176 MATESHIP WITH BIRDS 



she repeatedly lifted the dead head up from the 

 ground, and walked to and fro over the body, as 

 though to bring it to life again ; then she flew away, 

 but immediately returned with some fine straws of 

 grass in her beak, and laid them before the dead 

 bird, evidently for the purpose of getting him to eat 

 the seed. As this, too, was in vain, she began again 

 to raise her mate's head and to trample on the body, 

 and finally flew away to a tree just as darkness was 

 coming on. I approached the tree, and a shot put an 

 end to the faithful animal's sorrow." 



That little tragedy will serve, fittingly enough, as 

 an introduction to a dark chapter in the history of 

 the species generally. Possibly that sad phase had 

 its genesis much earlier, with the establishment and 

 spread of settlement. Howbeit, the fact is that as 

 the years went by the Paradise Parrots steadily de- 

 creased in numbers. In time they became an un- 

 known quantity on the markets overseas. In time, 

 too, they vanished from districts where once they 

 were a feature a very beautiful feature of the 

 sub-tropical landscape. 



The decimation attracted no particular attention 

 in ornithological circles until 1915. Then Mr. A. J. 

 Campbell, C.M.B.O.U., wrote in The Emu an article 

 entitled "Missing Birds," specifying in this respect 

 the Paradise or Scarlet-shouldered Parrot, the Tur- 

 quoisine or Chestnut-shouldered Parrot, and the 

 Night-Parrot. "It would be interesting to know," 

 wrote Mr. Campbell, "if these three beautiful Aus- 

 tralian Parrots still exist or have been exterminated. 

 If the birds are extinct, what is the cause or causes 

 of their extinction?" 



