485 



PSITTACID^E. 



PSITTACID^E. 



436 



and in the long meadow near the Nepean River. They are shy, and 

 not easily approached. The flesh of the young ones is accounted good 

 eating. I have heard from the natives that it makes its nest in the 

 rotten limbs of trees, of nothing more than the vegetable mould 

 formed by the decayed parts of the bough ; that it has no more than 

 two young ones at a time, and that the egga are white without spots. 

 The natives first find where the nests are by the bird making ' Co'tora' 



Crested Cockatoo (Plyctolophui galeritta). 



in an adjoining tree, which lies in conspicuous heaps on the ground. 

 Co'tora is the bark stripped off the smaller branches, and cut into 

 small pieces. When the young are nearly fledged, the old bird cuts a 

 quantity of small branches from the adjoining trees, but never 

 from that in which the nest is situated. They are sometimes 

 found to enter the hollow limb as far as two yards. The nests are 

 generally formed in a Black-Butted Gum-Tree ; and also in Coroy'bo, 

 Cajim'bbora, and Yarrowar'ry tree (species of Eucalyptus). Their 

 breeding-places appear to be local." 



Mr. Vigors divides the genus into the following sections : 



* Cristd plicatili, acuminata, antrorsum torta. 

 Of this division he gives Plyctolophui galeritut above described as 

 the example. 



** CristA rotundatA, retrorsum incumbente. 



Of this section he gives Plyctolopltus Eos, Paittacus Eoa (Kuhl), the 

 Rosalbin Cockatoo, as the example. 



P. Leodbeoteri, Vig., Cocatua Leadbeateri, Wagl., the Tricolour- 

 Crested Cockatoo, also a native of Australia, is the most splendid 

 species yet discovered. Nothing appears to be known of its habits. 



In the same family of Plyclolophince Mr. Vigors places his genus 

 Calyfttorhynchiu, the chief difference between which and Plyclolophut 

 consists in the greater elevation and comparative shortness of the 

 bill 



C. funerta, the Funereal Cockatoo. Mr. Caley eays, " Its native name 

 is Wy'la, so called from the similitude of that word to the sound which 

 it makes. I have never seen them together in any numbers, not more 

 perhaps than half-a-dozen at a time ; but I have met with them in 

 many different places. Sometimes they come within half a mile of 

 the centre of Paramatta, where I have shot them in the trees. The 

 native told me it made its nest in YarWTrees (a species of Eucalyptus), 

 using only the vegetable mould. It makes no Co'tora, but cuts off the 

 small branches of apple-trees (a species of Anyophora). It has two 

 young ones." 



Ptittacut (True Parrots). Mr. Vigors is of opinion that the group 

 of the Piiltacidd, to which the name of Ptittacuii should be applied, 

 may perhaps be considered to be that which comprises the P. Ama- 



zonicus of Brisson and some allied species. That at least, he observes, 

 is the group best known under the old scientific term, and at the same 

 time under the familiar names of Parrot in our language, and Perro- 

 quet in the French, which correspond with it. 



These True Parrots are for the most part inhabitants of Tropical 

 America, and their prevailing colour is green. The ash-coloured or 

 Gray Parrot, Psittacus erythacus, Linn., is a native of Africa. This 

 group excels all others in docility and power of imitation. 



Mr. Swainson divides the True Parrots into two genera, namely : 



1. Chrysotis (Amazonian Parrots), which he thus characterises : 

 Face plumed. Wings rather short ; the first and second quills gra- 

 duated, and shorter than the third and fourth, which are the longest ; 

 all these have the inner web sinuated in the middle ; tertials very long. 

 Tail short, longer than the wings, broad, with the tips rounded. 



The species of these Green Parrots are numerous. Among them 

 the Festive Parrot (P. festivus of authors) and the Amazon's Parrot 

 (P. Amazonicus of authors) are perhaps the best known ; the latter 

 particularly, which is often brought to Europe on account of its 

 superior mimic propensities. The former, which exceeds the Amazon's 

 Parrot in size, inhabits Guyana and the Brazils, the banks of the 

 Maranon, or river Amazon, particularly, living in the forests upon 

 seeds and kernels of fruits. It articulates, with great clearness and 

 precision, words, and even sentences. The smaller Amazon's Parrot 

 is common in Guyana and Brazil, and more especially near the banks 

 of the river from which it takes its name. Fruits form its food, par- 

 ticularly those of the Rhizophora Mangle, or Mangrove-Tree, and in 

 its decayed trunks the bird deposits its eggs. It is considered very 

 destructive to orange plantations. In captivity it may be taught to 

 repeat many words and short sentences, which it learns with great 

 facility. 



Sloane, in his account of the Common Parrot of Jamaica, says that 

 it is less than those of the mainland, and has a reddish-coloured neck, 

 being everywhere else of a green colour ; that it has a short broad 

 tail; speaks very articulately; and that it is eaten baked in pies, 

 tasting like pigeons. 



2. Psittacus. Whigs lengthened, nearly as long as the tail. Face 

 naked. Tail even ; the feathers rounded. It inhabits the Old World. 



P. erythacui, the Common Gray Parrot, is generally considered to be 

 superior to all others in docility and mimicry : its imitation of the 

 human voice, when well taught, is complete, and its articulation most 

 clear. Very high prices have been given for clever and well-taught 

 birds. The parrot for which the Roman cardinal gave a hundred gold 

 pieces had, it is said, learned to repeat with clearness, and without 

 hesitation, the whole of the Apostles' Creed, a wonderful instance of 

 memory and imitation. This species is very long-lived. Le Vaillant 

 mentions one that he saw which had been domesticated 93 years : it 

 was indeed then in a state of decrepitude, and both sight and memory 

 were gone. 



Wagler's genera, Electui, Pionut, and Psittacodis, vary in some points 

 from Psittacus ; the former, Electus grandis (Moluccas and New Guinea), 

 approaches the Lories. 



The Australian genus Neatoi; of the sarue author, is pointed out as 

 forming a connecting link between the Parrots and the Cockatoos, and 

 is thus characterised : Bill elongated ; upper mandible compressed, 

 hooked ; the tomia sinuated, but not distinctly toothed ; the tip pro- 

 jecting, with its under surface sulcated and deeply excavated for the 

 reception of the tip of the under mandible ; under mandible narrow, 

 compressed, slightly convex, or forming, when closed, an obtuse angle 

 with the upper ; wings rather long, ample; tail of moderate length, 

 and even at the end ; tips of the shafts bare, and slightly projecting 

 beyond the feathered parts. 



N. productus, Long-Billed Parrot ( Gould). General colour of the 

 uppe- surface brown ; beak elongated ; head and back of the neck 

 tinged with gray ; the feathers of these parts, as well as of the back, 

 margined with a deeper tint ; rump, belly, and under tail-coverts, deep 

 red; cheeks, throat, and chest, yellow, the former tinged with red; 

 shoulders, on their inner surface, yellow, tinged with rufous-olive ; 

 tail-feathers banded at the base with orange-yellow and brown, the 

 inner webs of the quill-feathers at the base and beneath with dusky- 

 red and brown ; bill brown ; feet blackish-brown. Total length 

 15 inches. (Gould, ' Birds of Australia.') 



This species inhabits Norfolk Island and the most eastern portions 

 of New South Wales. 



" Like all the other members of this extensive family," says Mr. 

 Gould, " it bears captivity remarkably well, readily becoming cheerful 

 and contented ; at least such is the case with an individual in the 

 possession of Sir J. P. Millbank, Bart. ; and, as might have been 

 reasonably expected, the variation in the form of the mandibles, 

 which renders these birds so conspicuous, is accompanied by a marked 

 difference in the nature of their food, the powerful bills of the other 

 members of the family enabling them to feed upon hard seeds and 

 stony fruits, while, from the elongated form of this organ in the pre- 

 sent birds, this power is denied to them, and we find that they give 

 a decided preference to the leaves of succulent plants and the softer 

 kinds of fruit. Sir J. P. Millbank informed me thiit the bird in his 

 possession evinced a strong partiality to the leaves of the common 

 lettuce and other soft vegetables, and that it was also very fond of 

 the juice of fruits, of cream, and butter. Its voice was hoarse and 



