The late 0. E. Cressivcll — Parrots



143



scarlet head, from Victoria and parts of Tasmania ; it was mentioned

by Capt. Cook in his journal, and figured by Lesson in 1802. Greatest

of all is the terrific-looking Black Goliath of New Guinea, a rival of the

Hyacinthine Macaw as to mere size among the Psittacidae.


Then we have the very gorgeous Trichoglossi or Lorikeets, and

though they are smaller than the East Indian Lories, and have long

instead of short tails, they follow their habit in being lovers of the honey

of flowers and of rich fruits, and so are not easy to reconcile to our

English fare. The most beautiful are Swainson’s Lorikeet ( alias the

“ Blue Mountain ” Lory), the Ornate Lorikeet, and the Swift Lorikeet.


Another large and charming group are the Platycerci or Broad-tails.

Perhaps the most splendid, and certainly one of the rarest to reach these

shores alive, is the Stanley Parrakeet — so called after the thirteenth

Earl of Derby, the collector of the most princely private menagerie

ever seen in England, if not in Europe. Another example is the

Pennant Parrakeet, sometimes erroneously called a Lory, glowing with

colour when seen in the sun, ami not inaptly called by its early discoverers

the Purple and the Glorious Parrakeet. Then the brilliant Rosellas

are also Platycerci — the Rosy, the Pale-headed, and the Yellow-backed.

There are a troop of other beautiful forms, and as a link between this

family and the Lorikeets comes the small genus Polytelis, with three

species, one of which, the Barraband, is quite well known.


Another immense and exquisitely beautiful tribe are the little

Grass Parrakeets. Loveliest among them are the Splendid, followed

closely by the Many-coloured and the Tourquoisine, the Elegant,

Bourke’s, and the Red-backed. The last is the most brilliant, perhaps,

but typical of the form of them all. Then there is the quaint Cockatiel,

and least of all the Budgerigar or Undulated Grass Parrakeet; both

these species breed like Sparrows in English aviaries.


The Parrots of New Guinea afford fresh and ever-widening scope

for the study of ornithologists. 1 will only allude to one genus, the

Eclectus ; they are large and handsome birds, though dull and un¬

interesting, and have one peculiarity, a striking one. The brilliance

of the female far exceeds that of her mate. While he is of a sober green,

she is clad in wondrous shades of crimson, purple, and orange, which

melt into each other through an indescribable sheen. Considering the



