234 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



incubation lasts eighteen days, and the young appear in 

 about twenty-eight days. 



Unfortunately, this species is rarely to be seen in 

 the London market nowadays. It first reached the 

 London Zoological Society's Gardens in 1862, and con- 

 tinued to be received from time to time up to 1887. 



ORANGE-BELLIED GRASS PARRAKEET 



(Neophbma chrysogastra). 



Above grass-green ; lesser wing- coverts, ca.rpal coverts, 

 anterior greater-coverts, primary -coverts, and outer webs 

 of primaries deep blue , the ouiter webs of the latter, 

 however, tinged with greenish towards the tip; two 

 central tail-feathers bluish-green, bluer towards the tip ; 

 the next pair similar but with black margins to the 

 inner webs ; the rest greenish-blue on outer, black on 

 inner webs and broadly tipped Avith 'bright yellow ; 

 frontall band blue Avitih a, paler edging on both sides ; 

 .lores, cheeks, and breast yellcAvish-green. In-coming 

 greenish yellow on the abdomen ; a large central 

 abdominal orange patch ; under tail-coverts yellow ; 

 under wing-coverts deep blue ; foeak dark brown, paler 

 below; feet dull brown; irides dark brown. Female 

 smaller and duller, Av:ith the orange alxkwninal patch 

 more restricted and less brilliant. Hab., " South - 

 Eastern Australia, from the Clarence River District to 

 Victoria, and Tasmania; very abundant on the Actaeon 

 Islands" (Salvadori). 



Gould _says ("Handbook," Vol. II., p. 75) : " I 

 observed it sparingly dispersed in the neighbourhood of 

 Hobarfc Town and -N<'\v Norfolk, but found it in far 

 greater abundance on the Actaeon Islands, at the en- 

 trance of D'Entrecasteaux Channel. These small and un- 

 inhabited 'islands are covered Avith grasses and scrub, 

 intermingled with a sper-ies of Barilla, nearly allied to 

 A/i-iplece halimus : and almost the onily land-bird that, 

 enlivens these solitary spots is the p'resent beautiful 

 Parrakeet. I frequently flushed small flocks from among 

 the grass. Avhen they almost immediately alighted on the 

 Barilla bushes around me, their sparkling orange bellies 

 forming a striking contrast with the green of 'the other 

 parts of their plumage and the silvery foliage of the 

 plant upon which they rested. I made many unsur. 

 ful attempts to discover their breeding- places ; as, how- 

 ever, these islands are destitute of large trees, I am in- 

 duced 'to believe that they lay eggs in holes on the 

 ground, or among the stones on the shore. On visiting 

 South Australia in winter, I there found it equally 

 abundant on the flat, marshy grounds bordering the 

 coast, especially between the Port of Adelaide and Hold- 

 fast Bay." 



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

 Birds/' p. 652) says : " Mr. A. E. Brent informs me 

 that this bird usually lays date in the season 

 (December), depositing its eggs in a small broken spout 

 of a faillen tree." He thus describes the midification : 

 " Nest. Usually Avithm a small hollow spout of a faillen 

 tree or log. Eggs. Clutch, four to six ; round in form ; 

 texture of shell fine ; surface slightly glossy ; colour pure 

 white. Dimensions in inches of a pair : (1) .84 x -73- 

 (2) .83 x -75; three from a e>et taken near Ross. 

 Tasmania: (1) .86 x .74, (2) .84 x -7, (3) .82 x .7." 



Russ sayis of it : " Very rare in the market ; imported 

 by J. Abrahams, of London." 



Four examples were purchased for the London 

 Zoological Gardens in 1873. 



ROCK GRASS-PARRAKEET (Neophema petrophila). 

 Above duill olive-green ; smaller upper wing-coverts 

 near bend of wing and outer coverts verditer-blue ; outer 

 greater coverts blue ; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and 



outer Avebs of primaries deep blue, the latter more or less 

 greenish towards tip* : inner Avebs of primaries brOAvnish- 

 black; central tail-feathers bluish-green, the rest blni=h- 

 green at base, the inner Avebs brownish-black, the tips 

 broadily bright yellow ; frontal band deep indigp-iblue, 

 edged on both sides Avith dull A-erditer blue ; lores and 

 orbital ring dull verditer blue ; under surface more 

 yellowish tihan above, especially on the abdomen, Avhich 

 is often slightly tinged with orange in the centre; under 

 tail-coverts yellow ; upper mandible deep reddisli-i'bnwn, 

 lower mandible pale yelloAv at the eidt-s, bluish-grey at, 

 the tip; feet dark brownish-grey; irkles> A-ery dark 

 broAvii. Female not differentiated. Hab., South-Western 

 Australia. 



Gould says (" Handbook," Vol. II., pp. 76, 77) : " It 

 occurs in great numbers on Rottnest and other islands 

 near Swan River." 'Here,' says Gilbert, 'it (breeds 

 in the holes of the mobt precipitous cliffs, choosing in 

 preference those facing the water and most difficult of 

 access ; and hence it required no slight degree of exertion 

 to procure examples of the eggs, which, according to 

 the testimony of the natives, are Avhite, and seven or 

 eight in number. 



" ' Its flight is extremely rapid, and at times it 

 mounts to a great height in the air.' ' 



Mr. A. J Campbell (" Nests and Eggs," p. 653) says : 



"-It is a rare picture to Avitness a pair of these loA^able 



little creatures in their golden-green plumage, perched on 



the face of a limestone crag, amidst such lomantic and 



rugged surroundings. 1 AVIS singularly successful in 



"ing a series of "their eggs at Rottnest Island, Avhere 



'lirds invariably select rocky islets off the main 



island for breeding purposes, notably Green ar.d 



Parrakee-t Islands. 



" By a curious coincidence the first person on the 

 island to present me Avith ^peci.'.iene of 'both eugs and 

 I >irds was Mr. A. H. Courderot, a corresponding 

 member of the Society before which I described the 

 viz., the Royal Society of Victoria. Other eggs I took 

 myself. The birds make no nesb, but simply deposit 

 four or five eggs under the slabs of indurated sand or 

 limestone, where the eggs are sometimes very difficult, 

 "to reach, especially if a crevice on a steep side sloping 

 to the water's edge be selected." He thus describes the 

 nidification : " Nest. In a crevice of a rock or under 

 shelving stones, usually on isilets adjacent to the main- 

 land." "Eggs. Clutch, four to five; some roundish, 

 others elliptical ir shape ; texture of shell fine ; surface 

 glossy; -colour, pure white. Dimensions in inch* s of 

 a proper clutch: (1) 1.0 x -75, (2) .98 x .78, (3) .96 x 

 .75. (4) .95 x -76. The eggs of the Rock Parrakeet 

 appear to be the largest of the genus." 



Mr. Seth-'Smith rightly conjectured that 'this 

 Parrakeet had been imported into England ; though t!>- 

 specimens Avere sent to the Continent. Russ says : " A 

 pair from Abrahams In my birdroom eat for several 

 months in a cage together with. youg Rose-headed 

 Parrakeets, and also fed with pleasure on the folloAviug. 

 prepared for the latter: Cooked rice, egg-bread. sAveet 

 fruit, etc. ; the female took possession of a Starling n<st- 

 box, Avhich chanced to be in the cage, and one day a 

 young (Rock PaiTakeet) flew out; tAvo rotten eggs Avere 

 left in the nest. Young piluimage : Above fa-Avn-givyish 

 olive-green, below clear olive-green (without yellow 

 tinge) ; cheeks and ear-region yellowish-green ; the blue- 

 frontal band only narrow and ill-defined (loral and 

 orbital ring Avanting) ; beak brownish horn-grey ; eyes 

 black ; feet broAvnish-gi ey. The following year the pair 

 laid four eggs in the nest-box, Avhich unhappily were 

 infertile." 



