COCKATOOS. 109 



that in the wild state larvae of insects form a considerable portion of the diet of 

 many of the species, as in captivity they will readily eat both gnats and flesh. 

 Like most of the parrot tribe, cockatoos do little or nothing in the way of nest- 

 making, generally laying their eggs on the bare wood in some hollow tree. The 

 eggs vary from three to four in number, and usually two broods are reared in a 

 year. In those species which have been bred in Europe, the season extends from 

 May till September. Their elegant plumage, graceful movements, and the readiness 

 with which they are tamed, render cockatoos great favourites as domestic pets, 

 although their discordant cries — w^orse in some species than others — are a most 

 serious drawback. Writing of the great white cockatoo, Mr. W. T. Greene observes 

 that " occasionally one of these birds will learn to pronounce a few words with 

 tolerable distinctness, but their forte lies in the imitation of the barking of dogs, 

 the crowing of cocks, the gabbling of turkeys, and the cackling of ducks, hens, 

 and geese ; and more particularly in the rendering, with much fidelity but in an 

 exaggerated key, the outcries of a domestic fowl that has just produced an egg. 

 They may be readily taught to throw up their wings, dance on their perch, hold 

 out their foot to shake hands, and bow their heads in salutation of a visitor." Not 

 unfrequently these birds can be tamed sufficiently to admit their being allow^ed 

 to wander at large, and the writer is acquainted with an individual of one of the 

 Australian species which is at times let loose in the garden of its owner. Here the 

 bird will generally remain within accessible distance, although it will occasionally 

 fly to the tops of some tall trees. From such an elevated perch " cockie " will 

 generally descend at the call of its mistress, but occasionally it is obdurate, and 

 cannot be recaptured w^ithout much trouble. The rose-breasted species assembles 

 in smaller flocks than most of the other kinds, from which it also differs in its 

 fondness for shade, resting quietly in the tree-tops while its white cousins are 

 soaring in the empyrean above during the midday heat. From its splendid colours 

 and engaging w^ays it would make an attractive pet, were it not that its dis- 

 cordant screams are more piercing and more frequently uttered than are those 

 of its allies. 

 siender-BUied The slender-billed cockatoos, of which there are two species, one 



Cockatoos. (LicJiTYietis nasicd) having a wide range in Australia, w^hile the other 

 {L. pertinator) is confined to Western Australia, take their name from the great 

 length and slenderness of the upper mandible, wdiich projects obliquely forwards. 

 The former species is represented in the lower figure of the plate on page 104 ; 

 and measures 15 inches in length, the general colour of the plumage being white. 

 The lores and a narrow band on the forehead are, however, red; while the 

 feathers covering the head, neck, and breast are scarlet at the base, and the under 

 surfaces of the wings and tail are washed with yellow. Tlie crest is small, and 

 confined to the front of the head. 



The small lonff-tailed Australian species, known as the cockatiel 

 The CockatieL 



(Callopsittacus novoe-hollandiw), differs so remarkably in appearance 



from the other members of the family that it has been considered to be an ally of 



the grass-parraquets. Nevertheless, as it has the crest and skull of the cockatoos, 



it is referred by Count Salvadori to the present family. It differs from all the 



other members of the family in its narrow and pointed tail-feathers, of which the 



