COCKATOOS. 



149 



ance. The Corella. as it is called in Australia, is toler- 

 ably freely imported', and not excessively dear. 



In captivity Gould speaks of this bird as dull, morose, 

 and irritable! Most of those that I have seen looked 

 just about as interesting and stupid as O.yls. Russ 

 evidently thinks well of the species ; he says that usually 

 it only learns single words, but some examples are 

 extraordinarilv gifted with speech. Captured when 

 adult, they are obstinate, difficult to tame, easily dis- 

 turbed, yet not really malicious, sometimes frightful 

 screechers. Taken young they are altogether tame and 

 trustful. He then speaks of a tame pair which used to 

 .accompany their master on his walks, flying from tree 

 to tree, but coming to .him when called, and allowing 

 him to caress them. The male, being pursued by a 

 Hawk, flew spirally eo high that it could no longer be 

 seen, and escaped its hunter. 



There is not the least doubt that the sulkiness and 

 ill-temper frequently noticeable in specimens of this 

 species is due to their having been netted when adult. 



Caimipbell gives the number of eggs to a clutch as one 

 to four, but usually two to three. As will be seen, this 

 differs a little from Gould's statement. 



DAMPIEB COCKATOO * (Licmetis pastinator). 



A little larger than the common Slender-billed 

 Cockatoo, the naked orbital space larger and darker, 

 of a bluish lead-colour. The female probably differs 

 from the- male as in the preceding species. Hab., 

 Western Australia. 



Both Gould' and Salvador! agree that the characters 

 which distinguish the two Slender-billed species are far 

 more apparent in living examples than in the dry skins. 



Mr. A. J. Campbell observes ("Nests and Eggs," pp. 

 620, 621) : " This species is probably the oldest-known 

 Australian Cockatoo, for when the navigator Dampier, 

 in August, 1699, was off the western coast, he saw birds 

 flying from the mainland over to islands which form 

 the archipelago now bearing hie name, and recorded 

 there <was a ' sort of white Pairrot which flew -a great 

 many together.' A correspondent on the western coast 

 informs me the Cockatoos still fly ' a great many to- 

 gether ' in August and -September to breed on the 

 islands, where they nest in the holes and crevices of 

 rooks. However, in the season of 1891, on account of 

 the prevailing drought, they did not visit the islands as 

 usual. Near Point Cloates, the Western Long-bills are 

 said by the natives to breed in numbers in the cliffs on 

 the sea-coast, where a water-hole is situated. Mr. Tom 

 Carter has observed birds paising over from inland to- 

 wards that direction. He .also states they breed in 

 numbers in the hollow stems of mangrove trees on the 

 islands in Eximouth Gulf. 



" The first authenticated eggs of this species were three 

 in number, ta;ken by Mr. Carter on September 22, 1888. 

 from the hollow spout of a gum tree on the Minilga 

 Hiver." 



The eggs are thus described : " Clutch, three to four ; 

 oval or round-oval in shape ; texture of shell compara- 

 tively fine, surface glossy ; colour, pure white, more or 

 less stained with the dust of the nest. Dimensions in 

 inches of a pair : (1) 1.63 x 1.15, (2) 1.52 x 1.14." 



First presented to the London Zoological Gardens in 

 1858, since which time a fair number of specimens has 

 been exhibited there. 



* In the Zoological Society's list this iis called the Western 

 Slender-billed Cockatoo, and I .adopted that name in " How to 

 Sex Cage-birds," tut the Auetralian name :B shorter and there- 

 fore preferable. 



COCKATEEL * (C alopsittacus novce-hollandice). 



General colour of upper surface deep ash-grey, below 

 slightly paler ; a broad curved belt of white runs from 

 the shoulders over the greater wing-coverts ; the face 

 and crest of the cock bird are bright lemon-yellow, a 

 large orange patch being placed on the cheek behind 

 the eye. In the hen the face is greyish, but still with 

 a slight yellowish tint, and the orange patch is duller. 

 The under surface of the tail in the cock is black, but 



THE COCKATEEL. 



in the hen it is mottled and banded with yellow, and the 

 upper side of the tail hi this sex has also a faint banded 

 appearance ; the legs and beak are grey, and the iris 

 of the eye is hazel. Hab., Australia generally. 



Gould says of this species ("Handbook," Vol. II., 

 pp. 84, 85) : " It would appeal' to be more numerous 

 in the eastern division of Australia than in the western. 

 During the summer of 1839 it was breeding in all the 

 apple-tree (Angophora) flats on the Upper Hunter, ae 



* The mame is usually epelt " Cockatiel," but I have followed 

 the more natural spelling adopted by the Zoological Society. 



