FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



delicacy was due to its being wrongly fed in captivity, 

 and he says : " Given plain food., such as the best 

 i-anaryseed, millet, a little hemp, and perhaps a. few 

 oats, and a regular supply, especially in the spring and 

 summer, of chickweed or grass in flower, there is little 

 doubt that the Paradise Parrakeet would prove to be 

 no more difficult to keep in health than the Many- 

 coloured or the rare Golden-shouldered Parrakeets, 

 which have both been proved to 'be, when once accli- 

 matised, long livers in captivity." ("Parrakeets," 

 p. 200.) 



Formerly tolerably freely imported, this species seems 

 now never to be sent home ; it is generally regarded by 

 aviculturists as the most beautiful of Parrakeets, but 

 the colouring consists mainly of violent contrasts ; it is 

 showy and brilliant unquestionably, but hardly artistic, 

 though certainly far ahead of the Blue-bonnet Parrakeets'. 

 I consider the "Many-coloured" a far more beautiful 

 bird. The London Zoological Society acquired a pair 

 of this species in 1866, and for some years afterwards 

 added specimens to the collection at Regent's Park. 

 Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha bred one young 

 one in his bird-room 1 at Vienna in 1880, and Princess 

 von Croy 'bred four in. 1882 at her castle in Belgium. 

 Previously the latter lady had 'bred hybrids between a 

 male Beautiful Parrakeet and a female Red-rumped 

 Parrakeet ; the mules chiefly differed from their father 

 in the blue-green instead of blue colouring on the breast 

 and lower back ; they sang like the Red-rump. (Cf. 

 Rues, " Handbuch," p. 177.) 



GOLDEN-SHOTJLDERED PARRAKEET 



(Psephotus chrysopterygius). 



Back of neck, back, scapulars, inner upper wing- 

 coverts, and inner secondaries pale greyish-brown ; a 

 large yellow patch on the anterior lesser and median 

 wing-coverts ; greater coverts and flights black edged 

 with blue ; rump and upper tail-coverts turquoise-blue ; 

 two central tail-feathers olive-green at base, changing 

 to deep blue towards the tips, which are black ; the 

 other feathers pale bluish-green crossed by an irregular 

 black hand, stained with bluish-green on outer webs 

 towards the tips, which are white; forehead pale yel- 

 low ; centre of crown black ; sides of head, neck, throat, 

 breast, and front of abdomen turquoise -bine ; a wash of 

 yellow on orbital region ; under wing-coverts deep blue ; 

 middle of abdomen and under tail-coverts red barred 

 with white; beak and nostrils bluish horn-colour; feet 

 mealy-grey ; irides brown. Female (according to Seth- 

 Smith) with " the frontal band' yellowish-white ; crown 

 brownish ; sides of head nearly white, washed with 

 blue ; under parts greenish washed with blue down to 

 the lower abdomen and under tail-coverts, which are 

 marked with red and white, as in the male, but much 

 fainter ; back, scapulars, and upper wing-coverts yel- 

 lowish-green, the yellow becoming brighter on the wing- 

 patch ; rump and upper tail-coverts bright blue ; pri- 

 maries blackish, edged 'with (blue on the outer web ; 

 tail as in the male." Hah., North Australia, from Port 

 Darwin to the Gulf of Carpentaria. 



Nothing seems to have been published respecting the 

 wild life of this rare Parrakeet, but in 1897 eight imma- 

 ture birds appeared in the London bird market ; the 

 only male and a female were purchased by the Zoological 

 Society, but no attempt was made to breed from them. 

 Mr. Reginald Phillipps acquired two females (see The 

 Amcultural Magazine, First Series. Vol. IV.. p. 152), 

 one of which paired with a male Red-rumped Parrakeet 

 and laid four eggs, which, unfortunately, proved to be 

 clear ; they are described as small, of "a stout oval in 

 shape, of precisely the same length as those of the Peach- 



laced Love-bird, but thicker." (The Avlcultural Maaa- 

 tine, Vol. V.. p. 158.) 



Mrs. Johnstone obtained a pair in 1902 ; both she 

 and Mr. Phillipps describe them as sensitive to cold. 



MANY-COLOURED PARRAKEET (Psephvtu* multicolor). 



The upper surface of the cock bird is principally 

 emerald-green ; the forehead, a band on the shoulder, 

 the sides, and vent yellow; the back of the crown, 

 rump, abdomen, and thighs crimison ; the throat and 

 breast yellowish-green ; the primaries deep blue, with 

 a greenish tinge ; the tail-feathers greenish- jlue ; the 

 two central feathers and bases of the remainder very 

 dark, banded with black towards the base, the otRe'r 

 ones pale blue at the tips; beak horn-brown ; legs wood- 

 brown. Female smaller, with a much shorter beak ; 

 altogether duller in colouring; the frontal blue band 

 paler as well as the blue on the shoulder of the wing 

 and the yellow on the under tail-coverts. Mr. Seth- 

 fc'mith also tells us that the upper parts are " mostly 

 brownish-grey with an olive-green tinge, the patch on 

 the wing-coverts red; frontal band reddish in some 

 individuals, yellowish in others; some specimens have a 

 faint patch of reddish on the occiput, which is absent 

 in others; lower breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts 

 yellowish-green with a bluish tinge ; a faint indication 

 of red on some of the feathers of the abdomen." Hab., 

 Interior and South of Australia. 



Mr. A. J. Campbell tells us that this species is found 

 in the open forest country of the interior portions of 

 Southern Australia ; in Central Australia it is found 

 near all water-holes ; eggs in his collection were obtained 

 from a nest in a hollow mallee limb. He thus describes 

 the nidification : " Nest. Within a hole or hollow trunk 

 of a tree. Eggs. Clutch, four to six ; round in form ; 

 texture of shell fine ; surface glossv ; colour, pure white. 

 Dimensions in inches : (1) .9 x .76, (2) .9 x -72, (3) .89 x 

 .76, (4) .88 X -75. (5) .86 x .76, (6) .86 X .75." ("Nests 

 and Eggs," p. 647.) 



Formerly this species was supposed to be extremely 

 delicate, but Mr. Seth-Smith. who has kept and bred 

 this really beautiful bird in his aviaries (where I had the 

 pleasure of seeing them), assures us that, although when 

 first imported they need care, no sooner are they estab- 

 lished than they 'become almost as hardy as the Red- 

 rumped Parrakeet ; they should, however, receive a little 

 warmth in the winter. Mr. A. Savage, of Rouen, the 

 Rev. C. D. Farrar, Mr. W. Fasey, and, I think, Mrs. 

 Johnstone have also bred the species in their aviaries ; 

 so that, though expensive, this is a most desirable bird 

 for the aviculturist. The first pair to reach the Gardens 

 at Regent's Park M^as purchased in 1862, and others have 

 been added to the collection from time to time since 

 that date. 



RED-RUMPED PARRAKEET 



hcematonotua). 



The crown of the head, back of the neck, cheeks and 

 breast are emerald-green, paler on the forehead and 

 cheeks ; the back brownish-green ; the rump crimson ; 

 the apex and under-surface of the shoulder, bastard- 

 wing, and outer edge of the basal half of primaries 

 bright ultramarine blue, the blue of the shoulder 

 shading into sulphur-yellow and forming a conspicuous 

 spot of this colour in the centre of this part of the 

 wing ; the greater and lesser wing-coverts and the 

 secondaries bluish-green ; the upper tail-coverts and 

 two central tail-feathers green, passing into blue towards 

 the tips, which are blackish-brown ; the remainder 

 green at the base, shading into greyish-white on the 

 inner webs and tips : centre of the abdomen yellow : 



