NKOPHEMA. 155 



open sandy country, interspersed with small clumps of prickly Acacia, NeeJia or other stnall 

 bushy trees, which usually fjrow in groups; during the day it lives in these and feeds under the 

 shade of them on various seeds, the small hard black seeds of the Xeelia tree being a favourite 

 food. They are rarely seen in flocks of more than six or eight, though I have heard of as many 

 as fifteen being seen. It was, however, a dry time, water was scarce, and they had probably 

 come together on that account. They have the peculiar habit, no doubt a protective one, of 

 coming to water after dark or before dawn, which has earned for them the name of " Night 

 Parrots," by which they are known to all bird trappers and dealers in live birds. The bird 

 trappers tell me that it is often so dark when the birds come to water, usually about 9 o'clock at 

 night, that in pulling their nets they have more often to be guided by the chirruping little note 

 of the birds than by sight. They are quiet unobtrusive little birds in captivity, and are awake 

 long before any of the other birds in my aviary, and may often be seen feeding after all the other 

 birds have gone to roost. However, it is doomed to early extinction. The export and sale of 

 this interesting Parrakeet ought to be prohibited. It is so shy and retiring that one seldom sees 

 it ; the bird catchers net it as it comes to water after dark, and usually manage to get all that 

 come. In my aviary I have two pairs of Bourke's Grass Parrakeets, which I procured from a 

 bird-catcher, who found them breeding near the Queensland border in the summer of 1902-3. 

 They have not as yet assumed the adult plumage. I am in hopes they will nest." 



Referring to a trip made by IH. \V. Macgilli\ray, in company with Mf. McLennan, to the 

 north of Broken Hill, in the spring of 1909, the foimer writes; — "On the ist October, 1909, Mr. 

 McLennan and I were in one of the I^angawirra paddocks watching a White-browed Tree 

 Creeper, when we. disturbed a male Ni-oplicina honrka, which was feeding on the ground 

 on the seeds of wild Candytuft and other herbs. He resumed his feeding further on, both 

 by himself and then in company with a few "Budgerigars." He then flew to a live Mulga, 

 in front of which stood a dead Neelia, from a hollow in which he was joined by a mate, both 

 flying off together. I went over and found the entrance to the hollow, a crack in a fork four 

 feet from the ground ; the hollow was about eight inches in diameter at the bottom, which was 

 covered with earthy wood. In this were four eggs and one recently hatched young bird with 

 the shell still beside it. The nest was not disturbed by us, but, on retiring and watching, the 

 female returned and entered the hollow. On the 5th C)ctober, when leaving Langawirra, Mr. 

 McLennan and I saw a pair of these birds on a dead Sandalwood, into a hollow of which, at 

 about ten feet from the ground, the female went ; the hollow we found on e.xamination to be 

 empty, but prepared by the birds for nesting purposes. Two young Cockatoo-Parrakeets which 

 we brought back with us were placed in my aviary ; an old cock of the same species adopted 

 one, and a female Bourke's Grass-Parrakeet the other, and relieved me of the responsibility of 

 feeding them till they could shift for themselves." 



From Wiluna, Western .Vustralia, Mr. C. G. Gibson sent me a specimen for identification, 

 and wrote as follows : — " I am forwarding a skin of a Parrakeet I obtained on the track a few 

 days ago, and would be glad if you would let me know what it is. I have never seen one before. 

 There were about six of them, three appeared similar to the one shot, and three appeared to 

 have little or no white about them. The specimen sent is a male, and I had to shoot it with a 

 bullet, and could only get the one, as the others tfew away. They were noticed near Gum 

 Creek, half way between here and Nannine. ' 



Although examples of this species have been taken alive to Europe, it is undoubtedly one 

 of the rarest of our Australian Parrakeets. Its eggs are four in number for a sitting, pure white, 

 oval in form, an average specimen from a set taken by the late Mr. K. H. Bennett, at Moolah, 

 South- Western New South Wales, on the 20th .\ugust, 1S94, measures 0-9 inches in length by 

 o*7 inches in breadth. 



