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The late 0. E. Cressivell—Parrots



beauty of the Eclecti and the distance they come, they are often offered

at low prices—probably that a sale may anticipate death, for they do

not seem to thrive in captivity, and I do not advise any friends to

invest in them.


The third part of this paper can be easily curtailed ; I mean the

hints upon the treatment of Parrots in captivity, for I have already

much encroached upon it by frequently alluding to the peculiar habits

of each race in describing it. Broadly speaking the Indian Psittacidse

are delicate and not easily acclimatized. Still, there are exceptions

to this rule in the common Ring-necked Bengal Parrakeet and the

Alexandrine, which like most of the Cockatoos are very hardy.


The African Parrots vary—the Grey and the Senegal are victims

too often of the mysterious ship fever of modern times. I am credibly

informed that not more than one in a hundred of the imported Grey

Parrots survives three months. The disease is fearfully infectious and

contagious, and if anyone has the misfortune to lose a Parrot from septic

fever the cage should be at once subjected to heat (there is a place in

London where this can be done) or every occupant of the same species

will infallibly die. It is, however, a curious fact that if a Grey Parrot

has fever, though every Grey or Senegal Parrot in the house will take

it, it frequently happens that Parrots of other species are not affected.

The African Lovebirds are fairly hardy, but will not comfortably pass

the English winter out of doors. All the South American Parrots are

hardy ; most of the Conures and Macaws extremely so. Through the

terrific winter of 1878—9 my friend Mr. Dutton, who lives in a bleak

region of Gloucestershire, had a hen Macaw which persisted in sleeping

in the top of the highest elm-trees ! Morning after morning he whistled

at his bedroom window at sunrise, and down she flew to him.

He expected each morning to be her last, but she survived it all and was

none the worse. I knew a fine aviary at Sharsley Hall, near Bridg¬

north, in which a number of the Macaw and Cockatoo families lived for

many years with no heating and only slight protection in winter.

The Australian Parrakeets vary immensely in hardiness. Some of the

Rosellas and the little Budgerigars will pass an English winter out of

doors with impunity, while the Euphema tribe would probably soon

succumb.



