CHAPTER II 



SOME OF THE BIRDS OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS 



My first shot was fired at a parrot when I was a boy of 

 some twelve years. Well do I remember with what 

 trepidation I aimed the gun, in spite of the assurance of 

 older marksmen that it was an easy one to fire and would 

 not " kick," and what joy rushed to my young heart when 

 I saw the bird flutter, mortally hurt, to the ground. 



Parrot-shooting is a favourite sport in Australia, and 

 takes the place of rook-shooting in England. It was, I 

 think, a more prevalent pastime in my youthful days than 

 at present. Parrots were then more abundant than they 

 are now ; and on public holidays, especially at Christmas 

 time, people went out of the towns by hundreds, often for 

 a week at a time, to shoot parrots. Parrot-pie is as much 

 esteemed in Australia as rook-pie in England ; and if the 

 birds are young, is quite as palatable. But an old parrot 

 is one of the toughest birds that fly, and one of the hardest 

 to kill. A parrot will carry away more shot than any 

 other moderate-sized Australian bird, and must be very 

 hard hit before it will drop. Perhaps this is the reason 

 that it is considered to give such good sport to the fowler. 



The Psittacidae, the Columbae, and the Anseres are 

 three of the most characteristic orders of Australian birds, 

 and are all well represented in New South Wales. 



The parrots are usually associated with decidedly 

 tropical scenery and climate ; but though Australia is the 

 headquarters of several well-marked groups, or families, 

 of the order, they are largely met with in descriptions 

 of country that can scarcely be called tropical, or even 



