TYPICAL PARROTS. 



189 



5,000 to 8.000 ft. above sea-level, in narrow moist defiles, 

 upon thickly-leaved tall trees. They live together 

 like their allies in flights of three to eight specimens, 

 are lively, but appear to be somewhat heavy in their 

 movements, and in their sudden, rattling, and direct 

 flight utter an unpleasing whistled note. The food con- 

 sists of cereals, berries, pulp and kernels of the fruits of 

 Adansonia digitata, etc. Whether resident I cannot 



ficlV ' ' 



Alfred E. Pease (The Ibis, 1901, p. 679) says: : The 

 Yellow-fronted Parrot was seen only on the higher 

 Hawash and near the Meki River." He describes the 

 soft parts as follows : " Iris orange-brown ; upper man- 

 dible black-grey along the ridge, lower mandible greyish- 

 white ; legs black." 



Russ says ("Handbuch fur Vogelliebhaber," p. 230): 

 " A pair in the possession of Mr. Fiedler, of Agram, 

 soon became tame ; otherwise it has hitherto only 

 occurred in the Zoological Gardens of Frankfort-on-the- 

 Maine." 



SENEGAL PARROT (Pceocephalus senegalus). 



The upper parts are mostly grass-green, but the head, 

 cheeks, ear-coverts, and throat vary from brownish to 

 blackish-grey ; the quills and tail feathers are brown, 

 the outer webs edged with green, under parts yellow, 

 more or less tinted with orange, a belt across the breast, 

 and the thighs green ; beak blackish-brown ; feet dusky 

 brown ; iris varying from yellow to brown, perhaps 

 sexually. 



In the female the head is of a paler grey, the under 

 parts not orange tinted, and the under tail-coverts 

 yellowish-green. The beak is probably lighter in con- 

 struction. Hab., Gambia, W. Africa. When at liberty 

 this species is very destructive to the crops of banana, 

 rice, maize, etc. 



Mr. J. S. Budgett (The Ibis, 1901, p. 484) says that 

 he identified this species on the Gambia River in large 

 flocks of over twenty, and later (p. 495) he says: 

 " M'Carthy Island, December 7, 1899. Very common in 

 flocks." I have found no other field-notes. 



Dr. Russ says that when acclimatised this Parrot is 

 beautiful, vigorous, and enduring ; he observes further 

 on : "A pair in my bird-room were wild and excitable ; 

 both shrieked piercingly when approached, and every 

 attempt to tame them was without result. When ner- 

 vous, an astonishing squeaking, and, when in great 

 terror, a penetrating "whistle. They took possession of 

 a nest-box, flying to it at first only from shyness and 

 wildness ; nevertheless, they began to nest. The male 

 performed a wonderful love-dance. Laying three eggs, 

 round and comparatively small ; they were devoured by 

 the male. Soon, moreover, the female was killed by 

 him." 



The above account will doubtless be a great encourage- 

 ment to owners of this amiable Parrot to try and breed 

 with it. It is probable, however, that Dr. Russ's male 

 was captured when adult, for birds when taken young 

 are said to be usually docile, and some of them have 

 even been taught to speak. 



The first specimen of this Parrot exhibited at the 

 London Zoological Gardens was presented in 1853, since 

 which date many others have found a home there. 



MEYER'S PARROT (Pceocephalus meyeri). 



The male has the head, neck, mantle, wings, and tail 

 brown with olive shading, often with a broad crescentic 

 yellow band across the crown ; back, rump, upper tail- 

 coverts and under parts, bluish-green ; bend and edge 

 of wings, under wing-coverts and thighs, yellow ; beak 

 dark greenish horn; feet greenish-black; naked skin 



round eye, black ; iris orange-red, or brownish exter- 

 nally, red internally. The female is smaller, and has 

 a much less powerful beak, with shorter terminal hook. 

 The young are said never to have the yellow band 

 across the crown, the feathers of the mantle and the 

 wing-coverts with green edges, the yellow feathers at 

 the bend of the wing and the under wing-coverts with 

 brown bases, the thighs green ; the lower back and rump 

 bluer, and the lower parts decided green. Hab., from 

 Abyssinia through Eastern Africa to the Transvaal and 

 thence across the Continent to Damaraland. 



According to Von Heuglin, this bird is met with 

 chiefly in the forest region in companies of as many as 

 ten individuals ; it breed's in holes in trees during the 

 rainy season, and may be easily tamed. In the late 

 autumn it assembles in considerable crowds, which 

 wander noisily from one lofty tree to another, even into 

 the steppes, where far and wide no water can be dis- 

 covered. Von Heuglin says he has never seen either 

 this or any other X.E. African Parrot drinking. The 

 call-note consists of an extraordinarily piercing whistle. 

 The flight is straight, powerful, and noisy, rarely some- 

 what swerving. 



Stark and Sclater say (" Birds of South Africa," 

 Vol. III., p. 229) :" Meyer's Parrot is perhaps the 

 most widely distributed and the commonest of South 

 African Parrots. It is found in pairs or small parties 

 among high thorn bushes or along the wooded banks of 

 rivers and periodical streams. As with other Parrots, 

 its flight is rapid and headlong and its note a shrill 

 scream. Holub is the only observer who has noticed 

 the nesting habits of this species; it builds in a hole 

 in a tree, either making it itself or adapting to its needs 

 that of some smaller bird. Holub did not discover the 

 eggs, which are doubtless white, like those of other 

 Parrots. 



" This bird is often kept as a pet and becomes 

 exceedingly tarn ; it is to be seen on many of the farms 

 in the Western Transvaal flying in and out of the houses 

 and taking food from the hand. It will eat bread, 

 cooked and uncooked fruits and vegetables, grain and 

 even raw meat, but this latter diet is stated by Holub 

 to cause the birds subsequently to pull out their feathers, 

 a trick not uncommon among caged Parrots." 



Mr. B. Alexander (The Ibis, 1900, pp. 429, 430) says : 



-"Fair.ly^ plentiful from Tete onwards. Observed 

 generally in companies, 'but now and again in couples, 

 frequenting the wooded banks of dried-up water- 

 courses dotted with pools. At the end of August this 

 species Avas breeding, when all the males kept .company 

 together." Mir. Alexander goes on to discuss the 

 characters upon which the sub-species erythrece and 

 transvaalensis have been separated, and shows that they 

 are extremely variable. Perhaps tlhere is more excuse 

 for an ornithologist to name so-called sub-species than 

 there is for an entomogolist, sinoe the latter always has 

 plenty of new ispecies to which he can stand sponsor, 

 whereas the ornithologist meets with new forms at com- 

 paratively long intervals unless entirely new ground as 

 explored. 



Mr. A. L. Butler, writing about the ornithology of the 

 Egyptian Soudan (The Ibis, 1905, p. 360) says: "I 

 have seen Meyar's Parrot only in Kordofan, where, from 

 the vicinity of El Obeid to Mazrub, it was met with 

 almost daily, though always in small numbers. The 

 birds were most frequently in pairs, 'but eometimes iin 

 parties of seven or eight. They keep principally to the 

 huge ' baobab ' trees, which an Kordofan axe scattered 

 through the thorn-bush, and in these they doubtless 



