168 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



GUIANA PARROTLET (Psittacula 



Green ; lower -back and rump emerald-green some- 

 times washed with blue ; upper tail-coverts yellowish- 

 green ; outer edges and tips of greater upper wing-coverts 

 emerald-green, the outer ones sometimes tinged with 

 cobalt-blue; innermost primary coverts deep blue; 

 metacarpal edge bluish-green; tail with yellow inner 

 webs to the feathers ; hind neck tinged with greyish ; 

 forehead and sides of head emerald'-green ; under parts 

 yellowish-green ; under wing-coverts deep blue, partly 

 tipped or edged with bluish-green ; axillaries bluish- 

 green tipped with deep blue ; nights below with greenish 

 inner webs ; beak whitish ; feet flesh-coloured ; irides 

 brown. Female green, with brighter rump, the tides 

 of head and under-surface yellowish-green ; inner webs 

 of nights below greenish. Hab., " Guiana (?), Vene- 

 zuela, Trinidad Island, Colombia, and Amazons Valley 

 from Rio Brancho to Diamantina Creek and Santarem." 

 (Salvador!.) 



The form from the Lower Amazons is now separated 

 as P. <irli<:i<>.<</. Mr. E. W. Harper (The Aviciiltural 

 Magazine, New Series, Vol. VI., p. 36) says: "The 

 Guiana Lovebirds (Psittacula yuiaiicHsis) appear to be 

 all imported from. 1 the neighbouring colony of Dutch 

 Guiana; they breed freely in captivity in quite email 

 cages, the cock being very fussy when he becomes a 

 father. Although, owing to the 'safety in number*,' 

 several dozen may be put together, yet two pairs in 

 one cage cannot agree, as I proved to my cost one 

 cock promptly killing the other." 



Mr. Harper brought home a pair of this pretty 

 species in 1905, and presented them to the London 

 Zoological Society. 



\\V now come to the genus Brotogen/s, of which Mr. 

 Seth-Smith writes (" Parrakeets," p. 77): "These little 

 Parrakeets are only moderately hardy, and should there- 

 fore never be subjected to a lower temperature than 

 55 deg. or 60 deg. Fa.hr., although they may not at first 

 seern to feel the cold." 



" Their food should consist chiefly of canary-seed and 

 ripe fruit, but white and spray millet may be added in 

 small quantities, and plain biscuit, 'given in strict 

 moderation, is much appreciated by some species." 



ALL-GREEN PARRAKEKT (ltrot<.></rri/.< 1'n-ica). 



Green; somewhat yellowish on the under parts; the 

 primary-coverts and primaries are blue, whilst the 

 greater under wing-coverts and basal half of the inner 

 webs of the quills below are bluish; the two central 

 tail-feathers are bluish, and the remaining feathers have 

 narrow yellow edges to their inner webs; the beak is 

 reddish nosh-coloured with whitish cere; the feet 

 brownish-flesh ; iris brownish-grey. Female smaller, 

 her beak shorter and broader, more bell-shaped when 

 viewed from above. Hab., Eastern Brazil ; perhaps also 

 Brit.i.-!i Guiana. 



Burmeister describes the female as lees brightly 

 coloured and bluer than the male. He says that the 

 species inhabits the entire forest region of the Brazilian 

 coast, where it is one of the commonest birds. He 

 adds: "We were frequently brought living specimens, 

 which are eagerly captured and kept -in rooms that is 

 to say in the small townships. Of its manner of life 

 there is nothing special to record." It is said to do 

 considerable injury to the grain crops. 



Dr. Russ. says that this bird is universally known, 

 but little admired. It was rare until 1873, when it 

 was first imported in considerable numbers by W. 

 Schluter, of Halle, and Gudera, of Leipzig, since which 



it has been common in the market. He says it may 

 be wintered in an unheated enclosure, or even out of 

 doors. It has been freely bred. Parson Hint/,, of 

 Rastenburg, in 1882 reared a brood of four young; 

 then Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and others 

 followed. Herr Hintz's birds gnawed a hole in the ceil- 

 ing of the bird-room and laboriously carried out a 

 quantity of plaster They were little heard' or seen 

 during incubation, fed quickly, and disappeared again 

 without noise until the succeeding day. With Mr. 

 Graeff, jun., this species nested for several years with 

 abundant results "in a large night-cage." (Flughecke.) * 

 Mr. Phillipps informs us that this bird, which Dr. 

 Russ seems not to cars for. is said to make a delightful 

 pet ; if so. it is worth breeding, but so far I have not 

 heard of anyone breeding it in this country. The young 

 are greyer than the adults, and show no blue in their 

 plumage, according to Burmeister. The first specimens 

 to reach the London Zoological Gardens were presented 

 in 1862, after which others were obtained from time to 

 time. 



CANARY-WINGED PARRAKEET (Brotw/rri/x r/i/riri). 



Green, slightly paler below ; bastard-wing and outer 



greater-coverts bright deep-yellow; primaiy . overts 

 deep blue ; great under wing-coverts and inner webs of 

 primaries below blue; tail below bluish; beak flashy 

 horn-coloured ; feet -brownish horn- coloured ; iris dark 

 brown. Female with a narrower beak, without lateral 

 angle at end of cutting edge of upper mandible, when 

 viewed from above. Hab., South-Eastern Brazil, Matto 

 Grosso, Bolivia, the Upper Ama/on. and East Peru. 



Edward Bartlett, speaking of this bird, as observed by 

 him in Eastern Peru, says that it " bree-dts in the white 

 ants' n<>sts. and its found in flocks ''bout the 'banks of 

 the rivers and towns. The eggs are white, and from 

 five to six in number." 



Dr. Itnss semis not to have personally possessed this 

 Parrot, but he informs us that one in the possession of 

 Dr. Luchs, of Warmbrunn. learned to speak several 

 words. 



By some this Parrakeet has been accounted specially 

 IKHSV. but Mr. Phillipps thinks it is not more .so than 

 its allies. 



The London Zoological Society purchased an example 

 of this bird in 1863. but it sivni,- rarefy tn reach this 

 country. 



WHITE-WINGED PARRAKEKT (/>'/>. /< ji /-//x virescens). 



The adult male is deep grass-green above, the under 

 parts being slightly paler and yellower ; the forehead, 

 lores, and upper parts of cheeks tinged with bluish- 

 grey ; first primary black, with edge of outer web and 

 tip blue ; three succeeding primaries blue, with green 

 outer edge; bastard-wing and remaining flights white, 

 the secondaries slightly yellowish; greater coverts yel- 

 low; greater under wing-coverts, inner Vebs of first 

 four primaries below, and under-surface of tail bluish- 

 ajreen; beak pale yellowish horn-coloured; feet flesh- 

 brownish; iris brown. Female with thicker beak, with 

 less defined culmen, and without the defined angle at the 

 end of the cutting-edge of the upper mandible, as 

 viewed from above. Hab., the valley of the Amazon 

 from Para to the Andes of Peru. 



Burmeister says that nothing special is known as to 

 the wild life of this bird. According to Russ, it was 

 recognised by Buffon as a. talking bird. 



* SPO notrra bv Mr. Reginald 1'hilLips in, the Avicultural Maga- 

 zine. Vol. IV., p. 18. 



