240 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



According to Jlr. A. J. Campbell (" Nests and Eggs, 

 p. 658), the nest is a " somewhat deep hollow m the 

 ground, evenly lined with fine grass, etc., under a 

 tussock of grass— usually a button-grass tussock m 

 Tasmania. A nest in the Australian Museum is com- 

 posed of rushes and wire-gi-ass, bitten into suitable 

 lengths, bent and roughly interwoven into a platform 

 about 44 in. in diameter, and about ^ in. thick. Eri(js : 

 Clutch, three to four, round in form ; texture of shell 

 fine surface glossy ; colour, white ; dimensions in 

 inches of a clutch (1) 1.11 x -8, (2) 1.1 x -87, (3) 

 1-09 X -9." . , , 



The London Zoological Society purchased an example 

 ■of this bird in May, 1865, but I do not know of any 

 private bird-lover who has possessed it in this country. 



Night Parrakeet {Geopsittacui occidentalis*). 



Above olive-green; upper back black spotted with 

 vellow; lower back, upper wing-coverts, upper tail- 

 <'overts, and breast, with the feathers spotted with 

 black and irregularly banded with yellow ; primai-y 

 coverts and flights greyish brown ; tail blackish, banded 

 with vellow ; f eathe'rs of crown and hind neck, black in 

 the middle ; cheeks and sides of neck with small black 

 spots ; abdomen and under tail-coverts sulphur yellow, 

 the former irregularly banded with black at the sides, 

 the latter just perceptibly spotted with black ; primaries 

 below banded with vellow ; beak horn-coloured ; teet 

 flesh-coloured. Female not differentiated, probably with 

 a weaker beak than the male. Hab., South-western and 

 South Australia. 



A. J. Campbell says (" Nests and Eggs, p. bbO) : 

 " The Night Parrakeet ranges across Southern Austra- 

 lia, living chiefly in the porcupine or spinifex grass of 

 drv and arid tracts. The bird has been observed in 

 the Wimmera district, Victoria, where it was reported 

 a nest containing five eggs was found in some porcupine 

 grass." 



"The following interesting 'Notes on th? Night 

 Parrot' were read by the late Mr. F. W. Andrews 

 before the Roval Society of South Australia, Feb. 6. 

 1893 ; ' During the day this bird lies concealed m the 

 inside of a tussock or bunch of porcupine grass 

 (Triodia), the inside being pulled out and a snug re- 

 treat formed for its protection. Here, also, its rough 

 nest is formed, and four white eggs laid. When the 

 dark shades of evening have fairly set in, it comes out 

 to feed, but generally flies direct to the nearest water, 

 which is often a considerable distance from its neet ; 

 in some instances I have known them fly a distance of 

 four or five miles. After drinking and shaking them- 

 selves up a little, they fly off to feed on the seeds 

 of the porcupine grass, "returning to water two or three 

 times during the night. . . 



" 'The name given to this bird by the aborigines is 

 ■" Myrrlumbing," from the supposed resemblance of 

 their whistling note to the sound of that word. They 

 have also a peculiar croaking note of alarm whilst at 

 the water, which much resembles the loud croak of a 

 frog. On one occasion one of these Parrots was caught 

 in a hut, where it had apparently been attracted by the 

 light of a bush lamp; it was put into a box, with a 

 handful of di-y grass. On examination the next morn- 

 ing the bird could not be seen ; it had placed the dry 

 grass in a heap and had drawn out the inside straw by 

 ?traw until it had formed a hole, in which it had 

 concealed itself.' " 



An example of this Parrakeet was presented to the 



•In Geoi>Eitt.<icu9 tihe tail is short<T than^ the ii-iiif, and the 

 claws are short and curved. In its wild state it feeds chiefly 

 on tie seed of the Porcupine-grass. 



Zoological Society of London in 1867, and a second 

 was purchased in 1873. 



Family Stringopid^ (Night Parrots). 

 This family is represented by one genus, containing 

 two species ; "thev are very Owl-like Parrots m outline 

 though not in colour ; the beak is thick and swollen at 

 the sides, without notch to the upper mandible; the 

 nostrils open in a much swollen cere. The wings are 

 short and rounded, as also is the tail, the feathers ot 

 which are somewhat pointed ; the tarsus is rather long ; 

 the feathers soft, those round the eye arranged in a 

 circle as in the Owls. In their wild state they feed 

 upon grass, weeds, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and 

 roots. They nest in holes under trees or rocks. 



Night Parrot or Kakapo {Stringops hahroptilus). 



Above sap-green, tinged with verdigris on the greater 

 wing-coverts ; each feather with a yellow central mark- 

 ing, bounded on each side by a black band, which 

 emits transverse irregular bands of the same colour; 

 outer webs of greater wing-coverts, flights and tail 

 brownish-buff, crossed by irregular black bands be- 

 tween each alternate pair the interval is lemon-yellow ; 

 inner webs of flights black more or less banded with 

 lemon-yellow ; feathers of crown brownish-black, edged 

 with sap-green and greenish in the middle; forehead, 

 cheeks, ear-coverts, and projecting feathers of the face 

 pale umber, with vellowish-white centres; under sur- 

 face pale greenish-vellow, washed with lemon-yellow, 

 and more or less banded with pale yellow and bla,ck ; 

 beak vellowish-white; feet yellowish-brown; mdes 

 black. " Female apparently smaller, duller, and with less 

 heavilv constructed beak. Hab., New Zealand. 



Dr. 'Lyall. R.N.. published an account of the habits 

 of this species in the " Proceedings of the Zoological 

 Society of London " for 1852, which is quoted in full 

 by Gould, as follows : " Although the Kakapo is said 

 to be still found occasionally on some parts of the high 

 mountains in the interior of the north island of New 

 Zealand, the only place where we met with it, during 

 our circumnavigation and exploration of the coasts of 

 the islands in H.M.S. ' Acheron,' was at the south-west 

 end of the middle island. There, in the deep sounds 

 which intersect that part of the island, it is still found 

 in considerable numbers, inhabiting the dry spurs of 

 hills or flats near the banks of rivers, where the trees 

 are high, and the forest comparatively free from fern 

 or underwood. 



" The first place where it was obtained was on a hill 

 nearly 4,000 feet alwve the level of the sea. It was 

 also "found living in communities on flats near the 

 mouths of rivers close to the sea. In these places its 

 tracks resembled footpaths made by man, and led us 

 at first to imagine that there must be natives in the 

 neighbourhood. These tracks were about a foot wide, 

 regularly pressed down to the edges, which are two or 

 three inches deep amongst the moss, and cross each 

 other usually at right angles. 



" The Kakapo lives in holes under the roots of trees, 

 and is also occasionally found under shelving rocks. 

 The roots of many New Zealand trees growing partly 

 above ground, holes are common under them. There 

 were frequently two openings to these holes, and occa- 

 fionally, though rarely, the trees over them were hollow 

 for some distance up. 



"The only occasion on which the Kakapo was seen 

 to fly was wVien it got up one of these hollow trees, and 

 was 'driven to an exit higher up. The flight was very 

 short, the wings being scarcely moved ; and the bird 

 alighted on a tree at a lowe"r level from the place 



