GRASS-PARRAKEETS. 



characters many of the genera of the Parrakeets are 

 separated, surely there can be no insuperable difficulty 

 in admitting that individual species, arbitrarily placed 

 in different genera for purposes of classification, may 

 be really more nearly related to each other than to their 

 congeners, according to formula.*' 



A pair of Bourke's Parrakeets, probably from the 

 same consignment from which Mr. Astley procured his 

 specimens, reached the London Zoological Gardens early 

 in 1905; one of them, however, died almost imme- 

 diately. In April, however, a second consignment 

 appears to have reached Mr. Hamlyn, from which Mr. 

 W. R. Fasey secured six specimens, and in The Avicul- 

 tural Magazine, for the following year (Second Series, 

 Vol. IV., pp. 276-277) he records his success in breeding 

 the species. He says : " They appear to be easy to 

 breed, and sit very steadily, the hen never leaving the 

 nest even when I have tried to disturb her." He adds : 

 " Neither these birds nor any of the Grass Parrakeets 

 (excepting the Budgerigar) can stand much cold ; and 

 I am of opinion they cannot be kept alive for any 

 lengthy period without growing grass to eat." The 

 first nest produced two young birds, the second five ; 

 and the hen then went to nest again. 



In opposition to the opinion that Bourke's Parrakeets 

 are unable to stand cold we read (The Avicultural Maga- 

 zine, Second Series, Vol. V., p. 232) that at Benham 

 Park five specimens lived out in an unheated aviary all 

 the winter, and looked in very good trim. 



In 1907 Mr. Seth-Smith paired two hen Bourke's 

 Parrakeets to one cock ; the hens laid in separate logs 

 in the same aviary, one nest resulting in four young 

 birds, the other in two. Three of the young, however, 

 were killed by the damp weather which prevailed at 

 the time. 



The first example of this species to arrive at the 

 Regent's Park Gardens was purchased in 1867 ; in 1869 

 half a dozen were added. 



BLUE- WINGED GRASS PARRAKEFT (Neophema renusta). 



Above brownish olive-green ; upper wing-coverts blue ; 

 primary-coverts and primaries black, the latter with 

 blue edges to the outer webs ; inner webs of secon- 

 daries black ; four middle tail-feathers greenish-blue ; 

 the rest black at base of inner webs, and blue at base 

 of outer webs, otherwise yellow ; forehead crossed by a 

 band of deep indigo-blue, edged above with pale blue ; 

 lores and region behind the eye yellow ; throat, chest, 

 and flanks pale brownish olive-green ; abdomen and 

 under tail-coverts yellow ; middle of abdomen brighter ; 

 under wing-coverts deep blue ; beak, feet, and irides 

 brown. Female duller in colouring than the male. 

 Hab., " New South Wales, South Australia, and Tas- 

 mania." (Salvador!.) 



A. J. North says ("Catalogue of Nests and Eggs," 

 pp. 262, 263) : " This beautiful species is found breed- 

 ing in the hollow branches of the eucalyptus and other 

 trees. An average specimen of the eggs taken from 

 the bottom of a hollow stump in which the female was 

 captured while sitting is white, and the shell smooth, 

 and measures length 0.85 x 0.67 in. Eggs usually 

 five for a sitting. The breeding season commences in 

 September, and lasts the three following months." 



According to Robert Hall (" Victorian Naturalist," 

 1898) : " A field of standing oats is much appreciated by 

 this species ; failing this, milk thistle and flat weed 

 (Hypocharis, sp.) seed come next in favour." 



According to Mr. Seth-Smith ("Parrakeets," p. 

 216), this bird "is very seldom imported into this 



* Like, the Budgerigar, Bonrke's Tarrak-eet is sometimes 

 affected by what is known as " French moult." 



country nowadays, aiihouga at one time it wa& occa- 

 sionally to be obtained, it very closely resembles the 

 Xeophema elegans, both species passing with bird 

 dealers as 'Elegant Parrakeets.''' 



Russ says : " Since 1881 frequently imported, parti- 

 cularly from London," which may perhaps account for 

 it not being on sale in the London market. He con- 

 tinues : " Bred several times since 1882 by Baron von. 

 Comely at his castle of Beaujardin, near Tours. Price 

 20-30 marks for a pair." 



This species has been represented in the collection, 

 exhibited at Regent's Park, but not of late years. 



ELEGANT GRASS PARRAKEET (Neophema elegans). 



The upper parts of this Parrakeet are dark green with 

 a golden gloss, and the under parts olive-green; the 

 frontal band to behind the eye, the edge 01 the wing 

 and lesser-coverts are blue; tne belly yellow, acquiring 

 a saffron central patch with age; the beak blacK with 

 whitish lower edge to the upper mandible ; the leet 

 brown ; the iris reddish or dark brown. Russ describes 

 the female as " dingier ; the forehead, face, and wings 

 with the same pattern, but more restricted and duller ; 

 the abdominal patch and shoulder patch not present." 

 Salvador! says : " Like the male, but duller and 

 smaller (Gould) ; and, according to Reichenow, with 

 the frontal blue band narrower." Seth-Smith says : 

 "Differs from the male only in being slightly smaller 

 and duller. I found the sexed females smaller, with a 

 considerably shorter beak, duller in colour, and with a 

 narrower frontal blue band. " Hab. , Southern Australia, 

 from New South Wales to Western Australia. 



Gould says that this bird appears to prefer the barren 

 and sandy belts bordering the coast, but occasionally 

 resorts to the more distant interior. Flocks were con- 

 stantly rising before me while traversing the salt 

 marshes, which stretched along the coast from Holdfast 

 Bay to the Port of Adelaide ; they were feeding upon 

 the seeds of grasses and various other plants, which 

 were there abundant. In the middle of the day, or when 

 disturbed, they retreated to the thick Banksias that 

 grow on the sandy ridges in the immediate neighbour- 

 hood, and in such numbers that I have seen those trees 

 literally covered with them, intermingled with the 

 orange-breasted species (E. aurantia), which, however, 

 was tar less numerous. When they rise they spread out 

 and display their beautiful yellow tail feathers to the 

 greatest advantage. 



Gilbert informed me that in Western Australia "the 

 Elegant Grass Parrakeet inhabits every variety of situa- 

 tion, but particularly where there is an abundance of 

 grass, the seeds of which are its favourite food ; it may 

 be generally observed in small families, but at Kojenup, 

 where there are several pools, and no other water for 

 many miles round, I saw these birds in myriads ; but 

 although I shot a great many, they were nearly all 

 young birds. Its flight is rapid and even, and fre- 

 quently at considerable altitudes. The breeding season 

 is in September and October, the eggs being from four 

 to seven in number, of a pure white, eleven lines long 

 by eight and a half lines broad." 



Dr. Russ says that this bird has a soft, pleasing song, 

 as Alexander von Homeyer first made known. It 

 endures captivity admirably, has freely nested in 

 Belgium and Holland, and in the London Zoological 

 Gardens in 1879 hybrids were bred between it and the 

 Turquoisine. 



Mr. John Sergeant published notes on the breeding 

 of this species in one of his aviaries in The Aviculturat 

 Magazine, First Series, Vol. II., p. 98. He says that 



