I'M K I'll 01 us. 



151 



extracted from the hollow and held up for me to see. In the same tree he chopped out a nesting- 

 hollow of the Rose-hill Parrakeet (Plntvcarits iwiinitis) about twenty-two feet from the surface of 

 the water, containin,i; two recently hatched youn.L; and two chipped eg<,'s. Next he examined in 

 a thick green hollow branch a nestins-place of the Little Lorikeet I GlossopsiUacus pusillus) which 



contained three nearly fledged young, one 

 of wliich he brought down with him for 

 examination. ,Aftt;r describing it I threw 

 It into tlie air, and it llew among some 

 hushes. Mr. .Vustin secured it again, and 

 threw it with more force into the air, and 

 It tlew right away. (Jn the following 

 day 1 photographed this tree from the 

 opposite side of the ri\er. Not only were 

 three different genera of Parrakeets breed- 

 ing in the same tree, but Mr. x\ustin 

 found a new nest of the Yellow-throated 

 Friar-bird { Philemon ntrcoi^ularis), in the 

 tree next to it, and under a ledge of rock 

 in the n\-er hank, about one hundred 

 yards away, a small colony of Fairy 

 Martins ( PctrockeUdoii aiicl ) had con- 

 structed their retort-shaped nests, while 

 on a stony bank just above the ri\-er bed 

 I disco\-ered three fresh eggs of .-E^ialitis 

 iiiilaiiops. 



While resident at Hamilton, Victoria, 

 Dr. \V. Macgillivray sent me the follow- 

 ing notes : — "Old residents tell me that 

 Pscphotns hcenuUonoius is not nearly so 

 numerous now as it was twenty to thirty 

 years ago, and this in spite of the fact 

 that its natural enemies, the native cats 

 and hawks are either almost exterminated 

 or much less numerous than they were. 

 This is no doubt due to its natural food, 

 the seeds of herbage and grasses, being 

 very much curtailed by the land being 

 closely cropped by sheep and cattle. This 

 Parrakeet nests during September and 

 (Jctober, a hollow spout, fairly high up 

 in a Gum, very often a dead one, being 

 generally chosen. The eggs, usually six in number, are deposited on a bed of chippings from the 

 trimming of the hollow. The female alone performs the duties of incubation, the male keeping 

 himself in reserve until the young birds demand his attention." 



Mr. G. A. Keartland sent me the following notes from Melbourne: — " Pstpholiis Ihriimlcnoins 

 during the early spring is usually found in pairs, but when the young are reared they congregate 

 in flocks. They feed exclusively on the ground on grass seed, lVc. Whilst the females are 

 sitting on their eggs the males associate in Hocks. During a recent visit to I-iiverina I saw 

 hundreds of males, but could not see a female until I disturbed one from its nesting-place." 



i 



CUl'TING INTO A RKD-UUMl'ICI) I'AHHAKKKTS NK.STING PLACE 



