222 



VEUTEBRATA. 



Tho SuLPnuR-CRESTED OocKATOO, P. sulphurcus, Cacatua sulphurea of some authors, is eleven 

 and a half inches long; general color wliito, with a tinge of siilphiir-yellow ; easily tamed, affec- 

 tionate, and fond of being caressed. There are two varieties, differing only in size; the larger is 

 a native of Australia, tho smaller of the Moluccas. 



THE BLACK COCKATOO. 



THE WHITE-CRESTED COCKATOO. 



The Great Red-crested Cockatoo, P. Iloluccensis^ is larger than the great white cockatoo; 

 general color white, tinged with pale rose; the crest very large; a beautiful and majestic bird, 

 very gentle, imitating the cries of hens, crowing of cocks, &c., at the same time flapping its wings. 

 Its native cry is cockatoo and derdong ; a native of the Moluccas. 



The Red-vented Cockatoo, P. P/i^7^/?/J^^^or?•^<??^, thirteen inches long; general color white; 

 feathers of the belly and tail-coverts red, tipped with white ; tuft only visible wdien erected ; tame 

 and beautiful, but has a harsh cry, and is unable to speak; native of the Philippine Isles. 



Bauks's Cockatoo, P. Banksii^ is the most rare, costly, and beautiful of the cockatoos ; twenty- 

 two to thirty inches long ; general color black ; feathers on the breast edged with yellow; yellow 

 stripes upon the breast and belly; the crest spotted with yellow; tail feathers marked with 

 crimson and orange ; native of Australia. 



The Black Cockatoo, Mkroglossum aterrimiim of Lesson, noted for its enormous bill, is 

 blue-black, and a native of New Guinea. 



There are other species of cockatoo, especiallv in the Australian islands, which seem %p abound 

 with parrot-like birds, some of which are of very eccentric characteristics. Among them is the 

 Strigops habroptilus, in New Zealand, called KaTcapo by the natives. This seems to be half owl 

 and half cockatoo ; it is strictly nocturnal, remaining in holes by day, and going forth only at 

 night. Its food consists partly of roots, and it is constantly grubbing in the earth ; so that its 

 beak is like a pig's snout, always covered with mud and dirt. It has a habit of making paths a 

 foot wide, which appear as if made by human art. 



The natives of those parts of Australia which abound in cockatoos take a singular method ot 

 killing these birds. Captain Grey, in his "Travels in Australia," says: " Perhaps as fine a sight 

 as can be seen in the whole circle of native sports is the killing cockatoos with the kiley or boome- 



