160 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



their colouring was a little duller, the beak horn-grey, 

 and the birds themselves slightly smaller. During the 

 breeding the male was so spiteful to the other Parrot < 

 that they had to be removed. This is a hardy, long- 

 lived species. 



A strikingly coloured and freely imported bird, its 

 price, according to Russ, being ten to twelve or even 

 eight marks for a pair. The first examples owned by 

 the London Zoological Society weiv presented in 1862 ; 

 altogether nine specimens are enumerated in the fifth 

 edition of the " List of Animals," and since that time 

 many others have been added. 



PETZ'S CONTJRE (Conurus caniculari*). 



Green ; primaries blue towards the tips and with 

 black tips ; the inner webs blackish ; secondaries blue, 

 the outer webs narrowly edged with green ; tertiaries 

 green ; two central tail-feathers slightly bluish towaids 

 the tip ; forehead orange-red ; crown and lores blue ; 

 cheeks olive-green ; throat and breast olive ; abdomen, 

 under wing- and tail-coverts greenish-yellow ; greater 

 under wing-coverts blackish-grey, with yellow edges ; 

 flights below blackish-grey ; tail below olivaceous 

 yellow ; the outer webs of the feathers slightly dusky ; 

 upper mandible flesh-white ; under mandible white in 

 front, dusky on sides ; feet grey (or blackish-brown) ; 

 naked orbital skin white (yellow or brownish, accord- 

 ing to Russ) ; irides yellow to yellowish-brown. Femala 

 with the beak more finely formed and less curved. 

 Hal).. Mexico and Central America to Costa Rica. 



Mr. C. W. Beebe ("Two Bird Lovers in Mexico," 

 pp. 178 and 181) says : " These little fellows have an 

 individuality which io irresistible. They are the most 

 s .1: 'Sable little creatures, calling loudly to each other 

 when on the wing, and keeping up a continuous lo\v 

 chuckling and chattering when perched. One would 

 climb, foot over foot, to a large fruit, take several bites. 

 and return to his mate, close to whom he would snuggle 

 and offer his head for an affectionate nibble. Tlie 

 favourite fruit of these birds was very sticky and juicy, 

 and the little creatures were almost always in a dis- 

 gracefully soiled condition their bills and heads en- 

 crusted with the gummv liquid. These little Parra- 

 keets were not ehy, but very watchful, and, when 

 frightened, they always flew to a curious tree which, 

 though bare of leaves, was sparsely covered with an 

 odd-looking, long, and four-sided fruit of a green colour. 

 Under such circumstances, they alighted all together, 

 and, unlike their usual custom of perching in pairs, 

 they scattered all over the tree, stood very upright, and 

 remained motionless. From a distance of fifty feet it 

 was impossible to distinguish Parrakeet from fruit, so 

 close was the resem'blance. A Hawk dashed down once 

 and carried away a bird, but the others remained as 

 still as if they were inanimate fruit. This silent trust- 

 in the protective resemblance of the green fruit was 

 most remarkable, when we remembered the .frantic 

 shrieks which thei-e birds always set up at the approach 

 of danger, when they happened to be causrht away from 

 one of these Parrot-fruit trees. These latter have no 

 common name; botanists know it as J'ili'ii* <<>/! ira.' J 



Mr. Beebe states (o. 387) that this species is numerous 

 in the barrancas and in the lowlands. 



Petz's Conure is a rarely imported though desirable 

 little Parrot. The first two to reach the London Zoologi- 

 cal Gardens were purchased in June. 1869. since which 

 time a few others have been added from time to time. 



CAROLINE CONURE (Cfuntrfipiiis mm? if it."!."). 



Green, paler on under-surface ; scapulars, greater 

 wing-coverts, and inner secondaries olivaceous ; bend of 

 \ving and front edge yellow ; primary-coverts dark 



green; primaries yellowish at base of outer webs; head 

 and upper part of neck yellow; forehead, lores, orbital 

 region, and cheeks orange; greater under wing-coverts 

 and under-surface of flights greyish-black ; thighs with 

 a few orange feathers ; tail below olive, the outer webs 

 of the feathers more or less dusky ; beak whitish horn- 

 colour ; feet yellowish flesh-colour ; irides brownish- 

 grey. Female with the orange on the head more re- 

 stricted, the beak narrower and slightly charter. Hab., 

 formerly widely distributed, but 'now restricted to the 

 Gulf States and the Lower Mississippi Valley, and only 

 occurring locally. 



Major Charles Bend ire (" Life Histories of North 

 American Birds, Vol. II., pp. 1-6) give,.- a very full 

 account of this Parrakeet, from which I cull the fol- 

 lowing : " With the more general settlement of the 

 regions inhabited bv these birds, their numbers have 

 gradually but steadily diminished, and even as early 

 as 1832 Audubon speaks of their not being nearly as 

 common as formerly. As late, however, as 1860 they 

 were still comparatively numerous throughout the Gulf 

 States and the Mississippi, Arkansas, aim White River 

 valleys ; and I well remember seeing large flock of 

 these birds throughout that year in the vicinity of Fort 

 Smith, Arkansas, and near several of the military posts 

 in. the Indian Territory. 



" Although rather restless birds at all times, they can 

 generally be considered as residents wherever found, 

 roving about from place to place in search of suitable 

 feeding grounds, and usually returning to the same 

 routing-place, some large hollow tree, to which they 

 retire at night, hooking or suspending themselves by 

 their powerful beaks and claws to the inner rough wall 

 of the cavity. 



" Previous to the mare extensive settlement of the 

 country, their food consisted of the seeds of the cockle- 

 bur (A'o th i ii in ."tri/ti/'/riuin), the round seed balls, of the 

 sycamore, those of the cypress, pecan and beech nuts, 

 the fruit of the papaw (Axii/iiita fri/tiliafa), mulberries, 

 wild grapes, and various other wild berries. According 

 to Mr. ,1. F. Menge, they also feed on the seeds ex- 

 tracted from pine cones and those of the burgrass, or 

 sand bur (('ciirfini* frilniloidrx), one of the most noxious 

 weeds known. They are also rather fond of cultivated 

 fruit, and in Florida they have acquired a taste for 

 both oranges and bananas. They are also partial to 

 different kinds of grains while in the milk. Mr. Frank 

 M. Chapman states that while collecting on the Sebas- 

 tian River, Florida, in March. 1890, he found them 

 feeding on the milky seeds of a species of thistle 

 (C'trx'niin li'i-nnti'i) , which, as far as lie could learn, con- 

 stituted their entire food at that season." 



Among other things, the red blossoms of the maple 

 (Acer rtiltritm). ceag-e. orange-fruit, and buds and corn 

 in the milky stage are also mentioned. He continues : 



"Their flight, which Is more or less undulating, re- 

 sembles both that of the Passenger Pigeon and again 

 that of the Falcons ; it is extremely swiff and graceful, 

 enabling them, even when flying in rather compart, 

 flocks, to dart in and out of the densest timber with 

 perfect ease. Their call-notes are shrill and disagree- 

 able, a kind of "rating, metallic shriek, and they aro 

 especially noisy while on the wing. Among the calls 

 is one resembling the shrill cry of a goose, which is 

 frequently uttered for minutes at a time. Formerly 

 they moved about in good-sized and compact flocks, 

 often numbering hundreds, while now it is a rare occur- 

 rence to see more than twenty together, more often 

 small companies of from six to twelve. When at rest 

 in the middle of the day on some favourite tree they 



