252 ISSEGTIVOROUS BIRDS 



WHITE COCKATOO 



(Sulphur-crested Cockatoo), 



Cacatiia galerita, Lath. 



Kak-a-tud gal-ertlii. 

 Kakatua (Malay), imitation of the cry ; galerum, a helmet. 

 Cacatua GALERiTA, Gould, "Birds of Australia," fol.,vol. v., pi, 1. 

 Geographical Distributiox. — The whole of the continent. 



Key to the Species. — Body feathers white ; crest yellow, the 

 feathers being narrow and recurved ; cere naked ; skin round 

 the eyes white. 



There are several cockatoos that are nearly white. This 

 species is whiter than any other. The late Mr. John Gould, 

 in his early wanderings in this colony, remarked upon the 

 want of afiection shown by farmers to this bird. He 

 says: — "As may be readily imagined, this bird is not 

 regarded with favour by the agriculturist, upon whose 

 fields of newly sown grain and ripening maize it commits 

 the greatest devastation ; it is consequently hunted and 

 shot down Avherever it is found, a circumstance which 

 tends much to lessen its numbers. It evinces a decided 

 preference for the open plains and cleared lands rather 

 than for the dense brushes near the coast ; and, exce[)t 

 w^hen feeding or reposing on the trees after a repast, the 

 presence of a flock, which sometimes amounts to thousands, 

 is certain to be indicated by their screeching notes, the dis- 

 cordance of which may be easily conceived by those who 

 have heard the peculiarly loud, piercing, grating scream of 

 the bird in captivity, always remembering the immense 

 increase of the din occasioned by the large numbers of 

 birds emitting their harsh notes at the same moment." 

 In the heavy foliage and deep shadows the cockatoos 



