THE PARROT. 



119 



was the first of this kind that was brought into 

 Europe, and the only one that was known to 

 the ancients, from the time of Alexander the 

 Great to the age of Nero : this was brought 

 from India ; and when afterwards the Romans 

 began to seek and rummage through all their 

 dominions, for new and unhea-rd-of luxuries, 



quote their observations, as extracted from M. Caley's 

 Notes. " This bird is called by the natives Car-away 

 and Cur-iang. I have often met with it in large flocks 

 at the influx of the Grose and the Hawkesbury rivers, 

 below Mulgo'ey on the former river, and in the long 

 meadow near the Nepean river. They are shy, and 

 not easily approached. The flesh of the young ones is 

 accounted good eating. I have heard from the natives 

 that it makes its nest in the rotten limbs of trees, of no- 

 tliing more than the vegetable mould iormed by the de- 

 cayed parts of the bough ; that it has no more than two 

 young ones at a time ; and that the eggs are white, with- 

 out spots. The natives first find where the nests are, 

 by the bird making co'tora in an adjoining tree, which 

 lies in conspicuous heaps on the ground. Co'tora is the 

 bark stripped od' the smaller branches, and cut into small 

 pieces. When the young ones are nearly fledged, the 

 old birds cut a quantity of small branches from the ad- 

 joining trees, hut never from that in which the nest is 

 situated. They are sometimes found to enter the hollow 

 limb as far as two yards. The nests are generally found 

 in a black-butted gum-tree, and also in Coroy'bo, Cajim- 

 bora, and Yarrowar'ry trees (species of Eucalyptus)." 

 ffoliah Aratoo. This is one of the largest of the 





Fsittacules. It 5? a native of the eastern Australasian 

 islands. The whole of the plumage is black. Little is 

 known of its habits. 



Purple Capped Lory. This bird is a native of the 



Moluccas and other Eastern islands, from whence we 

 occasionally receive it, being held in high estimation, not 

 only on account of its elegant plumage, but for the doci- 

 lity it evinces, and its distinct utterance of words and 

 sentences. It is also lively and active in its disposition, 

 and fond of being caressed. In size it is amongst the 

 lir^est of the group, measuring upwards of eleven inches 



they at last found out others in Gaganda, an 

 island of Ethiopia, which they considered as 

 an extraordinary discovery. 



Parrots have usually the same disorders 

 with other birds ; and they have one or two 

 peculiar to their kind. They are sometimes 

 struck by a kind of apoplectic blow, by which 



in length. The general or ground colour of the plu- 

 mage is rich scarlet, this tint occupying all the lower 

 parts of the body, with the exception^ a-rnllar of yellow 

 upon the upper part of the breast. The neck, back, up- 

 per tail-coverts, and basal part of the tail, are also of the 

 same colour. The crown of the head is blackish-purple 

 in front, passing into violet-purple on the hinder part. 

 The wings on the upper surface are green, the flexure 

 and margins violet blue, as are also the under wing-co- 

 verts. The feathers of the thighs are azure-coloured ex- 

 teriorly, their basal parts being greenish. The bill is 

 orange yellow; the under mandible conic, and narrow to- 

 wards the tip. 



Blue-bellied Lorikeet. This species is a native of 



New Holland, where it is found in large flocks, wher- 

 ever the various species of Eucalypti abound, the flowers 

 of those trees affording an abundant supply of food to 

 this as well as to other species of the Nectivorous Par- 

 rots. According to the observations of Mr Caley, as 

 quoted by Messrs Vigors and Horsfield in their descrip- 

 tion of the Australian birds in the collection of the Lin- 

 n;ean Society, " Flocks of the^e birds may be seen in the 

 eucalypti-trees, when in flower, in different parts of the 

 country, but in the greatest number near their breeding 

 places." They do not, he adds, eat any kind of grain, 

 even in a domesticated state ; a fact curiously illustrative 

 of their peculiar habits, and the situation they hold in 

 the family of the Psittacules. It appears that they sel- 

 dom live long in confinement, and that when caged they 

 are very subject to fits. This in all probability arises 

 from a deficiency of their natural food ; and the instinc- 

 tive feeling or appetite for its favourite diet is strongly 

 exemplified In the fact, that one kept by Mr Caley 

 being shown a figure of a coloured plant, used to put its 

 tongue to the flowers, as if with the intent of sucking 

 them, and this it even did when shown a figured piece 

 of cotton furniture. By the natives it is called War- 

 rin ; the settlers call it by the name of the Blue Moun- 

 tain Parrot, though the term seems to be misapplied, as 

 it is a frequenter of the plains, and not of the hilly dis- 

 tricts. Its flesh is excellent, and highly esteemed. 



The Ground Parrot. The Ground Parrot is also s 

 native of New Holland and Van Dieman's Land, jvhere 

 it inhabits the scrubs or ground partially covered with 



