178 Parrots §^ Parakeets 



a beautiful bird like a miniature roselle, which 

 would probably be quite as hardy as turquoisines or 

 budgerigars. And the " elegant," too, closely allied 

 to the other grass parakeets, and readily nesting in 

 captivity. Then there is the " splendid," a glorified 

 turquoisine, with all that bird's bright colouring, and 

 a magnificent crimson breast into the bargain. 



Australia's birds are most lovely, and the flocks of 

 various parakeets are amongst the most fascinating. 



The paradise parakeet is a joy to behold, with his 

 extremely graceful shape and intense beauty of plum- 

 age, a description of which is really worse than 

 useless. 



Only Gould's Birds of Australia can assist one to 

 realise it. 



I remember seeing cages full of " paradise " and 

 " many-coloured " parakeets some fifteen or twenty 

 years ago in the East London bird-dealers' shops, but 

 alas ! it is but a memory. A stray pair or two 

 occasionally arrive, and command high prices ; and 

 one pines for some of these beauties, as well as for 

 others still undiscovered in the wilds of their native 

 land. Bourke's parakeet is another that I have longed 

 for ; a bird as large as a turquoisine, with delicate blue 

 feathers set off by pale salmon pink. 



The larger kinds are very showy in aviaries. The 

 king parrot, as big as a dove, but looking larger on 

 account of his long broadened tail. 



He is a vivid scarlet on head and breast, and 

 richest green on the back, whilst along the shoulders 

 runs a line of emerald green ; the wings and tail 



