84 BIRDS OF THE SPICE ISLANDS. 



abound on every hand are a very delicate article 

 of food. Their flesh tastes of the fragrant berry 

 or spice on which they feed ; and when they are 

 plump and in their best condition, the hunter 

 comes to seek for them. 



He walks into some lovely grove or wood where 

 he knows the Parrakeets abound. At first he 

 looks about, and is not able to see one of them ; 

 for their green plumage is too much the colour of 

 the leafy bower amid which they sit. He can 

 hear their various noises, but is unable to distin- 

 guish them. It is not, however, the nature of 

 these restless birds to remain quiet many minutes. 

 They soon begin to flutter, and to move from 

 bough to bough. One reason is, that they have 

 stripped the branch on which they were sitting of 

 all its berries, and wish to attack another. The 

 hunter hears a great moving of wings, and rust- 

 ling, and flying hither and thither. The birds 

 have come from their safe canopy of leaves, and 

 can be seen clearly. This is the moment he has 

 been waiting for. Off goes his gun, and an un- 

 lucky Parrakeet is sure to drop to the ground. 



