The late 0. E. Cresswell—Parrots



65



PARROTS


By the late 0 . E. Cresswell

(Kindly communicated by Miss Frances Cresswell.)


(Continued from p. 49.)


(b) The Tameability and Affection of Parrots. —This to some extent

goes without saying, but I must confess that their affection is usually

tempered both with caprice and jealousy. I know cases of Parrots

which adore human beings of the female sex and hate those of the other,

and vice versa. Dr. Russ, the great ornithologist of Berlin, advises

that when a Parrot arrives anybody w T ho wishes to enjoy its affection

should not unpack it, so lasting is often the bird’s antipathy to the

person with whom it associates the discomfort of being dragged out of

a packing-case ! The jealousy of Parrots is proverbial. Several of my

own make conversation with friends impossible from mere jealousy.

My Indian Ring-necked Parrakeet <! Duleep ” often makes one realize

how appropriate was the saying of a gifted authoress to a lady of my

acquaintance who took to writing to her daily : “ My dear, do learn to

love wisely and not too well! ”


(c) As regards the exquisite beauty and variety of the plumage of

the Psittacidae, there can scarcely be two opinions. Of all the multitude

of species which I have seen either alive or stuffed I can only recall

three which I do not admire. They are the Black Vasa Parrot of

Madagascar, the great Black Goliath Cockatoo of New Guinea, and

the Kea or Mountain Parrot of New Zealand. This bird seems to be

the connecting-link between the Parrot and Vulture tribe . 1 A more

unpleasant sight than these Nestors at the Zoo continually riving at

lumps of raw meat I have seldom seen.


I pass to the second part of my paper, the geographical distribution

of the Psittacidae. I may preface this section with observing what you

probably all know—that there are no Parrots in Europe. I propose to

take in order the other four divisions of the globe, viz. the three great

continents, including in each the circumjacent islands, and fourthly

the vast island of Australia, which, with the islands grouped com¬

paratively near it, we commonly call Australasia. I propose to give



[Ok!—G. R.]



