28 Some Notes on Kecpiii^i^ Parrakeets. 



provided with a lari^e shallow pan for this i)urpose. They 

 should also be supplied with grit and with branches of 

 non-poisonous deciduous trees, these beinj^' renewed when 

 the buds and bark have been eaten. The floor both of the 

 shelter and the flight should now and then be watered with water 

 in which salt has been dissolved, as this serves as an excellent 

 disinfectant; a solution which is not quite strong enough to kill 

 grass will not harm birds. 



When the grass in the flight becomes very coarse and 

 tussocky it should be grubbed up and re-sown. Oats sown 

 among the grass at different times of year provide a much 

 appreciated form of green food. 



All paint and varnish must be taboo in Parrakeet 

 aviaries, as the birds nibble the wood and are quickly poisoned. 



Broadtail Parrakeets should be fed on the following seed 

 mixture : — Two parts canary, one part hemp or sunflower, and 

 one part oats. Fruit and green food are very necessary — 

 apples, pears, cherries, gooseberries, haws; also lettuce, daisy 

 plants, plantain, groundsel and chickweed. Peanuts are 

 appreciated, and a taste for mealworms is sometimes acquired 

 but the latter are not necessary. 



Adult pairs of Broadtails in good condition are best kept 

 by themselves, as they are very spiteful with other Parrakeets 

 especially with their own and nearly allied species. With birds 

 of other orders — particularly small finches — they are less 

 aggressive, though they require careful watching, especially 

 when they have no Parrakeet neighbours in an adjoining aviary 

 to distract their attention, and provide an outlet for the instinct 

 to hate something so painfully strong in nature as w^ell as in 

 man ! 



Odd cocks can be kept together, and so can odd hens, 

 unpaired birds of both sexes being far more peaceable than 

 paired ones. Birds not in breeding condition, either from 

 youth or rough treatment and neglect, also agree well enougli 

 until the pairing instinct is aroused by increasing age or better 

 health. All species of Platycerci interbreed freely, and the 

 hybrids are fertile. 



