THE COCKATOOS 



1865 



The cockatoos are characteristic of the whole Australasian region, ranging as 

 far west as the islands of Celebes and L,ombok, and also represented in the Philip- 

 pines; eastward, however, their range is limited by the Solomon islands, and they 

 are consequently unknown in New Zealand. With the exception of the aberrant 

 cockateel ( Callopsittacus] of Australia, which constitutes a separate subfamily, the 

 whole of the members of the family are characterized by their short and broad tails. 



HEAD OF GREAT BLACK COCKATOO, WITH CREST DEPRESSED. 

 (From Guillemard's Cruise of the " AfarcAesa,") 



Their coloration differs markedly from that of the other groups of the order. In the 

 majority of the species white is the predominant color, but this may be more or less 

 tinged with red or yellow, more especially in the crest and on the under surface of 

 the tail. In the rose-breasted cockatoo the whole breast is, however, red, while the 

 upper surface of the body, together with the wings and tail, are various shades of 

 gray, while the ganga is all gray with the exception of the red head. In other 



