TEE HOSE-SINGED PARRAKEET. 



313 



set in. They are said by some travellers to be very good eating, but by others to be only good 

 for soup. 



The Grey Parrot in his native haunts is an unsociable bird, and a curious story is told by 

 Dr. Dohrn, and confirmed by Mr. Keulemans, respecting the species in Prince's Island. As has 

 already been stated, the Parrots are extremely common there, but not a single Kite is met with on the 

 island. On the neighbouring island of St. Thomas there is an abundance of Black Kites but not a 

 single Parrot, between 

 whom and the Kites a 

 constant warfare is 

 waged, so that, should 

 one of the latter get 

 driven over to Prince's 

 Island he is almost im- 

 mediately set upon by 

 the Parrots and slaugh- 

 tered ; and the com- 

 pliment is returned if 

 a Parrot is so unfor- 

 tunate as to land un- 

 invited on St. Thomas's. 

 On the coast the chief 

 enemy of the Parrots is 

 the Yulturine Sea-Eagb 

 (Gypohierax angolensis). 



The colouring ot 

 the Grey Parrot is 

 simple, being of a clear 

 bluish-grey, with a red 

 tail. About the face 

 the skin is white, and 

 covered with a soft, 

 velvety feathering, 

 amongst which there is 

 a plentiful supply of 

 white powder, as any 

 one knows who scratches 

 the head of "Polly." 

 This powder is present in 

 most of the family, but 

 not to the same degree 

 as in the grey species. 



The young bird in the nest is stated to have the tail dark-grey instead of red, and it is more of a 

 brownish-grey colour, not so clear as in the old bird, while the iris is grey instead of yellow. 



The COXURES (Conurince) are the third sub-family of Parrots, and are represented largely in 

 America, only one genus, Palcvornis, being found in India and Africa. They have the head devoid 

 of a crest, with a very long graduated tail, and short and weak tarsi. Amongst the best -known 

 species of this sub-family may be mentioned the Great Macaw. 



THE ROSE-KINGED PARRAKEET (Pateornis torquatus). 



This Parrot is probably the species of which we have the earliest known record, as Onesicritus, 

 who was admiral of the fleet of Alexander the Great, is said to have brought from Ceylon a specimen 

 of a green Parrot with a red neck. Many authors have supposed that the large Alexandrine Parrakeet 

 (Palceornis eupatrius, or Alexandri) was the species referred to, but the habitat of this bird is now 



GREY PARROT. 



