ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



835 



Florida, where a number were caught in 1883 

 by a man living at the mouth of the Sebastian 

 River. 



William Brewster states that he was informed 

 on what he considered very good authority, that 

 the birds built flimsy nests, much like those of 

 mourning doves, in forks near the ends of hori- 

 zontal branches of small cypress trees. How- 

 ever, all of these reports lack essential details, 

 and it seems probable that the nesting habits of 

 this interesting bird must remain forever in some 

 doubt. The egg, on the other hand, is well 

 known. It is pure white in color, as are all of 

 the known eggs of parrots, typically oval in 

 shape and measures 1.11 bj' 1.12 inches. 



The bird itself is bright green above, with the 

 forehead, crown, cheeks, region of the ej'es and 

 lores reddish orange. This is followed by a yel- 

 low collar which includes the chin, sides of the 

 neck, nape and occiput. The breast and the 

 under surface of the tail are yellowish green, 

 and the bend of the wings and the thighs red- 

 dish orange. The bill is white and the iris of 

 so dark a brown as closely to approach black. 



That the species has been reduced to its pres- 

 ent low numerical condition is a matter for the 

 deepest regret. Its range, once so wide, has 

 become more and more contracted with the ad- 

 vance of civilization, so that if the species still 

 survives, it must be limited to a few individuals 

 in the wilder parts of Florida. The Big Cy- 

 press Swamps of Southern Florida seem to be 

 the most probable home of the sur\ivors, if any 

 remain. 



This extermination has been brought about by 

 an intensification of the adverse conditions which 

 have affected most of the native fauna since the 

 colonization of North America begun. While 

 the birds were of immeasurable benefit as de- 

 stroyers of the seeds of noxious weeds, they 

 were equally fond of stripping the young buds 

 from fruit trees, and great numbers were shot 

 by farmers for the protection of their orchards. 

 Manv were taken alive, and either caged in this 

 countrv or shipped to Europe. Dr. Hornaday, 

 in his American Natural History, mentions the 

 following relevant incident: "In 1883, a col- 

 ony of about thirty birds which nested on the 

 Sebastian River was completely destroyed by a 

 local hunter who captured the entire flock, and 

 sent the birds to a New York dealer, in whose 

 hands all those which reached him alive died in 

 a short time." Feather-hunters pre^-ed upon the 

 scattering flocks, and the havoc was completed 

 by indiscriminating hunters "who shot this bird 

 and the splendid ivory-billed woodpecker simply 

 to gratify a desire for the unusual. 



One peculiar trait of the birds must have 

 greatly facilitated their slaughter. When a 

 flock had been fired at, the uninjured members 

 never failed to turn and whirl screaming above 

 the bodies of their fallen companions, thus giv- 

 ing the marksman opportunity for firing again 

 and again, until the survivors became too few to 

 make firing profitable. 



After these details of destruction, it is pleas- 

 ing to find that at least a small number of the 

 birds taken alive still survive. The species had 

 never been represented in the collection of the 

 Zoological Society until August 31, 1911, when 

 a pair arrived at the Park as the gift of the 

 Cincinnati Zoological Gardens, through !Mr. S. 

 A. Stephan, General ^lanager. ^Ir. Stephan 

 informs us that the birds were purchased in 

 1889, at three dollars each, and have consequent- 

 ly been in his possession for twenty-two years. 

 During the first six years, numerous eggs were 

 laid, but they were invariably thrown from the 

 nests and broken. Besides the two birds now in 

 our collection, six of Mr. Stephan's original 

 flock remain in the Cincinnati Gardens. 



The only other Carolina Parrakeets known to 

 be in captivity are three birds in the National 

 Zoological Park in Washington, and we are in- 

 debted to Dr. Frank Baker, Superintendent, for 

 information concerning them. Two of the 

 specimens were received from Florida in 1898, 

 and so have passed thirteen years in captivity. 

 The third is the property of Dr. Paul Bartsch 

 of the United States National Museum, and has 

 been the companion of the two others for a num- 

 ber of years. Although conditions have been 

 favorable for breeding, and two of the birds 

 have given evidence of a mutual fondness, no 

 eggs have ever appeared. 



As far as can be learned, then, there are ex- 

 actly eleven Carolina Parrakeets known to be 

 living, of which we have two. Dr. Hornaday 

 believes that, in view of the thoroughness with 

 which every portion of Florida has been ex- 

 plored, especially by Messrs. A. W. and Julian 

 A. Dimock, and many ornithologists, there is 

 not at this time even one colony alive in Florida, 

 or elsewhere. 



Mr. David Seth-Smith, Curator of Birds in 

 the Zoological Gardens of London, has made a 

 careful canvass of the collections of living birds 

 in England and on the Continent, and through 

 his kindness we are able to state that not a single 

 bird remains in captivity in Europe. The last 

 specimens obtained by the Zoological Society of 

 London were received in 1891, one living until 

 •June, 1902. One which died in Berlin in No- 



