GRASS-PARRAKEETS. 



TuuQuoisiNE Grass-Paerakeet. 

 (Ntophema pulchella.j 



The fori'h,M(!, :i stiipe over the eye the cheeks, 

 shoulders, and lesser wing-coverts of a bright metallic 

 greenish blue; the crown of the head, back of neck, 

 upper surface and flanks bright olive green; at the 

 insertion of the wings is a bright patch of chestnut 

 red ; the primaries and secondaries are deep blue on 

 their outer, but blackish-brown on their inner, 

 webs ; the lower breast, abdomen, and under 

 tail-coverts are bright yellow ; the four central 

 tail-feathers are green ; the remainder, however, are 

 largely tipped with yellow ; the beak and legs are dark 

 browii. i""emale smaller and duller, with a thicker, 

 shorter beak; frontal band blue passing over and 

 behind the eye ; a line in front of the frontal band 

 and the lores 'pale yellowish; cheeks with a blue tinge; 

 no chestnut red patch on the inner upper wing-coyerts ; 

 throat and breast yellowish-green. Hab., South- 

 eastern Australia, from Wide Bay to Victoria. 



Mr. Gould was not fortunate enough to discover the 

 nest of this species ; but he was informed that it laid 

 eight white eggs in a hole in a tree. He says that when 

 flushed it flies oft to a short distance between the 

 trees, perches on some dead branch, and remains 

 there until hiuiger impels it to retura to the ground." 

 Unlike many of the Parrakeets, the Turquoisine does 

 not appear to travel in large companies, but usually in 

 little bands consisting of from six to eight individuals ; 

 it is essentially a seed-eating bird, and therefore, so 

 soon as it has" got over the effects of its journey to 

 this country, there is no difficulty in keeping it on a 

 diet of white millet and canaryseed. Moreover, in a 

 cool aviary, there should be every chance of breeding 

 from a pair, as Br. Russ assures us that the Tur- 

 •quoisine is a " ravishing little bird " and amiable. 



This species w^as bred in the Zoological Gardens at 

 Antwerp in 1861, subsequently by Leuckfeld, of Nord- 

 hausen, and later in numerous other bird-rooms, even 

 to the fourth generation. The pair, according to Russ, 

 sit motionless, apparently tired and sleepy, but only 

 until the birds become tame and confiding. Being 

 ■crepuscular birds, he says that they only become lively 

 in the evening, but at the nesting season they develop 

 an active disposition. The affection of the couple 

 is extremely hearty. The male then utters a whistling 

 prattle, a sort of little not unpleasant song. The 

 flutch consists of from four to eight eggs. Incuba- 

 tion lasts twenty to twenty-two days. The female 

 alone incubates, the young being fed by the male ; 

 later both sexes feed them. The young plumage 

 closely I'esembles that of the adult female, above soft 

 yellowish grey, below greyish ; the male, if vigorous, 

 even when it leaves the nest with a delicate purplish- 

 brown shoulder spot; beak, silver white; eyes, black; 

 feet, bluish white. The change of colour takes place 

 after nine months. 



Mr. Seth-Smith says (" Parrakeets," p. 225) :— " The 

 Turquoisine is at the present time extremely rare in this 

 country, although it appears to have been imported 

 somewhat frequently years ago ; and it has bred in 

 captivit.v in this country and on the Continent on 

 numerous occasions. In the London Zoological 

 Gardens alone numbers were bred between the years 

 1850 and 1883, but for several years past no specimen 

 has been exhibited there." 



This author also tells us that this desirable bird " is 

 one of the gentlest of Parrots, and may be trusted 

 lidth birds mucli smaller and weaker thanitself." 



Splendid Gkass-Parrakeet. 

 (Xeujihema spltndida.) 



Above grass-green; upper wing-coverts pale blue; 

 primary coverts and primaries black, slightly bluish, 

 the last with the outer edges greenish towards the 

 ti]) ; secondaries blue tinged with green, the innermost 

 ipiite green; two central tail-feathers dark green; the 

 next pair black on inner and green on outer web and 

 broadly tipped with bright yellow extending more and 

 more from within outwards ; face, ear-coverts, and 

 sides of neck blue, darker on forehead and cheeks; 

 back of head and nape green washed with blue ; breast 

 bright scarlet ; sides green ; abdomen and under tail- 

 coverts yellow ; under wing-coverts deep indigo blue ; 

 beak black; feet brown. Female apparently with a 

 slightly broader beak; colouring much duller; face 

 and upper wing-coverts pale lazuline blue ; no scarlet 

 on the breast, which is green, and the upper surface, 

 including the crown and nape green tinged with 

 orange. Hab., Southern Australia from New South 

 Wales to S. Western Australia. 



Mr. Gould remarks that it differs from the 

 chestnut-shouldered bird " By the entire absence 

 of the chestnut mark on the shoulders, the 

 more intense blue of the face, and the gorgeous 

 colouring of the chest." Like all the Grass Parra- 

 keets, the Splendid Parrakeet passes much of its time 

 on the ground in its own country, where, owing to the 

 protective green colouring of its upper parts, it is in- 

 conspicuous, but when flushed there is immediately, 

 as Gould observes, " a briUiant display of blue, red, 

 and yellow on its face, breast, and abdomen." It 

 nests, like its congeners, in a hollow branch, laying 

 from three to four white eggs. Incubation lasts about 

 eighteen clays. This beautiful bird unfortunately is 

 rarely imported ; otherwise, as it is quite hardy, there 

 might be some hope of breeding it in our 

 aviaries. Being a Grass Parrakeet there is no diffculty 

 in feeding it, millet, canary, and oats, together with 

 grass and other wild weed-seeds, being sufficient to 

 keep it in health, a little green food being also accept- 

 able. 



A pair of this species reached the London Zoological 

 Gardens in 1871, and a young one was hatched in 

 the Gardens in the year following ; another example 

 was also purchased in the same year ; but it is practi- 

 cally unknown to aviculturists, and is, as Russ says, 

 one of the rarest in the market. 



The genus Cyanorhamphus is characterised by the 

 shining pearl-grey base of the upper mandible com- 

 bined with the absence of a crest (which distinguishes 

 it from Xymphicus.) The species have long tarsi, and 

 spend much of their time on the ground feeding upon 

 seeds. In captivity Mr. Seth-Smith says they should 

 be fed upon " canary, millet, and hemp seed and ripe 

 fruit; green food, such as chickweed and groundsel, 

 should also be given in the summer time." 



Antipodes Island Parrakeet. 



(Cyanurhamphus unicolor). 

 Above olive-green, paler or yellowish on the rump; 

 bastard-wing and primary-coverts with bluish green 

 inner and bright blue outer webs; primaries tinged 

 with blue ; tail dull green ; forehead, sides of head, 

 and ear-coverts brighter green; under surface yellow- 

 ish-green; flights below greyish-brown; taU below dull 

 golden olive ;"beak black, pearly-grey at bnse of upper 

 mandible ; feet brown. Female smaller and paler than 

 the male, the beak greyish-white, with the terminal 

 portion of the upper mandible brownish-black; a 



