208 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



ally sino-lv, more often in pairs or small parties of four 

 or "live when feeding in gardens. "They feed largely 

 on the papava (Carica papaya) and on the ripe pan- 

 danus fruit, and I have seen them eating the ripe outer 

 covering of the betel nut (Am-,,, catechu), which is so 

 very abundant on some of the Nicobar Islands ; but this 

 is evidently not a favourite food with them, and they 

 apparently never touch it when they can obtain better 

 food, as on Camorta." 



Russ gives no information respecting this species in 

 his "Handbook." An example was purchased for the 

 London Zoological Gardens in 1873. but it seems to be 

 seldom imported, although Mr. Davison says that they 

 are very easily reared in captivity. 



ANDAMAN PARRAKEET (Pedceornis t;/tliri). 



Rather smaller than the preceding, the nape and upper 

 back more suffused with lilac and bluish, the breast also 

 slightly suffused with bluish. Female differing from 

 that sex of P. nicobarica in its inferior size and the deep 

 green colour of the mandibular stripe. Ha.b., Andaman 

 Islands. 



Mr. Davison says (cf. Hume's "Nests and Eggs, 

 <.]). (it.) : " On the 17th of April, at Port Monat, 

 Andamans, I saw a female (P. tytleri) feeding two young 

 ones that were sitting on the edge of a hole in an old 

 dry mangrove stump about 12 ft. high. As I did not 

 require the birds, I did not climb up to the nest^ and 

 so cannot say whether the hole was lined or not.'' 



In its habits this species perfectly agrees with P. 

 xirobarica. Mr. Seth-Smith includes P. tytleri in his 

 book because he thinks it must have been imported ; 

 Russ also includes it, but says nothing about it. 



LONG-TAILED PARRAKEET (Palceornis longicauda). 



The adult male above is green, darker on the lores : 

 the sides of the head and a broad collar across the nape 

 vinous red ; broad black mandibular stripes ; mantle 

 yellowish shaded with bluish ; lower back and rump pale 

 blue ; nights blue, tinged at the tips and edged with 

 green ; upper tail-coverts and tail green, but the central 

 tail-feathers blue, edged at the base with green ; under 

 parts yellowish, the axillaries, under wing-coverts and 

 tail below yellow ; upper mandible red, lower mandible 

 brown ; feet greyish ; iris yellow. 



The female is a little darker on the crown ; the sides 

 of the head less red, the ear-coverts with a bluish tinge, 

 the mandibular stripes dark green ; tail shorter than 

 that of the male ; beak horn-brown. The young male is 

 similar, but smaller ; the rump bluish and the upper 

 mandible red. I lab., Penang, Malacca, Singapore, 

 Sumatra, Nias, Billiton and Borneo. 



The late Consul R. Swinhoe, writing in 1870 of a visit 

 to the market at Canton, says : ' Parrakeets with red 

 cheeks (Paltconi!.-- longicaudal) were in abundance. The 

 dealers told me that they were brought from the western 

 portion of the province, down the west river." 



According to Governor Ussher, writing from Labuan : 

 " About April this Parroquet appears to congregate in 

 large numbers, especially the males, uttering loud cries. 

 They then .separate, probably for breeding purposes. 

 The males are extremely handsome and swift of flight." 



Dr. Russ says : " Much mentioned in the legends and 

 poems of the Malays, described as unnaturally clever ; 

 moreover, much caught as an article of food. Not bred 

 hitherto." 



It seems a strange thing that a bird so abundant in 

 Malaysia should only come to hand in the European 

 bird-markets occasionally and in single examples. 



Two specimens of this species were purchased for the 

 London Zoological Gardens in 1854, "and others have 



been added at intervals from that date. Russ says it is 

 rare, and only imported singly ; but, according to Mr. 

 Seth-Smith, some of those which come to hand are 

 advertised by dealers as the much rarer Luciaii's Par- 

 rakeet. 



For the species of Polytelis which follow here various 

 foods have been recommended ; but Mr. Seth-Smith 

 recommends boiled maize, hemp, and canaryseed as food 

 for them ; he also gave ripe fruit daily. This genus is 

 characterised by its weaker beak with the upper man- 

 dible not notched. 



BARRABAND'S PARRAKEET (Polytdis barrabaiuti). 



As usual the prevailing colour is green, the adult male 

 with bright yellow forehead, cheeks, and throat; the 

 last mentioned followed by a scarlet crescent; the 

 bastard wing, flights, and tail, dark blue washed with 

 green ; thighs usually green, but sometimes red ; beak 

 red ; feet brown ; iris orange-yellow. 



The female has the face dull greenish-blue ; the chest 

 dull rose-colour ; the thighs scarlet ; primaries bluish- 

 green ; central tail-feathers green ; remaining feathers 

 with their inner webs rose-red and their outer webs 

 bluish-green ; beak pale reddish-orange ; feet, dark 

 brown ; iris, brown. 



The young male resembles the female. Hab., New 

 South Wales and the interior, to Victoria and South 

 Australia. 



Gould appears to have been unacquainted with the 

 wild life of this handsome bird. He says : " Living 

 individuals are frequently brought down to Sydney by 

 the draymen of the Argyle county, where it appears 

 to be a common species." " From the length of its 

 wings and the general contour of its body, we may be 

 assured that its power of flight is very great, and that 

 it doubtless removes from one part of the continent to 

 another whenever nature prompts it so to do." 



Campbell says (" Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds," 

 p. 623) : " This most elegant and exquisitely coloured 

 species is a somewhat scarce Parrakeet, being limited to 

 isolated localities inland from South Queensland down 

 to South Australia." 



" The Barraband Parrakeet, or, as it is called, the 

 ' Green-leek ' is well named on account of its general 

 grass-green plumage, the beauty of which is intensified 

 by the forehead, cheeks and throat being of rich 

 gamboge-yellow, and immediately beneath the throat 

 is a conspicuous crescent of scarlet. The female is a 

 little inferior in colouring to the male. Total length 

 of a bird, about 16in. The bird is a striking adorn- 

 ment to an aviary." He thus describes the nidification : 

 " A>-*. Within a hole or hollow in a tree, usually 

 by a stream. Eggs. Clutch, four to five ; elliptical in 

 shape; texture of shell somewhat fine; surface glossy; 

 colour pure white. Dimensions in inches : 1.17 x -9-'' 



Dr. Russ speaks of this Parrakeet as rare in the 

 market, but says that a German sailor imported twenty 

 examples in 1876. Its behaviour he considers similar 

 to that of a Conure, its climbing superior to that of a 

 Broadtail, though it does not run so speedily on the 

 ground, and cries more shrilly. It can be wintered in 

 an nnheated chamber. Up to 1887 it had not been 

 successfully bred, but mules had been reared between 

 it and a female of the Rock-peplar or pebbler or Black- 

 tailed Parrakeet. 



In 1900 the Rev. C. D. Farrar successfully bred the 

 species in his aviary, and published an account of his 

 experience in The Acicultural Mar/nzhie, First Series, 

 Vol. VI.. p. 219. He fed his birds entirely on hemp 

 and canary seed. 



I was much tempted to buy a handsome pair of this 

 fine species which was offered to me about the year 



