210 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



seed, but at first he was obliged to give it sponge cake 

 and fruit. 



Our Zoological Society received a specimen on deposit 

 in 1895, and a second seems to have been received sub- 

 oquently, but this Parrakeet is very rarely imported ; 

 it is not mentioned in Russ' " Handbook." 



CRIMSON-WINGED PARRAKEET (Ptistes erythropterus). 



The male has the crown and nape verditer-green ; 

 the scapulars and upper back black; the lower back 

 and rump rich blue ; the wing-coverts rich crimson ; 

 yellow at the base of the featheis; the primaries and, 

 inner secondaries dark green, the outer secondaries 

 almost black with green edges, edge of wing green, with 

 a few black feathers below the bend ; tail dark green, 

 tipped with yellow, edged with reddish; under parts 

 yellowish-green, the quills and tail below dark brown, 

 the latter with yellowish-green tips to the feathers, 

 reddish at extreme edge ; beak orange-scarlet ; feet 

 olive-brown, iris varying from scarlet to reddish-orange. 



The female is dull green above and yellowish-green 

 below ; a few of the wing-coverts red, forming a stripe ; 

 rump pale blue, the lateral tail feathers edged with pink 

 to the tips ; beak pale horn-colour ; iris olive-brown, 

 flab., Northern and Eastern Australia. 



Gould called this a Lory on account of its habits. 

 He says : " The extensive belts of Acacia Pendula 

 which diversify the plains of the eastern portion of 

 Australia are tenanted by this bird, either in small 

 companies of six or eight, or in flocks of a much greater 

 number. It is beyond my power to describe the extreme 

 beauty of the appearance of the Red-winged Lory when 

 seen among the silvery branches of the Acacia, particu- 

 larly when the flocks comprise a large number of adult 

 males, the gorgeous scarlet of whose shoulders offers so 

 striking a contrast to the surrounding objects. It is 

 rather thinly dispersed among the trees skirting the 

 rivers which intersect the Liverpool Plains, but from 

 these towards the interior it increases in number. 

 Being naturally shy and wary, it is much more difficult 

 of approach than the generality of the Parrakeets, and 

 it seldom becomes tame or familiar in captivity. 



" Its flight is performed with a motion of the wings 

 totally different from that of any other member of the 

 great family Psittacida; I have seen, and has frequently 

 reminded me of the heavy flapping manner of the Pewit, 

 except that the motion was even slower and more 

 laboured. While on the wing it frequently utters a 

 loud screeching cry. 



" Its food consists of berries, the fruit of a species of 

 Loranthus, and the pollen of flowers, to which is added 

 a species of scaly bug-like insect, that infests the 

 branches of its favourite trees; and in all probability 

 small caterpillars, for I have found them in the crops of 

 several of the PlatycercA. It breeds in the holes of the 

 large Eucalypti growing on the banks of rivers ; the 

 eggs, which are white, being four or five in number, 

 about an inch and an eighth long by seven-eighths 

 broad." 



Mr. North mentions a clutch of eggs taken by Mr. 

 George Barnard from the hollow branch in a lofty 

 Eucalyptus in 1882, which were four in number. He 

 says that the species commences to breed in October, 

 and continues the three following months. 



Dr. Russ gives the Blood-wing a better character than 

 Gould does. He says it is graceful and amiable, 

 though, perhaps, somewhat clumsy, enduring, and bears 

 cold without risk. It was first bred in Germany in 

 1878 by 'Mr. Seybold, of Munich. The clutch, accord- 

 ing to RUPS. consists of from two to four eggs ; the 

 female incubates alone, twenty- four days ; later the 



male assists in feeding. The young remain in the nest 

 twenty-four days. 



In 1899 and 1901 the Rev. C. D. Farrar hatched 

 young of this species in his aviary, but none were 

 reared ; but in the latter year Lady Morshead success- 

 fully reared three young ones (The Aviculturat 

 Magazine, First Series, Vol. VIII., p. 34). 



Like most Parrakeets, this species is not a safe 

 companion for smaller and weaker birds. In spite of 

 its ugly sound, I am not sure that Blood-winged is not 

 a better name than Crimson-winged for this species, 

 since Gould called it Red-winged, and applied the name 

 Crimson-winged to a smaller race. 



This Parrakeet was first exhibited in the London 

 Zoological Society's collection in 1861, and a good many 

 examples have been acquired since that date. 



The genus Aprosmictus is characterised by its 

 graduated tail, weaker beak, and notched upper man- 

 dible. The diet in captivity, according to Mr. Seth- 

 Smith (" Pairakeets," p. 133), should consist of 

 " canaryseed, hemp, oats, millet, sunflower seed, and 

 boiled maize, to which should be added ripe fruit, 

 such as apple, pear, grapes, or banana, and green 

 food, such as chickweed and groundsel." 



KING PARRAKEET (Aprosmictus cyanopygius). 



In the cock bird the head, neck, and under surface 

 are crimson ; the back and wings green, a line bounding 

 the crimson at the back of the neck, and the rump deep 

 blue ; a band of pale verdigris-green along the wing- 

 coverts ; under wing-coverts green, edged with blue ; 

 inner web and under surface of quills black ; under tail- 

 coverts crimson, but the base of the feathers dark blue ; 

 upper tail-coverts dark olive ; tail black, slightly oliva- 

 ceous above, the outer feathers tinged with blue ; beak 

 vermilion, legs brown, iris of eye yellow. The hen has 

 the head, nape, back, and wing green ; the throat and 

 chest dull green, tinged with red ; the abdomen crimson ; 

 the under tail-coverts green, broadly edged with red ;. 

 the rump blue, with the bases of the feathers green ; 

 the upper tail-coverts green ; the tail above also green, 

 but the lateral feathers tinged \vith blue on their outer 

 w r ebs ; beak dusky. The young resemble their mother,, 

 excepting that their lateral tail feathers have rosy tips ; 

 this plumage is retained for the first two years. Hab., 

 Eastern Australia from Port Denison to Victoria. 



Mr. Gould says that this bird, which he calls the 

 "King Lory," is "exclusively confined to the brushes, 

 particularly such as are low and humid, and where the 

 large Casuarince grow in the greatest profusion. All 

 the brushes stretching along the northern and eastern 

 coast appear to be equally favoured with its presence, 

 as it there finds a plentiful supply of food, consisting of 

 seeds and berries." He also observes that at the 

 season when the Indian corn is ripening it is visited by 

 great flocks of this Parrakeet, which cause considerable 

 havoc amongst the crop ; as regards its breeding habits 

 he was unable to obtain any particulars. But Mr. 

 North says that it builds in such lofty trees that the 

 nest is very difficult to take. 



Mr. A. J. Campbell ("Nests and Eggs of Australian 

 Birds," p. 628) thus describes the nidification : 

 " Nest. Within a hollow limb or trunk of a giant tree 

 (Evcnlypt), sometimes as far clown as the base, in henvy 

 forest country. Efffts. Clutch four to six ; roundish in 

 shape ; texture of shell coarse ; surface slightly glossy, 

 but somewhat rough, being minutely pitted, and with 

 here and there a limy nodule ; colour pure white. 

 Dimensions in inches of a clutch : (1) 1.3 by 1.08; (2) 

 1.27 by 1.11; (3)_1.21 by 1.06." 



Dr. Russ describes this bird as abundant in zoological 



