222 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



red frontal band, upper parts more olive in tint, the 

 rump and upper tail-coverts yellowish-olive ; inner 

 wing-coverts and inner secondaries olive, as also the 

 central tail feathers ; a white band on the quills below. 



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

 Birds," p. 632) thus describes the nidification : "Nest. 

 Within a hollow branch or 'bole of a tree, usually a 

 red-gum (Eucalyptus rostrata), growing on a flat or bor- 

 dering a stream. Eggs. Clutch, four to five ; round 

 oval in shape ; texture of shell fine ; surface slightly 

 glossy ; colour, pure white. Dimensions in inches of a 

 proper clutch (1) 1.16 x .93. (2) 1.16 x .92. (3) 1.12 x 

 .93, (4) 1.10 x .92." 



" In the Moulamein district of Riverina, Mr. J. 

 Gabriel and myself found the Yellow Parrakeet 

 numerous, especiallv in the timber bordering streams, 

 and not infrequently visiting the gardens of selectors 

 and others. 



" The birds were then (September, 1894) pairing, or 

 had paired, but we were unable to discover in the 

 numerous red-gums on the flat, or along the water- 

 course, the eggs, which were new to science. However, 

 Mr. W. White, with a relative, who happened to be 

 out collecting during the same month in the Flindens 

 Range, South Australia, kindly forwarded me a set 

 of four eggs, which specimens are herein described. 

 They were taken on September 20th, 1894. from a hole 

 under an elbow of a large red-gum (Eucalyptus) grow- 

 ing in a grassy vale in the Warrabra Forest, which is 

 200 odd miles north of Adelaide." 



Two examples of this species were purchased 'by the 

 London Zoological Society in May, 1867, but it is a 

 rarely imported species, and, to my mind, by no means 

 a tastefully coloured one ; a single young one was bred 

 by Mr. Wm. R. Fasey in 1904. 



YELLOW-BELLIED PARRAKEET (Platycercus ftaviventris). 



In this bird the forehead is crimson ; the crown of the 

 head and back of the neck pale yellow, each feather 

 thinly edged with brown ; below the eye is a patch of 

 dull crimson ; the cheeks are blue ; the back and 

 shoulders olivaceous black, each feather having a green 

 margin ; the middle of the wing is blue, the basal half 

 of the primaries with blue outer edges, the remainder 

 being blackish-brown ; the rump and two central tail- 

 feathers green, the remainder dark blue at the base, 

 lighter towards the tips ; under surface of body yellow ; 

 beak flesh-coloured ; legs greyish-brown. The female 

 is duller and greener ; her beak is less swollen at the 

 sides. Hab., Tasmania, South Australia, and the 

 islands of Bass' Straits. 



According to Gould, this fine species " frequents 

 every variety of situation, from the low- crowned hills 

 and gullies in the depths of the forest to the open 

 cleared lands and gardens of the settlers. It runs 

 over the ground with great facility, and when observed 

 in small flocks searching for seeds among the tall 

 grass, few birds are seen to greater advantage." He 

 then continues thus : "I found this species very 

 abundant on the banks of the Tamar, and in one 

 instance I saw hundreds congregated at a barndoor 

 among the straw of some recently threshed corn, pre- 

 cisely after the manner of Pigeons and Sparrows in 

 England." The food of this Parrakeet when wild con- 

 sists of various grass-seeds and the flowers of Eucalypti ; 

 it nests from September to December in holes in the 

 branches of large gum trees, and lays from six to eight 

 white eggs. 



This species seems to be extremely rarely imported ; 

 it was. however, bred by Baron von Comely in 1882. 

 An example was purchased for the London Zoological 



Gardens in 1860, and a second in 1875 ; but it seems to 

 be sent home singly and at long intervals. Mr. Seth- 

 Smith says he has never seen it offered for sale. 



MEALY ROSELLA (Platycercus pallldiceps). 



In this species the crown of the head is either wholly 

 white or pale gamboge-yellow ; in some examples the 

 ..front of the forehead is crossed by a fine line of crim- 

 son ; the lower parts of the cheeks are deep blue ; the 

 feathers of the nape, scapularies, and back are black, 

 broadly bordered with gamboge-yellow ; the rump is 

 greenieh-blue, varying in some specimens to gamboge- 

 yellow ; the primaries and secondaries are blackish- 

 brown, the base of the outer webs being deep blue ; the 

 greater and lesser wing-coverts and shoulders above and 

 below bright blue ; that part of the wing nearest the 

 body black ; under surface greenish blue, excepting the 

 under tail-coverts, which are crimson ; the two middle 

 tail feathers greenish-blue ; the basal half of the remain- 

 ing tail feathers blackish-brown on the inner, and deep 

 blue on the outer webs ; the terminal half pale blue, 

 fading into white at the tips ; beak horn-coloured ; legs 

 dark brown ; iris of eye blackish-brown. Female appa- 

 rently smaller, duller in colouring, and with the upper 

 mandible less swollen at the sides. Hab., Queensland 

 and New South Wales. 



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

 Birds/' p. 634) describes the nidification of the Pale- 

 headed or Mealy Rosella as follows : " Nest. -Within 

 a hole in a tree. Eggs. Clutch, four to five; nearly 

 round or round oval in shape ; texture of shell some- 

 what fine ; surface glossy ; colour, pure white. Dimen- 

 sions in inches of a proper clutch (1) 1.03 x .88, (2) 

 1.04 x .89, (3) 1.02 x .87, (4) 1.02 x .84." 



" The eggs of the Pale-headed Parrakeet in my collec- 

 tion bear the data, Coomooboolaroo (Queensland), etc., 

 where I had the pleasure of observing the birds in a 

 state of nature, and procuring skins. 



" Usual breeding season, September to December, but 

 at Coomooboolaroo the birds have been observed laying 

 in March and July, but generally in October." 



Russ states that, in captivity, this species behaves 

 like the common Rosella ; it has been bred several 

 times, and is almost as common in the market as the 

 ordinary Rosella. Price 20 to 30 marks for a pair. 

 On the 'other hand, Mr. Seth-Smith says (" Parrakeets," 

 p. 165) : " It is well known to aviculturists in this 

 country, although not nearly so often to be obtained 

 as its commoner relative, P. eximius. It was bred by 

 Mr. C. P. Arthur, the hen laying four eggs, of which 

 two got broken; the other two were hatched and 

 reared ; these two birds appeared to be sexes, and dif- 

 fered when thev left the nest in the colouring of the- 

 under tail-coverts scarlet in one, faint orange in the 

 other. 



Mr. Seth-Smith had a pair which showed the greatest 

 antipathy to a pair of Blue-bonnet Parrakeets _in tin- 

 adjoining aviary, and made themselves so objectionable 

 to the latter by biting their toes severely through the 

 wire that he had to get rid of them. 



A very nice specimen of this, bird was exhibited bv 

 Mr. Dewar at the Crystal Palace Show in 1892, and 

 other specimens have appeared on the bench since then. 



The first two specimens to reach our Zoological 

 Gardens were presented in 1863 ; altogether, at 

 ;i do/.en examples have been exhibited there at various 

 times. 

 BLUE-CHEEKED PARRAKEET (Plalycercus amathusia). 



Differs from the preceding species in the paler yel- 

 lowish edges to the feathers of the back, in the yellower 

 tinge of the feathers of the rump and upper tail- 



