356 



NATURAL HISTORY OF BIRDS. 



green ; the two middle tail feathers are blue, the rest green. It is one of the most 

 abundant species in Australia, and has been exported in large numbers to England 

 and America. Its natural voice instead of being a harsh screech is soft and musical, 

 and the bird makes a pretty pet, frequently breeding in confinement. 



The crested ground-parakeet (Callipsittacus novce-hottandice) is mottled with 

 brown, gray, and white, with a little yellow and red upon the head. Like the preced- 

 ing it is a gregarious species, migrating to the north in February and March and 



FIG. 161. Melopsittacus undulatus, zebra grass-parakeet. 



returning to the southern shore of the island continent in September. It runs well 

 upon the ground, is far from shy, and is said to be very good for food. 



The genus Cyanorhamphus contains fourteen species from South Seas, all bril- 

 liantly colored, and some of them noticeable for their extreme southern range, being 

 found on Auckland and Macquarie Island, away to the south of New Zealand. The 

 grass-parakeets of the genus Euphema, seven in number, are bright-colored and occur 

 in Australia and Tasmania. Most of them bear confinement well. 



The genus Platycercus is the largest of the family, embracing, according to Reiche- 



