212 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



institutions, also in bird-room* ; quiet and peaceable, 

 but owing to its sitting so still it is more pleasing on 

 account of its fine colouring than its agreeable ness. It 

 is fond of bathing, enduring, and insensible to cold ; 

 therefore to be recommended for largo aviaries out of 

 doors. Bred by Mr. A. Kohler, of Weissenfels. Sevrral 

 instances lhave been recorded ot the siu-i.v^sful breeding 

 of the species in this country also, and if more iemales 

 were imported, there can ibe little douibt that successes 

 would be still more frequent. 



The London Zoological Society acquired its first 

 specimen of the King Parrakeet in 1859, and has since 

 exhibited a considerable number of both sexes. 



In the genus Pyerhulopsis the tail is graduated, but 

 the 'beak is much stronger than in A i>ro>ni<'1>i*. and the 

 upper mandible is not notched : the feeding in captiv-ity 

 should be the same as for the King Parrakeet. 



RED SHINING PARRAKEET (Pyrrhulopsis splendens). 

 Prevailing colour above .green ; a blue band across the 

 nape ; 'primaries and their coverts blue> as well as the 

 outermost- secondaries, those next to them with a blue 

 tinge along the middle; tail blue, greenish towards 

 base, especially on the central feathers ; head and under 

 surface crimson ; under wing-coverts 'bluish green ; 

 flights and tail below black ; beak and feet black ; 

 irides orange. Female .smaller, the beak smaller, shorter, 

 less arched, with coarser terminal hook. Hab., "Fiji 

 Islands, Viti Levu, and Kandavu." (Salvador!.) 



'Speaking of these birds, as observed by him in the 

 Fiji Islands, the late Mr. E. L. Lazard says (The His, 

 1876, p. 143) : " They frequent the forest, feeding on 

 various fruits and berries as they come into season; 

 and making descents on the planters' Indian corn crops, 

 where their depredations are very serious. They are 

 very shy and wary, planting sentinels, w'ho< with harsh 

 cries warn the flock of approaching danger, when off 

 they ail troop to the forest, and hide silently in the 

 donise crowns of the broad eist-lealfed trees. If they find 

 themselves discovered, 'they utter loud cries, swaying 

 themselves to and fro on their perches, and holding 

 themselves ready for flight in a moment." 



In the " Proceedings of the Zoological Society," 

 1875, p. 425, he says: "Breeds in holes of trees, and 

 lays two eggs, white, or so much stained as to appear 

 reddish. I am not sure how this stain arises, whether 

 from the parent bird or the bark with which the nest is 

 lined. I't occurs allso iin eggs of P. personatus to such 

 an extent; that I mistook some eggs sent me for those of 

 Astur cruentus, until assured by my correspondent that 

 he had only taken those of the Parrot. Axis 1", 5"', 

 diam. in 2"'." 



Russ says that Miss Hagenbeok had a specimen of this 

 species which talked well at the " Ornis " Exhibition of 

 1880: Mr. Bos. of Amsterdam, had a pair which he 

 described as'lumpy and clumsy in an aviary, _tryannical 

 towards other Parrots; only when isolated in a large 

 open-air aviary did both, become tame and the hen "laid 

 eggs. 



The London Zoological Society has, at various times, 

 acquired a fair number of specimens of this brilliantly 

 coloured Parrakeet; the first, specimen was purchased 

 for the Gardens in 1864. 



TABUAN PARRAKEET (Pyrrhulopsis tabuensis). 



Chiefly differs from the preceding species' in the deep 



cherry-red or maroon of the head and under parts (Russ 



calk "it purplish brown-red). Female smaller, the beak 



much shorter and with shorter terminal hook. Hab., 



Fiji Islands Vanua Levu, and introduced into Eooa 

 (Tonga Island) from Fiji " (Salvador!) ; also Tongatabu. 

 In the "Proceedings of the Zoological Society" for 

 1876. Mr. E. L. Layard says : "In answer to my 

 inquiries after birds, I was always comforted with, ' Ah ! 

 you should get the black Parrot' of Eooa ! ' and I confess 

 my curiosity was greatly excited. However, as I was 

 bound to Eooa on duty, I confidently expected to get it, 

 and charged all any messmates in H.M.S. ' Nymphe ' to 

 shoot every Parrot they could see ! 



" This Eooa (or E-u-a) is a small island to the south of 

 Tongatabu. It appears to me to be a mass of coral. 

 metamorphosed,, by the action of volcanic heat under 

 great pressure, into crystallised limestone. It has 'then 

 been raised to a considerable height (compared with 

 Tongatabu, its near neighbour) above the sea-level, 

 ajid, having cracked in cooling, is traversed by 

 numerous deep perpendicular fissures. In these flourish 

 a luxuriant tropical vegetation, while the gently rising 

 surface of the island itself is covered with rich grass, 

 oh which are depastured some ten or fifteen thousand 

 sheep. As the forest has encroached in places on the 

 pasture-land, the island, viewed from the higher levels, 

 appears like a most beautiful park, and it has the repu- 

 tation of being the ' loveliest island in the South Seas.' " 

 " I had to visit one of the stations ; so, arming my- 

 self with 'Long Tom,' and handing my large double 

 ' Westly Richards ' to a native, I sallied out, determined 

 to get a 'black Parrot' if possible. I also specially 

 hired a native to go in search of them, and shoot nothing 

 else. 



" In one of the deep fissures I heard the Tindoubted 

 ' Ka Ka ' of a Parrot, that sounded vastly like that of 

 our Fijian bird ; so, while I kept watch for a flying shot, 

 I sent the native down the perpendicular sides. 

 Presently I heard below me the loud report of my big 

 ' ten-bore,' followed by the native's shout of triumph ; 

 and he shortly reappeared, bringing me my old friend 

 Platycercitft tali ni'iisi*. 



"Here, then, was a surprise! the ' black' Parrot turns 

 out a dark maroon ; and here, on this speck of land, and 

 only on it, appears a "Fijian Parrot! The more I think 

 over it, the more I am convinced that the bird has been 

 introduced into Eooa artificially. I 'have already (The 

 Jin x, 1876) described the varieties of this species and 

 PI. splei\dfi\f, Peale. It will bo seen that PI. tabuensis 

 and its allies inhabit that part of Fiji to which the 

 Tongans have long years ago had free access. They a,nd 

 the Samoans are specially partial! to red feathers for 

 trimming their fans, etc., and for this purpose keepouo- 

 little Lorius solitarius in confinement, plucking it twice 

 a year. I was (told they fetched as high as 20 or 30 

 dollars a pair dn Tonga, tto which place, and to Samoa, 

 they are conveyed by every canoe or vessel that leaves 

 these islands. What more likely, then, that SOIIK> 

 Tongan (a chief, probably) took with, him the form of 

 P. tabuensis, found in Vanua Levu, and either purposely 

 or accidentally let it loose in Eooa? Itcould never fly 

 thither of its own accord ; its powers are too limited, and 

 not one representative of the genus is found elsewhere 

 among the islands. No! it must have been introduced." 

 First purchased by the London Zoological Society in 

 1 273 ; several other specimens have since been added to 

 the collection. 



MASKED PARRAKEET (Pyrrhulopsis personata). 

 The adult male is green, the face black, the primaries 

 and their coverts blue, tail bluieh towards the tip, 

 middle of breast yellow, middle of abdomen orange, 

 flights and tail below black, beak black, feet dusky, 

 iris orange-yellow. The female is similar, but smaller, 



