Tame Lorikeets at Liberty. 255


day but only during night, as a precaution against wild cats

and snakes.


My family has increased very rapidly ; uncles and aunts,

and every possible relative soon flocked to my table. Seeing

no fear in my own birds they soon got as tame ; the pictures

show how tame they are. None now sleep in the cage, all

sleep in the hollow trees around, but by daylight they clamour

for breakfast. They are fond of taking out my hair pins as

you will see by the photos.


When I went to town last week there was a girl 011 the

coach behind me. I noticed that she had a tin biscuit box on

her knee with holes cut in it. I asked her what she had, and

on hearing that it was a bird, I said I hoped it was not one of

my parrots. I gave my usual call and immediately the answer

came from the tin, and a little eye looked out at a hole. I put

my finger in and the little spongy tongue licked it all over.

The girl said she had got it feeding on a lantana bush with

others and it had allowed her to catch it. She would not give

it up and I had no legal right to it. She lives a mile-and-a-

lialf from my home. We live about twenty miles from Mackay,

and all the way, every time I spoke to the driver or to the

girl the little voice answered me from the tin. I have asked

some one in town to try and buy it back for me from the person

to whom the girl gave it. I hope I may get it, I cannot stand

my little free pets being caged.


This is all a ramble and may be of no interest to you, but

Mr. Cornwall seemed to think that from all he knew of you it

was a letter such as this that would interest. The photos, of

course, are rare. In one you will see the spongy tongue suck¬

ing up the sweet liquid from the plate, and you will also notice

the tails sticking out of the cans, showing that the little

gourmands are greedily licking the bottom of the cans. They

are noisy little pets, but very beautiful. Their free life keeps

their plumage in good order. They are great believers in the

daily tub and there are great sceues of revelry in the spouting

round the roof.


I hope I may revisit England some day before long, and I

am sure that I shall want to get inside the Parroquets cage at



