10 SOME BIRDS OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS 



many times, gradually mounting higher, and screaming 

 almost as noisily as cockatoos, and finally fly off rapidly in 

 a compact body. I suppose that they go in a pre-arranged 

 direction, and that the object is to seek a warmer district. 

 The whole attitude and manoeuvring of the birds seem to 

 indicate that this is their purpose ; but how far they go, or 

 to what description of country I have not been able to 

 discover. They are capable of enduring a considerable 

 degree of cold, and are often found at a great height in the 

 mountains of all parts of New South Wales. I have several 

 times seen flocks of them flying about in snow storms. 

 They have, however, a great dislike to rain, and in wet 

 weather hide away in hollow trees and under the broad 

 leaves of palms and other plants. They breed in hollow 

 trees, like the majority of parrots, but I watched one pair 

 which reared their brood in a hole excavated with remark- 

 able expedition in the bulky stem of a grass-tree not six 

 feet from the ground. The eggs are usually two or four in 

 number, and the few pairs of young birds which I have 

 taken and reared were always couples — a cock and a hen. 

 The old birds are very attentive to the young, and affec- 

 tionate among themselves ; and the young are fed with 

 the syrup, or honey, which the old birds eject from their 

 crops for the purpose. This syrup is, I suppose, partially 

 digested, a circumstance which may account for the 

 difficulty which is experienced in rearing the young birds 

 on artificial syrup or bee's honey, but they will thrive on 

 soft, pulpy fruit. 



Swainson's loriquet is a very noisy bird. It seldom 

 takes flight without uttering loud screams, which might 

 easily be mistaken for those of a cockatoo. It has also a 

 peculiar wheedling note, used when caressing its mate, and 

 which in captivity is often uttered when it is dreaming; 

 but it is not a good talker. It is often claimed by colonists 

 that parrots of this species can be taught to utter amusing 

 remarks ; but the sounds never seemed to me to be given 

 very clearly. Its beautiful plumage and lively habits are 

 its chief claims to interest as a pet. It is not remarkable 

 for intelligence, and scarcely seems to recognise its owner. 



