144 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



bably smaller and with shorter, narrower beak. Hab., 

 Sumba. 



Doubtless the wild life is similar to that of 

 allied species, but I have not come across any published 

 notes dealing with it. All that Russ tells us in his 

 " Handbook " respecting this Cockatoo is that it is 

 much rarer than C. aulphurea, and the price higher. 

 It first reached the London Zoological Gardens in 1855, 

 and several other examples were received in later years, 

 all apparently from Timor Laut. 



LEADBEATER'S COCKATOO (Cacatua leadbeateri). 



White, the feathers of the forehead rosy at the base, 

 the crest (which consists of sixteen acuminated feathers 

 curled forwards at the tips) is orange-vermilion at the 

 base, yellow in the centre, and white at the tip ; the 

 sides of the head, neck, breast, and abdomen are washed 

 with rosy, the rose-colouring being brightest under the 

 wings and at the base of the inner web of the tail- 

 feathers. The beak is pale yellowish horn-coloured, the 

 cere and nostrils covered with rosy feathers ; the feet 

 brownish-grey, with the scales and claws black ; the 

 naked skin round the eye whitish ; iris, black, the dark- 

 eyed ones being the males. Female smaller, with 

 brownish iris ; with more coarsely-formed beak ; the 

 upper mandible broader, and with shorter terminal 

 hook. Hab., " South Australia, from New South 

 Wales, through the interior to Victoria and S.W. 

 Australia " (Salvadori.) 



According to Mr. K. H. Bennett, who discovered this 

 bird breeding plentifully in the interior of New South 

 Wales, it nests during August, September, and October 

 in the hollow limbs of trees, usually of a lofty 

 eucalyptus, and lays three white eggs to the clutch. 

 The note of the bird, as Gould observes, is,, more 

 plaintive and less grating than that of C. <jnl<-nta. 



In captivity, Leadbeater's Cockatoo, though perhaps 

 somewhat less active than the preceding species, is 

 tolerably amiable, tame, and enduring:. It is a favoiirite 

 show-bird, which has often been exhibited at the Crystal 

 Palace and elsewhere ; and when, from time to time, I 

 have visited Mr. Housden, of Sydenham, I have 

 generally seen the species represented in his collection 

 of living birds. I have always considered it by far the 

 most beautiful of the Cockatoos. 



GREATER WHITE-CRESTED COCKATOO (Cacatua alia). 



White, including the crest ; base of inner webs of 

 flight and tail feathers sulphur-yellow ; naked orbital 

 skin bluish-white ; beak and feet black ; irides red or 

 dark olive. Female with the culmen of the beak much 

 narrower and less arched than in the male, the terminal 

 hook (seen in profile) narrower towards its base. Hab., 

 llalmahera group of islands. 



Dr. Guillemaid savs ("Proceedings of the Zoological 

 Society," 1885, p. 562) that the iris of the Batchian 

 birds 'is blue, of the Obi examples red ; in all the in- 

 dividuals the bare space round the eye was yellowish. 

 It would therefore seem that the colouring of the soft- 

 parts indicates various constant local races such as 

 nowadays are distinguished by cabinet-ornithologists 

 a? sub-species. 



Dr. Cuillemard observes that "this species has the 

 same habits as the representative C. frifon of the 

 Papuan islands, screaming noisily at sunset round the 

 tops of the highest trees." 



Russ remarks ("Handbook," p. 252): "Can learn 

 to talk better than others. According to Lord Burton 

 (who bred hybrids between this and the Leadbeater 

 Cockatoo flying at liberty in a park), the most gifted, 

 or, at least, the cleverest of all the Cockatoos. 'Mr. 



Blaauw, however, speaks of it as the most fearful 

 screamer of them all. Rare in the trade. Price, from 

 36 to 75 marks for a specimen." 



First purchased for the London Zoological Gardens in 

 1861, since which time a fair number of specimens has 

 been added to that collection. 



BLUE-EYED COCKATOO (Cacatua ophthalmica). 



White ; base of inner webs of flight and tail-feathers 

 tinged with sulphur -yellow ; long inner crest-feathers 

 yellow ; naked orbital skin blue ; beak black ; feet 

 dark grey ; irides dark brown. Female probably differ- 

 ing as in the preceding species. Hab.. New Britain 

 (recorded in the Zoological Society's list as from 

 Solomon Islands). 



Dr. 0. Finsch, writing from New Britain (The Ibis, 

 1881, p. 538) says : " The nestling of Cacatua 

 ophthalmica wears the same colours as the old bird; 

 long before the tail-feathers are fully grown the yellow 

 pendant crest is developed in the same style as in its 

 parents." 



Layard states that it is very abundant in New Britain, 

 and is killed in great numbers by the natives and made 

 into a very tasty soup. Russ says that it is very rare 

 in the trade, valued preferably when a clever talker ; 

 price always high. 



The London Zoological Society purchased the first 

 two examples exhibited at the Gardens in 1862 ; two 

 others were secured in 1865, and others have been 

 acquired since that date. 



HOSE-CRESTED COCKATOO (Cacatua moluccensis). 



White with a rosy tint ; inner webs of flight and tail- 

 feathers tinged with huffish-yellow : inner long feathers 

 of crest edged with orange-vermilion ; naked orbital 

 skin bluish-grey ; beak black ; feet dark grey ; irides 

 dark brown. Female not differentiated, probably with 

 shorter, thicker beak. Hab., Ceram and Amboyna. 



In an article on the duration of life of animals in 

 zoological gardens ("Proceedings of the Zoological 

 Society," 1880, p. 309) Dr. Max Schmidt gives the 

 longest life of this species as twenty years five months 

 and sixteen days ; which is a greater age than that 

 attained by other Cockatoos known to him as living 

 under similar conditions. But we know that the 

 Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo in the hands of 

 private owners has attained to a considerably greater 

 age from fifty to eightv-one years according to Gurney 

 (The Ibis, 1899, p. 29), while a Cockatoo is said to 

 have lived once to 120 years (Land and Water, 1870.) 



In an article on Birds from Ceram (" Proceedings of 

 the Zoological Society," 1882, p. 701) Dr. W. Blasius 

 describes two pairs as having the iris dark brown ; bill 

 and feet grey-black; skin round eyes milk-white. He 

 says also 1 : " Both the males have the red of the crest- 

 feathers of a more vivid colour, and the white of the 

 feathers of belly and back a little more tinged with 

 rose-colour than in the females." 



I have found no information respecting the wild lift- 

 in any work in my library, but as Dr. I'uss says that 

 they are taken in numbers from the nest and hand- 

 reared, it is certain that it must be known if not 

 recorded ; probably the habits of this species do not 

 differ from those of other white Cockatoos. 



This species when reared from the nest is said to be 

 amiable, clever, and readily taught to talk and whistle 

 tunes ; moreover, when once tamed it is asserted that 

 it ceases to scream; if, however, adult birds are caught 

 and caged they remain wild, untamable, and irritating 

 screamers. 



Russ says that Dr. Platen brought home twenty speci- 

 mens, but otherwise it is not abundant in the market ; 



