HOEXED PARRAKEETS. 



my collection measure .9 in. in length by .75 in. in 

 breadth." 



A full account of his experience of this species in 

 captivity was published by Mr. G. E. Bouskill, in 

 The Avicultural Magazine, First Series, Vol. IV., 

 pp. 45, 46. The birds paired, and the hen laid five 

 eggs and began to sit. From further notes (pp. 77, 78) it 

 appears that a sort of nest of fibre was formed inside a 

 cocoanut-husk ; the- female alone incubated, about 

 twenty-one days from the laying of the first egg ; the 

 nestling-down of the newly-hatched young was dirty 

 yellow ; when about fourteen days old the young began 

 to feather, and they were fully fledged when about a 

 month old ; they left the nest when five weeks old. The 

 young plumage chiefly differed from that of the parents 

 in the barely perceptible crimson frontal band, the 

 golden yellow patch less bright, the red under the 

 wings barely indicated, the beak flesh-colour, rather 

 darker at tip. They were reared on canary, hemp, and 

 millet, about thirty to forty mealworms daily and 

 stale bread soaked in cold water and then squeezed 

 nearly dry. 



Euss says it was bred in 1872 by Fiedler in Agram and 

 then by himself ; in 1883 also by Delaurier of Angou- 

 leme. He adds that it is only occasionally in the 

 market ; its price uncertain. It was first purchased for 

 the Regent's Park Gardens in 1865, and the last recorded 

 in the ninth edition of the "List of Animals" was a 

 pair purchased in 1890. 



ALPINE PARRAKEET (Cycmorhamphus malherbei). 



Smaller than the preceding, the frontal band orange, 

 the crown very pale yellow ; spot on sides of rump 

 orange ; under surface pale green, not yellowish ; tan 

 below dull grey, not olivaceous ; beak bluish-black, 

 silvery-bluish at "base of upper mandible ; feet pale 

 brown. Female probably smaller than the male. 

 Hab., North Island (Reischek) and South Island, New 

 Zealand. 



According to the late Sir Walter Buller, this species 

 frequents " the alpine scrub, in pairs or in small parties, 

 and is very tame and fearless. It is by no means un- 

 common in the wooded hills surrounding Nelson." He 

 was of opinion that it did not exist on any part of the 

 North Island, but this is now known to be an error. 

 <Cf. The Ibis, 1907, p. 317.) 



According to Dr. Buss, Delaurier bred four young 

 of this rare species in 1883. It was purchased (two 

 specimens) toy the London Zoological Society in 1872. 



The Horned Parrakeets (Xymphicus) are chiefly dis- 

 tinguished by the singular crest on the front of the 

 head ; they are rarely imported and difficult to keep 

 alive owing to the fact that their treatment in captivity 

 seems not to be understood. Buss save they should 

 have all kinds of green food, chiefly salad ; gradually, 

 after millet, canary, and hemp, it mav be accustomed 

 to all kinds of other seeds, freeh ants' cocoons or ant- 

 cocoon mixture, with egg-bread, etc., also service berries, 

 a little apple, and mealworms. I should fight shy of 

 service berries mviself, and also of egg-bread; I think 

 sponge-cake would be safer. 



HORNED PARRAKEET (Xymphicus cornutus). 

 Green, yellower on the under than the upper parts; 

 the singular crest consists of long black feathers tipped 

 with crimson ; two of these feathers are immensely 

 elongated, and curve upwards and forwards from just 

 behind the middle of the crown, whilst two shorter 

 ones project backwards from the posterior part of the 

 crest ; the face and chin are covered by a black mask 

 enclosing the eyes ; the nape and ear-covertsi golden 

 yellow ; bastard wing, primary coverts, and outer webs 



of primaries deep blue ; inner webs and undersides of 

 quills black ; rump washed with yellow ; tail blue 

 above, but with green base and pale tip, blackish witn 

 greyish tips below ; beak black, bluish on culmen ; feet 

 grey-brown ; naked skin round eye brownish ; iris 

 amber, reddish externally. Female smaller, duller in 

 colouring, with rather narrower and less tapsred beak. 

 The young have the nape and ear-coverts washed with 

 green, and the pale tips to the tail feathers are some- 

 what yellowish. Hab., New Caledonia. 



E. L. Layard says (The Ibis, 1882, p. 524) : " This 

 crested Parrot, which is peculiar to New Caledonia, is 

 found in all ihe forest region, frequenting trees in flower 

 or fruit. It usually flies in pairs, though often several 

 pairs may be found feeding on the same tree. They 

 are very partial to the candle nut fruit and to the 

 blossoms of the Erythrina. We have seen them on 

 the ground on fallen fruits and berries, but they do not 

 usually resort thither. They nest in holes in trees, and 

 we obtained their eggs on October 15. They are dirty 

 , white, rough, four in number, similarly shaped at each 

 end, and much rounded ; axis 12, diameter 10." 



An illustration of the head of this species, together 

 with that of N. uvcensis was published by the Messrs. 

 Layard in the " Proceedings of the Zoological Society " 

 for 1882. Plate AXVI. 



In The Avicultural Magazine, First Series, Vol. VI., 

 the Hon. and Rev. Canon Dutton says : " The species 

 that beate me is Nymphicus. To look at their bills you 

 would say they were seed-eaters ; but I bought a lot 

 of eight once, which looked healthy enough. They all 

 died, one after the other, of digestive troubles. And 

 I have had other specimens, which I have kept for 

 twelve months or .so, but then they have died. They 

 have never been kept very long in the Zoological 

 Gardens. I cannot but think they would live longer, if 

 we knew how to feed them correctly." 



It would seem that in Germany this and the follow- 

 ing species are not regarded as delicate. In 1882" Baron 

 von Comely bred three hybrids between this and the 

 Uvgean Parrakeet. 



In 1882 Layard brought home living examples of this 

 species, which were placed in the London Zoological 

 Gardens, and Abrahams imported it later. 



PARRAKEET (Nymphicus uvceensis}. 

 Grass-green, the rump yellower; bastard wing, 

 primary-coverts, and outer webs of primaries blue ; tail 

 green, changing to blue towards the tip; the three 

 lateral feathers blue, paler at tips, and with very little 

 green at base ; long frontal red-tipped feathers and crest 

 dark green, the latter consisting of six up-curved paler 

 tipped feathers ; face, cheeks, and chin dark green ; 

 under surface yellowish-green ; bill black, bluish at 

 base of upper mandible ; feet black ; irides, orange. 

 Female duller in colouring, with more slender beak, 

 especially towards the tip, but noticeably shorter. 

 Hab., Uvea, and perhaps Lifu, Loyalty Islands. I have 

 found no notes on the wild life of this species ; it was 

 brought over alive by Layard and deposited in the 

 London Zoological Gardens. According to Mr. Ssth- 

 Smith, it is more freely imported than the Horned 

 Parrakeet, but is regarded as equally delicate. Russ 

 tells us that Baron von Cormelv succeeded in breeding 

 it, after breeding the hybrids previously noted ;-so that 

 it is evident that these birds are understood on the 

 Continent. 



SWIFT PARRAKEET (Nanodes discolor}.* 

 In the adult male the prevailing colour of this bird 

 is bright green ; the forehead, throat, and under wing- 



* This being a brush.- ton gued bird, -with, the habits of a 

 Lorikeet, should be treated in captivity in the game manner. 



