118 



HISTORY OF BIRDS. 



the ancients, and that at a time when they 

 pretended to be masters of the world. If no- 

 thing else could serve to show the vanity of a 

 Roman's boast, the parrot-tribe might be an 



to the time of Nero, were exclusively brought from In- 

 dia or its islands, and that the species, if more than one 

 had been introduced, also belonged to the genus now 

 under consideration, the description they have given, 

 of the plumage of these birds pointing distinctly to this, 

 and possibly one or two other nearly allied species, as not 

 only the prevailing colour of the body, but that of the 

 bill, and the distinguishing characteristic, the neck-col- 

 lar, are particularly mentioned. The Alexandrine, as 

 well as its congener the Rose-ring Parakeet, are still 

 highly prized, and frequently brought from the East In- 

 dies, as, in age, they possess great docility, and a facility 

 of pronunciation inferior to none of the race. Of their 

 habits in a state of nature we remain comparatively ig- 

 norant. 



The Ash-coloured or Grey Parrot. The Grey Par- 



rot is a native of western Africa, whence it appears to 

 have been imported from a very early period ; but com- 

 mon and well known as it is in a state of captivity, its 

 peculiar habits and economy in a state of nature are still 

 but little and imperfectly known. Like most of its kind, 

 it is said to breed in the hollows of decayed trees ; and 

 the instinctive propensity for such situations does not ap 

 pear to desert it even in a state of captivity ; for Buffbn 

 mentions a pair in France, that, for five or six years suc- 

 cessively, produced and brought up their young, and 

 the place they selected for this purpose was a cask partly 

 filled with saw-dust. Its eggs are stated to be generally 

 four in number, their colour white, and in size equal to 

 those of a pigeon. In its native state, the food of the 

 Parrot consists of the kernels of various fruits, and the 

 seeds of other vegetables; but when domesticated, or 

 kept caged, its principal diet is generally bread and 

 milk, varied with nuts, almonds, &c., and even pieces of 

 dressed meat. When feeding, it often holds its food 

 clasped in the foot, and, before swallowing, masticates or 

 reduces it to small pieces by its powerful bill and palatial 

 cutters. This member, so unlike that of other frugivo- 

 rous birds, is admirably calculated for the principal offi- 

 ces it has to perform, viz. breaking the shells of the 

 hardest fruits and seeds, and as a strong and powerful 

 or;an of prehension and support ; for few of our readers 

 but must have observed that the bill is always first used, 

 am! chiefly depended upon when a Parrot is caged, in 

 climbing or moving from one position to another. The 

 longevity of the feathered race, we believe, in general 

 far exceeds what is commonly supposed, at least if we 

 may judge from the age attained by various birds, even 

 when subjected to captivity and confinement. Thus, we 

 have instances of eagles living for half a century : the 

 same of ravens, geese, and other large birds, as well as 

 among the smaller kinds usually kept caged. The Par- 

 rot appears to yield to none of these, and several instan- 

 ces are upon record of their having reached the remark- 

 able age of sixty or seventy years. Among these, none 

 is more interesting than that of an individual mentioned 

 by M. Le Vaillant, which had lived in a state of domes- 



instance, of which there are a hundred kinds 

 now known ; not one of which naturally breeds 

 in the countries that acknowledged the Roman 

 power. The green parakeet, with a red neck, 



ticity for no less than ninety-three years. At the time 

 that eminent naturalist saw it, it was in a state of entire 

 decrepitude, and in a kind of lethargic condition, its sight 

 and memory being both gone, and was fed at intervals 

 with biscuit soaked in Madeira wine. In the time of its 

 youth and vigour it had been distinguished for its collo- 

 quial powers, and distinct enunciation, and was of so 

 docile and obedient a disposition, as to fetch its master's 

 slippers when required, as well as to call the servants, 

 &c. At the age of sixty, its memory began to fail, and, 

 instead of acquiring any new phrase, it began to lose 

 those it had before attained, and to intermix, in a dis- 

 cordant manner, the words of its former language. It 

 moulted regularly every year till the age of sixty-five, 

 when this process grew irregular, and the tail became 

 yellow, after which, no farther change of plumage took 

 place. The Gray Parrot is subject to variety, some- 

 times the ground colour being mixed with red. In 

 size it measures about twelve inches in length. The 

 bill is black, strong, and much hooked, and the orbits, 

 and space between them and the eyes, covered with a 

 naked and white skin. The whole of the plumage, with 

 the exception of the tail, which is of a bright deep scar- 

 let, is of an ash-gray colour, deepest upon the back, and 

 the feathers finely relieved and margined with paler 

 gray. The irides are of a pale yellowish-white, the feet 

 and toes gray, tinged with flesh-red. 



The Tricoloured crested Cockatoo. This Cockatoo is 



a native of Australia. The bill is of a pale grayish- 

 white ; the upper mandible strongly sinuated and toothed; 

 the irides of a deep brown ; the naked orbits whitish. 

 The feathers at the immediate base of the bill are crim- 

 son, forming a narrow band or fillet; those of the fore- 

 head are white, tinged with red. The feathers forming 

 the proper crest are long and acuminate, the tips bend- 

 ing forwards, their basal half crimson, divided by a bar 

 of rich yellow, the remainder pure white. The whole of 

 the body is white, tinged deeply with crimson upon the 

 neck, breast, flanks, and under tail-coverts. The under 

 surface of the wings is rich crimson-red. Its legs and 

 toes are deep gray, the scales distinctly marked by lighter 

 lines. Of its peculiar habits and economy we are un- 

 able to give any detailed account. Another Australian 

 species is the Helmeted Cockatoo, Plyctolophus galeri- 

 tus, enumerated by Mr Vigors and Dr Horsfield in their 

 description of the Australian birds in the collection of the 

 Linnsfcin Society; and as its habits are presumed to re- 

 semble In many respects those of the other species, wo 



