THE PARADISE PARROT TRAGEDY 173 



In this respect I think chiefly of several of our 

 beautiful Parrots. The history of these birds con- 

 stitutes something in the nature of a national tra- 

 gedy. Consciously or not, the white man in Aus- 

 tralia has been progressing to a sad tune in the ears 

 of a naturalist to the dirge of other natives besides 

 "the old people." He has destroyed, unnecessarily, 

 the feeding-grounds of valuable birds ; he has caused 

 them to be captured in thousands and held for his 

 own trivial entertainment; and he has carelessly 

 foisted so many enemies upon them (the fox, for in- 

 stance) that many birds have simply withered 

 away, not as individuals, but as species. For 

 example, consider the case of the regal Queensland 

 bird known in Europe of old as the Paradise Par- 

 rot, and called by people of its native country the 

 Beautiful or Elegant Parrot. 



It was nearly eighty years ago that John Gilbert, 

 able coadjutor of the great John Gould, the "father" 

 of Australian ornithology, when carrying out or- 

 nithological work on the then recently-discovered 

 Darling Downs, shot a Parrot of a species he had 

 not previously seen. Gould referred the specimens 

 to the genus Psephotus, and, filled with admiration 

 of the beauty of the birds, gave them the specific 

 title of pulcherrimus. "The graceful form of this 

 Parakeet," wrote Gould, "combined with the ex- 

 treme brilliancy of its plumage, renders it one of 

 the most lovely of the Psittacidx yet discovered ; and 

 in whatever light we regard it, whether as a beauti- 

 ful ornament to our cabinets or a desirable addition 

 to our aviaries, it is still an object of no ordinary 

 interest." 



