 

 died of cerebral hemorrhage after she had been at liberty 

 several weeks. A pair, however, stayed well for a time, and 

 even attempted to nest, but an Owl killed the female, and her 

 mate strayed away in search of her. In the end I was left 

 witli a (Solitary cock, who paired with a Red-rump, as I have 

 already related. He was a pretty liitle fellow and more than 

 a match for any Parrakeet of his size in battle. 1 kept hun 

 nearly a year and grew very fond of him as he was quite 

 tame, and was often to be seen ruimmg about the lawn in 

 front of the stables, feeding on daisy and plantain leaves. 

 The true Psephoti spend a lot of time on the ground when 

 at liberty in this country, much preferring short turf to long 

 seeding grass, a preference which is shared by Australian 

 Finches, when kept under similar conditions. The large 

 Broadtails, however, comparatively seldom leave the trees, 

 unless perhaps during the breeding season, when the cocks 

 liave to eat a lot of greenstuff to supply their growing fami- 

 lies. One day in late June when the vve;ither was bright and 

 warm, and the sweetest and juiciest of natural food everywhere 

 in abundance, the Many-colour was picked up paralyzed in 



