66 HOURS WITH NATURE. 



into an uproar, occasioned, I believe, by the visit of 

 cats or of some predacious animal, " 



******* 



The Food of Grey Parrots. In their own country and 

 in the wild state, the Grey Parrots feed on fruits and 

 grain ; in captivity they thrive well on the same kind of 

 food varied by such delicacies as bread and milk, bis- 

 cuits, boiled potatoes. They are particularly fond of 

 sweet things, such as dates or lumps of sugar &c. Tender- 

 ness and affection for young ones, not their own, are not 

 uncommonly manifested by them. When large numbers- 

 of young and old Grey Parrots are caged together, the 

 older birds frequently feed the younger ones, which 

 without this attention would probably die. 



4. OF PARROTS IN GENERAL AND OP INDIAN 

 PARROTS IN PARTICULAR. 



Since reading Thomas Periwinkle's interesting 

 account of the Grey Parrot, I have paid some attention 

 to this family of birds. They all seem to resemble 

 one another in having four toes on each foot, two of 

 which are turned backwards. This arrangement gives 

 them great power in grasping or climbing. The feet 

 answer every purpose served by hands, so that these 

 birds can grasp or hold fruit or nut in one foot whilst 

 holding on to a branch with the other. But the forma- 

 tion of the foot is not favourable to walking, which, they 

 therefore avoid as much as possible, living almost 

 entirely on trees where they find their sustenance. The 



