AFRICAN, MADAGASCAR, AND WEST-INDIAN PAROQUETS. 



The Madagascar Love-bird, or White-headed Paroquet, is another common vari- 

 ety : they are much sought after as cage-birds, and, although not as handsomely 

 colored as the Red-faced Love-birds, are, withal, very desirable cage-birds. They 

 are not quite so large in size as the Red-face, but equally as hardy and capable of 

 being as well trained. They breed freely in confinement, which fact has made them 

 great favorites with the class of fanciers who like to breed odd specimens. 



The uniform color of the body is plain green, and the neck and head of the male 

 bird is a pale silver-gray : the female is green throughout, being a somewhat darker 

 shade on the head than on the remainder of the body. 



Pairs construct their nests in a curious manner : they will tear wood into small 

 strips, and, placing the strips in the middle of their backs, will bear them to the hole 

 selected for the purpose. As these bits of wood fall from their backs a number of 

 times during their flight, or in entering the nest, great assiduity and patience are 

 exhibited in the course of construction. 



The food and care should be the same as that of the Red-faced Love-bird. 



The West-India Paroquet is a sociable, plain-colored little fellow, being natu- 

 rally tamer than almost any other specimen of his class. He is about the size of 

 the Madagascar Love-bird, plain green throughout ; the edges of the male bird's 

 wings are tipped with a beautiful tint of dark blue : the female bird is plain green 

 throughout. 



I have heard Paroquets of this class that were most excellent talkers. They are 

 probably the most diminutive speech-makers known : they are brought from the 

 West Indies and South America at certain seasons of the year, in large numbers, 

 and are quickly disposed of ; as they are the cheapest of any class of Paroquets, 

 and probably the most intelligent. I had a promising specimen of this variety, who 

 rejoiced in the name of Tommy. His great failing was his intense love of butter. 

 Tommy would forego any pleasure for the sake of it, and, if not closely watched, 

 would indulge in a bath of it for the sake of having a stock of it on hand : after 

 rolling in it, he would sit on his perch, and draw his beak through his feathers, and 

 plainly betray the great pleasure his favorite dish gave him. His greed for the 

 article was the means of his death, as it brought on a skin-disease which could not 

 be cured. 



There are a great many other kinds of Paroquets commonly kept, for which the 

 treatment and care are the same as given for the above three kinds. The limited 

 space of this work prevents a fuller enumeration. 



