on the Brown-necked Parrot.



27



In both birds the irides are dark brown, the legs and ceres-

grey, the beak horn-grey without black tip.


These two birds are, I know T , about sixteen months old at

the present time, having been taken from the nest in March, 1915,

and as they both came from the same nest are almost certainly

a true pair, but which is which I do not know. A., the more

soberly-clad bird, has more the appearance of maleness and is

particularly pally with a Grey Parrot, which is almost certainly a

hen; but, on the other hand, the brighter colours of the other go a

long way in support of his being a male, unless it turns out that

in this species the female outshines her mate, as in the Eclecti

of the East.


We can now turn to their attractive qualities. Although

they can hardly be called pretty, and their heavy build and huge

beaks give them a rather clumsy appearance, one has to own

that they are very striking-looking birds. This particular pair,

too, in every way exemplify the adage, “ Handsome is as handsome

does,” for they are in character and condition in every way the

opposite of nearly every other “ Bambara ” I have known. They

are the most confiding company-seeking pair of birds possible,

and as gentle as lambs with all white men, though to the black

the fiercest foes. To a white man they will come at any time

and love to climb all over him, using their deadly-looking beaks to

play with and nibble at his ears or fingers in the gentlest possible

manner, and so far have never made a mistake and used them with

evil intent, even under the influence of sudden excitement. Not

one, however, of the *' boys” dare touch them, and at their or any

other black man’s approach they set up a deafening din, and so

have quite a real value as watchmen. Occasionally, when they have

wandered too far, one of the boys has to be sent after them, but he

can only retrieve them by getting them to climb on a cage or

long stick, and this only after much perseverance on his part,

and after still more resistance and torrents of bad language from

the birds.*



* [This is perhaps due, not so much to the skin colouring of the natives,

as to their “auras” and vibrations, which are probably antagonistic, or, at any

rate, unsympathetic.—E d.]



