TYPICAL PARROTS. 



180 



6,000 to 8,000 ft. above sea-level, in narrow moist defiles, 

 upon thickly leaved tall trees. They live together 

 like their allies in flights of three to eight specimens, 

 are lively, but appear to be somewhat heavy in their 

 movements, and in their sudden, rattling, and direct 

 flight litter an unpleasing whistled note. The food con- 

 sists of cereals, berries, pulp and kernels of the fruits of 

 Adaiisonia digitala, etc. Whether resident I cannot 

 sav. " 



Alfred E. Pease (The Iln.^, 1901. p. 679) says:— "The 

 Yellow-fronted Parrot was seen only on the higher 

 Hawa.-ih and near the Meki River." He describes the 

 soft parts as follows : — " Iris orange-brown ; upper man- 

 dible black-giey along the ridge, lower mandible greyish- 

 whit* : legs black." 



Russ says ('" Handbuch fiir V'ogelliebhaber," p. 230): 

 '" A pair in the iJosses.sion of Mr. Fiedler, of Agram, 

 soon became tame; otherwise it has hitherto only 

 occurred in the Zoological Gardens of Frankfort-on-the- 

 ilaine." 



Senkgal Parrot {Pnocephalus scnegtilus). 



The upper parts are mostly grass-green, but the head, 

 cheeks, ear-coverts, and throat vary from brownish to 

 blackish-gi-ey ; the quills and tail feathers are brown. 

 the outer webs edged with green, under parts yellow, 

 more or less tinted with orange, a belt across the breast, 

 and till' thi_'li^ green; beak blackish-brown; feet dusky 

 brown ; iris varying fioni yellow to brown, jierhaps 

 sexuallv- 



111 the female the head is of a paler grey, the under 

 parts not orange tinted, and the under tail-coverts 

 yellowish-green. The beak is probably lighter in con- 

 struction. Hab., Gambia, W. Africa. When at liberty 

 this species is very destructive to the crops of banana, 

 rice, maize, etc. 



Air. J. S. Budgett (The Ibl". 1901, p. 484) says that 

 he identified this species on the Gambia River in large 

 flocks of over twenty, and later (p. 495) he says: — 

 " M'Carth.v Island, December 7. 1899. Very common in 

 floclvs. " I have found no other field-notes. 



Dr. Russ says that when acclimatised this Parrot is 

 beautiful, vigorous, and enduring ; he oljserves furthei' 

 on : " A pair in my biixl-room were wild and excitable ; 

 both shrieked piercingly when approached, and every 

 attempt to tame them was without result. Wlien ner- 

 vous, an astonishing squeaking, and. when in great 

 terror, a penetrating -whistle. They took possession of 

 a nest-box. flying to it at first only from shyness and 

 wildness : nevertheless, they began to nest. The male 

 perforaied a wonderful love-dance. Laying three eggs, 

 round and comparatively small ; they were devoured bv 

 the male. Sxion, moreover, the female was killed by 

 him." 



The above account will doubtless be a great encourage- 

 ment to owners of this amiable Parrot to try and breed 

 •with it. It is probable, however, that Dr. Russ's male 

 was captured when adult, for birds when taken young 

 are said to be usually docile, and some of theni have 

 even been taught to speak. 



The first specimen of this Parrot exhibited at the 

 London Zoological Gardens was presented in 1853. since 

 which date many others have found a home there. 



Meyer's Parrot {Pceocephalus meijeri). 



Tlie male has the head, neck, mantle, wings, and tail 



brown witli olive shading, often with a broad crescentic 



yellow band across the crown ; back, rump, upper tail- 



- coverts and under parts, bluish-green : bend and edge 



" of wings, under wing-coverts and thighs, vellow ; beak 



dark greenish horn ; feet greenish-black ;" naked skin 



round eye, black ; iris orange-i«d, or brownish exter- 

 nally, red internally. The female is smaller, and has 

 a much less powerful beak, with shorter terminal hook. 

 The young are said never to have the yellow band 

 across the crown, the feathers of the mantle and the 

 wing-coverts with green edges, the yellow feathers at 

 the bend of the wing and the under wing-coverts with 

 brown bases, the thighs green ; the lower back and rump 

 bluer, and the lower parts decided green. Hab., from 

 Abyssinia through Kastern Africa to the Transvaal and 

 thence across the Continent to Damaraland. 



According to Von Heuglin, this bird is met with 

 chiefly in the forest region in companies of as many as 

 ten individuals; it breeds in holes in trees during" the 

 rainy season, and may be easily tamed. In the late 

 autumn it assembles in considerable crowds, which 

 wander noisily from one lofty tree to anotlier, even into 

 the steppes_, where far and "wide no water can be dis- 

 covered. Von Heuglin says he has never seen either 

 this or any other N.E. African Pan'ot drinking. The 

 call-note consists of an extraordinarily pieTcing whistle. 

 The flight is straight, powerful, and noisy, rarely some- 

 what swerving. 



Stark and Sclater say ("Birds of South Africa," 

 ■\ ol. III., p. 229) :—" Meyer's Parrot is perhaps the 

 most widely distributed and the commonest of South 

 African Parrots. It is found in pairs or small parties 

 among high thorn bushes or along the wooded banks of 

 rivers and periodical stream,s. As with other Parrots, 

 its flight is rapid and headlong and its note a shrill 

 scream. Holub is the only observer who has noticed 

 , the nesting habits of this species ; it builds in a hole 

 ill a tree, eitlier making it itself or adapting to its needs 

 that of some smaller bird. Holub did not discover the 

 eggs, which are doubtless white, like those of other 

 Parrots. 



"Thi.'i bird is often kept as a pet and becomes 

 exceedingly tame; it is to be seen on nianv of the fanns 

 in the Western Transvaal flying in and out of the houses 

 and taking food from the hand. It \viil eat bread, 

 cooked and uncooked fruits and vegetaibles, grain and 

 even raw niea*, but tJiis latter diet is stated by Holub 

 to cause the birds soibseqiiently to pull out their teathea-s, 

 a trick not uiiconinion among caged Parrots." 



Mr. E. Alexander {T/,e /fcy'i. 1900, jip. 429, 430) savs : 

 —'■Fairly plentifull from Tete onwaids. Observed 

 generally in companies, but now and again in couples, 

 frequenting the wooded banks of di-ied-np water- 

 courses dotted with pools. At the end of August this 

 species was breeding, wheal all the males kept company 

 together." ilr. Alexander goes on to discuss the 

 character.f upon ivhich the eub-species oi/tlirea: and 

 transvaa/rii.^i.i have been separated, and shovv-s that they 

 are extremely variable. Perhaps theiie is more excuse 

 for an ornitJioJogist to name so-called sub-species than 

 tliere is for an entomogolist, since the latteii- always haa 

 plenty of new species to which he can stand sponsor, 

 wherea.? the oniithoJogist meets with new fonns at com- 

 paratively long intervals imles'S entirely new ground is 

 exj5loired. 



Mr. A. L. Butler, writing about the ornithology of th& 

 Egyptian Soudan {The Ilji.^. 1905, p. 360( says :— " I 

 have seen iMeyar's Pairot only in Kordofaii. where, from 

 the \-icinity of El Obeid to Mazrub, it was met with 

 almost daily, though always in isniaiU nuiribers. TShs 

 birds were most frequently in pairs, tet fometimes dn 

 parties of seven or eight. Tliey keep principally to th© 

 huge ' baobab ' to-ees, which in Kordofan ai-e scattered 

 through the thorn-bush, and in these thev doubtless 



