34 2 Correspondence.


first to breed these beautiful Parrakeets in Europe, in spite of the young not

being raised to maturity.


As I have tried now to attain this result for the past eight years, I

think that other aviculturists will sympathize with me in such a loss.


Except for the birds of its own species, there was only a pair of

Stanley Parrakeets (they may be the culprits !) in a large aviary', in which

any quantity of hollow logs and nesting-boxes have been placed. I believe

that none of the other clutches of eggs have come to anything. One lieu

has laid a great many, but has proved a bad mother, breaking several,

and constantly fidgeting in and out of the nest.


Hubert d. Asteky, P'.Z.S., M.B.O.U.


Note and description of young by the Editor.


We have received and examined the young bird referred to above,

which was apparently in good health and condition and being well tended

by' its parents for its crop was full. Death was apparently due to bites,

bruises and ill treatment from some other inmate of the aviary. We are

sure our members will heartily sympathize with Mr. Astley and wish him

better luck in the future. We have never before had an opportunity' of

examining so young a Parrakeet and there are one or two points about the

development of this bird, which show differences from other Orders. The

down plumage is rather difficult to make out as the bird is in spirit, but

there seems to be a scanty covering of short whitish down on most of the

feather tracts, though the head itself is almost naked. At the base of the

neck on the back the quills can just be made out; this feather tract bifurcates

at the shoulders, the quills becoming longer and more developed as we go

backwards. This double tract only' continues for about half-au-inch behind

the shoulders when it comes to a sudden end and there is no further trace of

any' quills over the whole of the back. The head and front side of the neck

are entirely naked. Between the crop and the thighs on the underside are

two parallel rows of quills just breaking through the skin and a few isolated

quills may also be seen on the upper part of the thighs. On the scapulars

the quills are well developed aud just beginning to burst. The most forward

development however, has taken place on the wings, both the primary aud

secondary quills aud their coverts are well grown aud just bursting, while

in the secondary coverts the feathers are a quarter-of-a-inch long. This is a

point, which if it holds good for all Parrots may have considerable

significance when we remember that these coverts are the first to be

developed in Game Birds and Guillemots aud as far as we know' at present

(and our knowledge in these matters is very' deficient) in no other Orders.

Waders and Ducks of course go to the other extreme and grow their flight

feathers and coverts last, aud in the majority of Passerine birds these

feathers are grown paru passu with the rest of the plumage.


Plxcept in the Game Birds, however, we know of no young in which

the wing-coverts develop so much in advance of the rest of the body



