76 AUSTRALIA AND THE AUSTRALIANS. 



What Australian birds lack in song, however, they 

 make up in plumage. 



Go where you will, by rail or coach, you cannot fail, 

 a little distance from the cities, to see some of these 

 bright plumaged birds, and we had in this respect a 

 fine opportunity. We travelled thousands of miles 

 through the country parts in passing from one town 

 or village to another. 



Besides, specimens of almost all the bright plumed 

 birds are in the zoological gardens, so that where one 

 fails to see them in their native wilds, he can see them 

 in the cages. 



I have found that the very best source of informa- 

 tion respecting birds, especially of this kind, is the 

 enthusiastic taxidermist, who every now and then 

 spends several days in the forest, procuring birds and 

 rare animals for himself. 



THE COCKATOO. 



There are, it is said, not less than sixty different 

 kinds of parrots ; some authors say seventy. I pre- 

 sume the cockatoos are reckoned among these. 



The white cockatoo, with the large yellow crest, is 

 the most common of the cockatoo variety. I have 

 seen these in hundreds feeding in the fields. They are 

 as great a pest to the farmer as the crow of America. 



