204 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



bluish which becomes broader on the throat ; upper 

 wing-coverts with pale edges ; first primary black, the 

 others blue edged with green ; central tail feathers blue, 

 greenish at the baee, and tipped with yellowish ; next 

 pair blue on the outer web, greenish towards the base ; 

 remaining feathers with blue outer and yellow inner 

 webs ; all the tips and the under surface yellow ; upper 

 mandible red with horn-white point, lower mandible 

 dusky reddish ; feet greenish leaden ; iris varying from 

 yellow to brown. 



Dr. Rues describes the feet as "brownish grey," but 

 he states that the female agrees with the male, whereas 

 Salvador! says that she " wants the bluish-green collar 

 and the green forehead ; there is a slight bluish tinge 

 on the lores, and very little green round the eyes. 

 The interscapular region is pale green, like the breast 

 and the abdomen ; bill dusky black. Dimensions some- 

 what smaller than those of the male." The young he 

 describes as follows: "The grey of the adult bird 

 replaced by green, more or less tinged with blue on the 

 head, especially in the female; both green and blaA 

 collars are wanting ; the black mandibular stripes are 

 slightly indicated." Hab., southern India, from 

 Travancore up to about N. lat. 17 degrees. 



Jerdon says of this Parrakeet : " It, in general, keeps 

 to the depths of the forests, and frequents only the 

 loftiest trees. Its flight is rapid and elegant, and it 

 associates in small flocks. Its cry is mellow, subdued. 

 and agreeable. It feeds chiefly on fruits of various 

 kinds. The young birds are occasionally taken in the 

 Wynaad by some of the jungle races, there, and brought 

 for sale to the Neilgherries." 



In the second edition of Hume's " Nests and Eggs of 

 Indian Birds," Vol. III., pp. 89, 90, we read : "Mr. 

 F. Bourdillon informs me that he has taken several 

 nests of this species in the Assamboo Hills, in Travan- 

 core. He says : " The first nest we found contained a 

 single fresh egg ; this was on the 6th of January. The 

 second (taken on the 20th of January) contained two 

 fresh eggs, while the third, which we found on the 16th 

 of February, yielded four hard-set ones. Probably four 

 is the full complement. The nest is invariably in a 

 hole in a tree, at a considerable height from the ground, 

 and consists merely of a few rotten leaves and a little 

 decayed wood. I have never observed this species either 

 rutting a hole for itself or carrying any material for 

 a nest. The breeding-season seems to last from the 1st 

 of January to the close of March. During April old 

 and young birds are very noisy ; the latter learning to 

 flv. the former showing them the wav to set about it. 

 The eggs are roundish, white and slightly polished, and 

 the average dimensions of seven were 1.07 inch by 88." 



Russ savs than Von Schlechtendal possessed a small 

 flock of these birds for a long time. Now and again 

 they are malevolent, yet not spitefully snappish towards 

 one another ; thsy have a sharp clattering cry, 1m t not 

 so piercing as that of the Ring-necked Parrakeet. In 

 other respects quiet and peaceful. 



After giving the above account of the Malabar Parra- 

 keet, Russ finishes his notes as follows : " One o? 

 the most irritating screamers, not to be scared : a biter." 



The two or three examples of this species which I have 

 seen did not strike mp as particularly noisy; but, 

 doubtless, with this as with all species, individuals vary. 



This Parrakept was first purchased h\- the London 

 Zoological Society in 1852 and a fair number of speci- 

 mens has been added to the collection since that date. 



DKRUVAN PARHAKEKT (Pulum-ni.-- ilii-lii/<ma}. 



Green: more yellow on centre of wing--; lateral tail- 

 feathers above with a slight bluish tiiiL'f on outer web? : 

 four central fen;h" v s blur, broadly f.-l^cd with 



towards the ba.se ; forehead, lores and a broad mous- 

 tachial streak velvety-black; front of crown and orbital 

 region verditer green ; back of crown and ear-coverts 

 violaceous blue ; a narrow vinous line from back of ear- 

 coverts down the side of the neck ; the under wing- 

 coverts and under surface to vent similarly coloured ; 

 under tail-coverts green narrowly edged with bluish ; 

 tail below dull golden-olive; beak black; irides pal- 

 straw-colour. Female with the upper mandible red. 

 Hab., "interior of China," probably Hainan. 



The type of this rare species was long believed to b;> 

 unique in the Derby Museum in Liverpool, but in June, 

 1899, the Hon. Walter Rothschild received two females 

 alive, which he deposited in the Parrot House of the 

 London Zoological Gardens in Regent's Park. Mr. 

 Seth-Smith tells us (" Parrakeets," p. 12^) that there 

 " was also a fine pair living in the Berlin Zoological 

 Gardens in 1900." 



1'. \\DEI) OR MOUSTACHK PARRAKEET. 



(Palaonii* fa*>.'iata). 



Green ; a large yellowish-green patch and a slight tinge 

 of bluish on median wing-coverts ; middle tail-feathers 

 blue, eded with green near the base and tipped with 

 yellowish, the others bluish-green; head grey, slightly 

 'bluish, lores and orbital region slightly greenish; a 

 band from forehead to eye and a broad stripe from beak 

 to side of neck, black ; an emerald green collar on nape 

 to sides of neck ; throat, breast, and front of abdomen 

 vinaceous red: hinder abdomen, vent, and under tail- 

 coverts green washed with blue ; upper mandible coral 

 red with yellow tip, lower mandible black ; feet dusky 

 greenish-yellow : iridc.- pale yellow. Female with more 

 blue on the head, the vinaceous red of the breast 

 extended up the sides of the neck between the blue 

 of the- head and the emerald green of the neck ; beak 

 black, orange-brown at base of lower mandible. Hab., 

 " Eastern Bengal and along the Himalayas as far a* 

 Kumaon, Indo-Burmese Regions, Andaman Islands, 

 Cambodia, Cochin China, Hainan, and, according to. 

 Swinhoe, also south of China, near Amoy." (Salvador!.) 



Jerdon says of this species (" Birds of India," Vol. I., 

 pp. 268-269): "In some parts of Lower Bengal, as 

 in Gorruckpore and Rungpore, it visits the plains, when 

 the rice is ripe, in large flocks. It is brought to Calcutta, 

 caged, in great numbers, from Tipperah, Chitta- 

 and other places to the East, etc.. and is rather a 

 favourite with the natives. Its call is much more 

 agreeable than that of torquatus or Alexandrl. At 

 Thyet-myo in Upper Burmah. in May. I observed largo 

 flocks of' what I presume was this species, though the 

 >,\}\ spivimriis I obtained were in immature plumage. 

 They were feeding on the ground on cow-dung, on the 

 dry bed of the Irrawaddy." 



The following account of the nidin'cation by Mr. R. 

 Thompson is quoted in Hume's " Nests and Egj 

 Indian Birds-." Vol. III., p. 91: " The.Madb.un Gour 

 Tota- breed in the lofty sal forests of the pub-Hima- 

 layan range, and are' peculiarly restricted to this 

 locality when breeding. Any hole in a tree serves for 

 a nest" provided it is near the top of the tree, and the 

 eggs are four in number, pure white, and about the 

 size and shape of those of P. torquatits. The breeding- 

 season commences in March, and is carried on till the 

 middle of May. when the young birds leave the nest. 

 Large numbers of them are taken every season when 

 they are yd too young to bo able to fly. and carried 

 to the plains, where they are much prized by the 

 natives, learning easily to repeat words and phrases 

 taught them. This Paroquet is generally distributed 



