Thr llnuulniii n/ lUinianr.s I'a rruL-rr/s. ;;(![ 



Tlii',r \()(Uiiu',ir\ is an cxIcusiNc oiic, ainl tlii'V ;u'e 

 niii-laiuiy ■' lalkiii.i;' " lo lnuIi other in a low innini,^ voicj. 

 They arc Ire.' p.-rcihTs and al\\a\s ^-o t > roxi in the (i'l'cs 

 in (he e-vruin.^-. tiuitc early, olteii loni; hefor.- ilu.k. Tlioy 

 live I'rinclpallN- on niai/,e, out oi' wliieji they (ii'-t eat th ' ,L;!'j'nis 

 hciore swallou'in.u'' tlie remainder; in addition they will take 

 u litth eanai-y and inillei. Tliex' like a ,;and lia'li, and ,ii'e 

 Tuntl ol geatle;, and I lKdie\\' tlie\' would risk tlieii' li\es for 

 ci lew meahvoi-ins. 



Altliou,i;di they are railiei' hulky liii'ds and possess a 

 powi I'lul l>eak, they l'a\'e i)i'o\i'd to lie luiile harnll;•^s to their 

 I'ellow eai'tivcri, whicli cannot lie said ol all the Ani'idcan 

 (^)uails, loi some specie^ arc ([uitc dan.i^-'cj-ous in a mixed. 

 .-cries. Tlicjse birds arc known in C'ampcachy by the iiame 

 of '■ Voloctocs." 



The Breeding of Barnard's Parrakeets 



I'.Y TiiK AIakquis of Tavistock. 



Barnard's Parrakeet {Barnardius h:irj/(in(/) is, perhaps, 

 the most beautii'ul meml;er oi the small suli-^-enus oi' Plal//- 

 cctcina to which it gives its name. Blues and greeirs of dif- 

 ferent shades are the prevailing colours in the adult 

 cock's plumage, but there is also a good deal of 

 yellow on the lower breast, a yellow collar, a In-own - 

 ish V-shaped mark at the back of the head and a liroad 

 red band alcove the bas^ of the u])p.'r mandilile. The hen is 

 smallei- than her mate, with a much narrower In^ak, and her 

 coloui-.- arc usually nioi'c suinlned, there being occasionally 

 an cutii-c aii.-cncc of blue except on the checks and in the 

 wings and tail. Sometime^ how(u-cr, one seo-; a hen, whose 

 plumage is exceptionally bright; a liird of this description 

 was .-eat to me, last spring, as a cock, and f was not sui-pj-ised 

 that hei- owner, who had won prizes with her on the stiow 

 bench, should have been deceived in the matter of her sex. 

 Such exceptional brilliance of plumage is not necessaiily a 

 sign of infertility— indeed, I believe I am right in saying that 

 the lady who achieved the distinction of first breeding Barn- 

 ard's in this country had a hen which was so brightly coloured 



