Thk Carh; and Fekoino of Parrots. 63 



As to the food of Parrots, taking first of all such families 

 as those of the Macaws, Cockatoos, Amazons, etc., some people 

 recommend boiled maize as a staple suppl3\ but they usually do 

 well upon a good Parrot's mixture of various dry seeds, such as 

 sunflower, oats, maize, etc. Besides this, a little Marie or All)ert 

 biscuit put in a mixture of three equal parts of boiled milk, 

 barley-water, and water, and pressed fairly dry, is good ; anci this 

 in cold weather may be given warm in the morning. Fruit too 

 of every kind, of course. Bananas, apples, pears, oranges, grapes, 

 figs, etc. A piece of boiled potato occasionally, seems to be appre- 

 ciated, and also a bunch of chickweed or a lettuce leaf in season. 

 Some wood, somewhat decayed, is knawed to pieces with much 

 interest, and I sometimes put some coarse grit in the seed-pan. 



But these Macaws and Parrots should not have coffee or 

 tea or rich cake, as are offered them, and certainly not meat. 

 Parrots do not need to be feeding all day, for in a wild state I 

 believe they sit for hours during the heat of the day, snoozing 

 amongst the deep foliage of the trees, feeding chiefly in the 

 morning and towards evening. 



The smaller Parrots and Parrakeets (I am not writing 

 about Lories, the Brush-tongued Parrakeets, for I prefer to leave 

 that task to someone who has had more experience than I have, 

 although I might say en passant that they need the mixture of 

 biscuit sop already mentioned, as well as soft fruits), the smaller 

 Parrots and Parrakeets, as I was about to sa)^ will do well on 

 Canary and millet and other seeds, with some hemp seed added 

 in the winter, and even a very sparse addition of linseed, but they 

 also like fruit, especially a})ple in winter time, and strawberries 

 in summer, and what is almost most important, especially for the 

 Australian Parrakeets, an abundance of salad in the shape of 

 groundsel, chickweed, etc.. etc., as well as flowering grasses, as 

 soon as there is no frost on the ground. I generally leave off 

 green food of this description by perhaps the middle of October 

 (although it depends upon the weather) and lecommence it ivith 

 care in the middle of February. But it must then be of a fresh 

 growth, and not be sodden with rain, or frost-bitten. Chicory 

 leaves are beneficial in winter-time, if grown in a frame, but great 

 care must be taken at that season of the year. 



