Psrphotus Parrnkccfs at Liberty. 13 



dccrenscd 1iy allowiii.^ a l^ird full lib;Tty. In spite (jf the 

 uncomprnmisinj^'^ beha\ioiir oF 1'. dhsunl's {ciicall'itiis) . I 

 do not think it is at all fair xu say that Au^trali.m !)irds. 

 gene-rally, arc troublcsmiu- about breeding at the wrong time 

 of year. As a rule thc-y arc extraordinarily ready to adapt 

 themselve? to our seasons, and the Emu is the only (Jther 

 inveterate offender 1 have met with in '.he matter of winter 

 nesting. 



'I'hc majority of our first ronsignmeni of Hooileds were, 

 I regret to say, lost owing to our ignorance of th:.' pro])er 

 treatment of newly imijorled Parrakeeis, and out of the original 

 seven only two rorlcs survived the first three months. These, 

 however, did well, and agreed perfectly together even when in 

 breeding condition, thus shr)wing that co(-k Pseph'Jt'y like 

 the cock Platyccrci, can remain on good terms so long as 

 thcr.^ is nc hei^ with them. In October I exchanged one of 

 th<;- male birds for a female. She nested very soon afte/ she 

 came, and. as I omit:ed to heat the aviary sufficiently, died 

 eg.L'-bound after la\ ing three eggs. 



A year later I kept another pair of Hoodeds in an out- 

 door aviary, which was \ery sheltered, but dark and sunless. 

 .Again tlu hen nested in the autumn and she died in laymg 

 her sixth and last egg. The cock passed tire winter wi:houi 

 artificial heat in the company of another hen wliicii I tlid 

 not alhnv to breed during the cold weather. .She laid five 

 eggs late in the follo\sing summer, but failed to hatch them. 



7'o he <-i)n<ladc(l. 

 ♦ 



Birds in and about the Station. 



\\\ .M.\K)R (]. A. ri.RRi;.\r. F.Z.S. 



Tm Indian J^•\K.\I)1SI■: I"[.\ ( .\i( iikk (Cont'uucil from 



Vol. VI.. page 339). 



I rather thuik that tiie jjlumage has been described in 



15ir(l Notes " before, but an abbreviated, and I fear, rather 



mutilattrd descriptif)n from (Jales nay not be out of place. 



Voung birds and females have the crest, lop of head, and 



nape metallic blue-black; the throat and sides of the head and 



neck asiiy-brown; breast pale ashy; the rest of the lower 



