212 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



institutions, also ,in ibird-roojiis ; qiriet and peawabJe, 

 but cwing to its sitting so still it is more plea-sing on 

 account of its fine coloiu'ing than its agi-€«a:blene5s. It 

 IS fond of bathing, enduring, ajid insensible to cold ; 

 therefore to be recommended for 'large aviaries out of 

 doors. Bred by Mr. A. KoWer. of Weissenfels. Sevrral 

 instances have been i-ecorded ot the s=uoctis«ful breeding 

 of the species in this country also, andl if more females 

 were imported, there can be little douibt that successes 

 would bo still more frequent. 



The London Zoological Society acquired its first 

 fpec;i;nien of the King Panakeet in 1859, and has since 

 exhibited a considerable number of both sexes. 



In the genus Pi/erhulopsis the tail is graduated, but 

 the 'beak is much stronger than in Aprovdctux, and the 

 upper mandible is not notched : the feeding in captivity 

 should be the isama as foo- the King Parrs^ee!:. 



Red Shining Parrakeet {Pt/rrhvlopsis splencUns). 



Prevailing colour above ^green ; a blue b.^nd across the 

 nape ; primaries and their coverte blue as well as the 

 outermost secondaries, those next to them with a blue 

 tmge along the oniddle; tail blue, greenish towards 

 baise, especially on the central feathejs ; head and under 

 surface crimson ; under wdng-covei-ts 'bluish csreen ; 

 flights and tail below black ; beak and feet blax:k ; 

 irides orange. Female .snxalier, the beak smaller, shorter, 

 less archecl. ivith c-oaa'ser tenninal hook. Hab., "Fiji 

 Islands, Viti Levu, and Kandavu." (Salvadoi'i.) 



'Speaking of these birds, as observed by him in the 

 Fiii Islands, the late Mr. E. L. Lazard safvs [The Ihix, 

 1876, p. 143) : " They frequent the forest, feeding on 

 various fruits and berries us they come into season; 

 and making descents on the plantens' Indian corn croi^s, 

 where their depredations are veiy serious. They are 

 very shy and wary, planting sentinels, wtio with harsh 

 cries wai-n the flock of approaching danger, when off 

 they alii troop to the forest, and hide sTlently in the 

 don*e crowns of the broadest-leatfed trees. If they find 

 themselves discovexed. 'they utter loud cries, swaying 

 themselves to and fro on "their perches, and holding 

 themselves i-eady for flight in a moment." 



In the " Proceedings of the Zoological Society." 

 1875, p. 425. he says :—" Breeds in holes of trees, and 

 lays two eggs, white, or so much stained as to appear 

 reddish. I am not sure liow this stam arises, whether 

 from the parent bird or the bark with which the nest is" 

 lined. It occurs also in eggs of P. personalns to such 

 an extent that I mistook some eggs sent me for those of 

 Astur cruentus, until assured by mv correspondent that 

 he had only taken those of the Parrot. Axis 1" 5"' 

 diam. 1" 2"'." 



Russ says that Miss H.igenbeck had a specimen of this 

 species which talked well at the " Ornis " Exhibition of 

 1880: Mr. Bos. of Amsterdam, had a pair which he 

 described as Jumpy and chumsj' dn an a^arj', ti'yaniiical 

 towards other Parrots; only when isolated in "a larije 

 open-air aiaary did both become tame and the hen iaTd 

 eggs. 



The London Zodogical Society has, at various times, 

 acquired a fair number of specimens of this brilliantly 

 coloured Pai-rakeet; the first specimen wa« purchas€.d 

 for the Gardens in 1864. 



Tabuan Parrakeet [PyTrhulopsis tabuensis). 



Chiefly differs from the preceding species in the deep 



■cherry-red or maroon of the head and under parts (Russ 



calls it purplish brown-red). Female smaller, the beak 



niuich shorter aaid -with shorteo: terminal hook. Hab. 



Fiji Islands— Vanua Levu, and introduced into Eooa 

 (longa Island) from Fiji " fSalvadori) : also Tongatabu. 

 iml "If " ■''^'^'^'^*^l'"g'® <'f the Zoological Society " for 

 1875. Mr. E. L. Layard says : " In answer to my 

 inquiries af tei- bii-ds, I was always comforted with ' Ah i 

 you ishould get the black Paixot of Eooa ! ' and I confess 

 my curiosity was gi-eatly excited. However, as I was 

 bound to Eooa on duty, I coiifidentJv expected to get it 

 and charged all my messmates in H.M.S. 'Nvmphe' to 

 shoot evei-y PaiTot they could see ! 



" This Eooa (or E-u-a) is a small island to the south of 

 longatabu. It appears to me to be a mass of coral 

 meUmorphosed, by the action of volcanic heat under 

 gi-eat pressure, into crystallised limestone. It has then 

 •been raised to a conisiderable height (compared with 

 Tongatabu, its near neighbom-) above the sea-level, 

 and, having cracked in cooling, is traversed by 

 numerous deep pei-pendicidar fiscures. In these flourish 

 a luxuriant tropical vegetation, while the gently rising 

 surface of the island itself is covered with rich grass 

 on which are depastured some ten or fifteen thousand 

 sheep. As the forest has encroached in places on the 

 pasture-land, the island, viewed from the higher levels, 

 appeaiB like a most beautiful park, and it has the repuh 

 tation of lieing the ' loveliest island in the South Seas.' " 



_" I had to visit one of the stations ; so, arming my- 

 'Self with 'Long Tom,' and handmg mv large double 

 ' Westly Richards ' to a native, I sallied out. determined 

 to get a 'black Pan-ot' if possible. I also epecially 

 hired a native to go in search of them, and shoot nothing 

 else. ^ 



, ," ^"."']* "^ t''e deep fissm-es I heard the undoubted 



Ka Ka of a Parrot, that sounded vastly like that of 

 oim- Fijian bird ; so, while I kept watch for'a flying sliot, 

 T sent the native doivn the iieii>endiciilar sides. 

 Presently I heard below me the loud report of my big 

 ' ten-bore,' followed by the native's shout of triumph ; 

 and he shortly re;ippeared, bringing me my old friend 

 Plati/cercus tabuensis. 



" Here, then, was a surprise ! the ' black ' Parrot turns 

 out a dark maroon ; and hei'e, on this speck of land and 

 nnh/ on it, appears a Fijian Panot ! The more I think 

 over it. the more I am convinced that the bu-d has been 

 introduced into Eooa art'iiicialhi. I have abeady (Tlie 

 Thj.^, 1876) described the varieties of this species and 

 PL spleiuhna, Peale. It will be seen that PL tabuensis 

 and its allies inhabit that poj-t of Fiji to which the 

 Tongans have long years ago had free access. They Mid 

 the Samoans are specially jrartial to red feathers for 

 trimming their fans, etc., and for this purpose keepouo- 

 little Lorius solitarhis in confinement, plucking it twice 

 a yeai-. I was Itold Uiey fetched as high as ^20 or 30 

 dollars a pair dn Tonga, to which place, and to Samoa, 

 they are conveyed by every canoe or vessel that leaves 

 these isilands. What more likelv, then, that some 

 Tongan (a chief, probably) took with him the form of 

 P. tabuensis. found in Vanua Levu. and either purposely 

 or accidentally let it loose in Eooa? It could never fly 

 thither of its own accord ; its powers aw too limited, and 

 not one representative of the genus is tfound elsewhere 

 among the islands. No ! it- must have lieen introduced." 



First purchased by the London Zoological Society in 

 1R73 : several other specimens have since been added to 

 the collection. 



Masked P.\iirakeet (Pyrrhulopsis personata). 

 The adult male is green, the face black, the primaries 

 and their coverts blue, tail bluish towards the tip^ 

 middle of breast yellow, middle of abdomen orange', 

 flights and tail below black, beak black, feet dusky, 

 iris orange-yellow. The female is similar, but smaller! 



