THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



79 



sentences with up to six words in them. Twenty-three of these I 

 put on pai)er. It reminded me of Humboldt's South American 

 venerable parrot, which was the sole possessor of a literally dead 

 language, the whole tribe of Indians having become extinct. 



The second note is on a bird which lived for two years without 

 any feathers. The owner, Mr. Stephen, remarked to me that it 

 seemed to be undergoing a severe moult when he got it, and it 

 was still uncompleted when he gave it away two years later. 

 With but a sprinkling of down and no feathers, it waxed strong 

 and got fat, and despite the adverse circumstances it was very 

 active. 



The third note is on a bird living at Williarastown. Regularly 

 it has its toe nails cut with a pair of scissors, as well as its beak. 

 Both grow to nearly two inches in a spiral way, the beak (upper 

 mandible only) inwards, and the toe nails downwards. Otherwise 

 the bird looks well, and is cloaked with a coat of many colours. 



The last note is on a bird with mandibles of equal length, a 

 portion of the top having been shot away and now an old wound. 

 The parrot has well adapted itself to the newer circumstances. 



The Musk Lorikeet, Glossopsittacus concinntts, Shaw, is what I 

 would here call an " overhead " bird, for we get our first im- 

 pressions through the ear from high in the air, and looking up 

 one sees a dashing flock of parrots, screeching, and quickly get- 

 ting beyond the vision. Having a brush tongue, it holds an 

 advantage above most others which have biting bills alone, and 

 necessary in the attack upon hard fruits, &c. I seldom notice 

 the birds between the middle of May and end of August, but on 

 19th July of this year I heard one overhead. The past summer 

 was hot, weather being very warm in April, particularly mild in 

 the winter, and every indication at end of August of an early 

 summer, so that it probably stayed about the district. With a hot 

 season and plenty of nectar blossoms, how it does enjoy life ! 

 Having shot a specimen one day and held it up the " honey " 

 streamed and dripped from its throat for nearly a minute. The 

 eucalypts are " foster parents " in January. 



Throughout the winter one may see Pennant's Parrakeet 

 Platycercus elegans, Gmelin (W.) It comes around the home- 

 steads and spends much of its time among the saplings, where it 

 may easily be approached. I have noted its whitish, downy 

 young in early January, as well as eggs in the same week, six in 

 the nest. Mr. A. Coles, the taxidermist, showed me, in April, 

 1894, two female birds with as prominent markings in the 

 plumage as with the males, which is considered to be unusual. 

 Certainly the latter earn the name of elegant. 



The two parrots with which I have had little personal acquaint- 

 ance are the Swift Lorikeet, Nanodes discolor, Shaw, and the 

 Little Lorikeet, Glossopsittacus jmsillus, Shaw ; while a third one, 



