170 



CHAPTER LX. 



THE PARADISE PAERAKEET, 



THESE wonderously beautiful but most unsatisfactory birds 

 feed in their wild state almost entirely on the blossoms 

 of the gum and acacia trees, and are, consequently, extremely 

 difficult to keep alive for any length of time in this country. 



The male has an emerald green neck and breast, a crimson 

 band across his forehead, a yellow ring round his ej^es, and 

 crimson thighs and vent. The crown of the head is velvet 

 black, the neck brown, and the back brown with a greenish 

 tinge; the wings are blue, the tail is green above, with the 

 under surface white, and the tips of the feathers blue. The 

 feet and beak are grey. 



The female is very soberly attired compared to her mate, 

 being almost uniformly grey, with a greenish or reddish tinge 

 here and there. 



I would not recommend an inexperienced amateur to be 

 tempted by their beauty to buy these birds, for they are very 

 expensive, and rarely live long in this country: instances, 

 however, have come to my knowledge of an odd one surviving 

 for a couple of years, but such exceptions to the general rule 

 are few and far between. 



All the specimens that I have possessed died, apparently of 

 inanition, in the course of a few months, in spite of all my 

 endeavours to keep them alive, whether in a cage, or loose 

 in an aviary, where, by-the-bye, I have seen a male bird 

 eating mealworms, and tipula flies, commonly called "daddy 

 long-legs." 



If it is desired to try to keep the Paradiseas, flowering 

 groundsel and mignonette supplied freely during the summer 



