32 Correspondence.



noticed of wise men being behind the times through not reading the

Avicultural Magazine.


Some hybrids, bred I believe on the continent, between this species

and the Many-coloured Parrakeet, have been on view in the Parrot House

of the London Zoological Society for a considerable time.*


Again this year I specially notice that, at any rate here, Psephotus

hcematonotus and P. chrysopterygius moult, and also are at their best, at

different seasons of the year. This wiil account for the clear eggs by the

first, and the total rejection of the second, Redrump by my Golden¬

shouldered Parrakeet. — R. P.]



THE LETTERED ARACARI, ORIOLES, ETC.


Sir, —My husband has asked me to write to you about a miniature

Lettered Toucan we have just received, as he had to leave home this

morning. The Toucan has got a cold, to all appearance in its head (if this

is possible in birds); it snuffles through its nose until I feel inclined to

offer it a pockethandkerchief! ! and sneezes, and both eyes are running

so much that after a sleep they are so glued up the poor thing cannot open

them until I bathe them with warm water.


It eats well. I feed it on bread and apple mixed, bananas and pears

cnt up, and it has taken a great fancy to small raisins steeped in water. It

drinks a great deal, and I put glycerine and Parrish’s food in the water. It

is very' light to handle, and seems to feel the cold greatly. Its plumage is

rather dirty, but I suppose it would not be wise to wash it until it is better

—if it ever does get better. Are these birds very delicate as a rule ? I

suppose they come from South America ; I have looked through all the

numbers we have of the Avicultural Magazine but do not see any one

mentioning them.


Please let me know if there is anything else we could do for it, as I

would be very sorry if it died it is such a pretty bird, and so brightly

coloured; and I do not think it is often on the market, though I frequently

see the Ariel Toucan advertised.


You may like to hear that the Sykes’ Oriole, the young one that we

sent you a sketch of some time ago (Vol. VIII., p. ioo), has not yet changed

plumage, though it looks much brighter in colour, and has a bright

yellow vent and under tail-coverts. The little yellow feathers are still on

its shoulders that were marked in the sketch, but are brighter yellow. It

has still got a speckled breast, and is in perfect health and plumage.


Our aviary did very -well this year. We had not many deaths, the

worst being three young Diamond Doves that were bred in the aviary and

lived about four or five months, and then seemed to get fits and died; they

were in lovely plumage, and hardly to be distinguished from the parents.



* The female died some months ago.— Ed.



