Practical Bird-Keeping .— VIII. Parrots. 375


BIRD NOTES FROM THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS.


By The Curator.


There is not very much to report this month in the way of

nesting as this is now over for the year.


Since my last notes five young Martineta or Crested Tina-

mous have been hatched and are being carefully reared by their

father. The eggs of this species are a beautiful grass green in

colour with the glossy surface common to the eggs of this group

of birds. The chicks are very hemipode-like in appearance.


A very fine specimen of the Yellow-naped Cassowary

(Casuarius unappendiculatus occipitalis ) from the island of Jobi,

has been deposited by the Hon. Walter Rothschild and forms a

very valuable addition to our seiies of these fine birds, while

another important addition is a Red-crested Touracou ( Turacus

eryihroloplms') from West Africa deposited by Mr. E. J. Brook.

It is one of the most beautiful of a group in which the majority

are beautiful and the species has not been represented in the

Zoological Gardens since 1878.


Dr. Hopkinson has sent us from Gambia a pair of Broad-

Tailed Babblers {C?atetopus plalycercics), very rare and interesting

birds which appear to be entirely new to aviculture. D. S-S.



PRACTICAL BIRD-KEEPING.


VIII. THE CARE AND FEEDING OF PARROTS.


By Hubert D. Asteey, M.A., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.


There are undoubtedly others who are more entitled to

write upon this subject than I am, by reason of their greater

experience and maturer knowledge, but I have been asked to do

so, and I therefore will do my best.


Parrots are, for the most part, when duly acclimatized,

extremely hardy, and thrive better iu fresh air and a not too

artificially heated atmosphere, than in ill-vented rooms or glass

houses.


This applies especially to the smaller Parrots and Parra-

keets. For example, I have had such birds as Red-capped

Parrakeets ( Porphyrocephalus spurius'), Cockateels, Stanleys, Port



