104 TTATTJIIAL HISTOEY SKETCHES. 



seen feeding on the ground. Although each one is dif- 

 ferent after its kind, it would be hard to say which was 

 the handsomest bird, if an old fuli-plumaged male of each 

 of these four parrots were laid before one on a table. They 

 are capital eating, and, as they come in good flocks, are 

 much sought after " for the pot." They have a loud, 

 grating, hoarse scream when flying ; and during their 

 migrations I often used to see immense flocks pass over 

 high in air ; in fact, this and the little green paroqueet 

 seem to fly higher than any other birds in the colony. 



We had a curious ground parrot, common in the long 

 grass in the plains, on the heather, and often in low 

 tea-tree scrub (sometimes up to the knees in water) 

 called the Swamp Parrot. I have heard some very 

 learned ornithologists call it the Pheasant Cuckoo, which 

 I consider a very far-fetched name. The tail certainly is 

 shaped like that of the common pheasant, and it is 

 barred, and here the resemblance ends ; but in what 

 respect this bird resembles the cuckoo, I never could 

 make out, seeing that it lives on the ground, has the 

 beak of the tree-parrot, and the call-note is nothing 

 more than a faint twitter. The swamp-parrot is au 

 elegant bird, both in shape and plumage ; nearly as large 

 as the rosella. but not so plump. The ground colour, 

 light sea-green ; every feather of three colours, green, 

 black, and yellow ; a long pointed tail, the feathers 

 barred with black and yellow, and a red forehead. The 

 shape of the beak, head, and body, is that of the parrot. 

 "But the legs are long and bare ; the claws long, straight, 



