478 'The Cuckoo-like Birds 



of a well-defined crest, a feature which is unique within the group of Parakeets. 

 The two known species are confined to New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands, 

 the one from the first-mentioned locality (N. eornutus) having a crest of only 

 two feathers which are black, tipped with red, in addition to which there is a 

 yellow collar, red forehead, and black face; the length is fourteen inches. In 

 the Uvaean species (AT", uvceensis) of the last-mentioned locality, the crest con- 

 sists of six feathers which curve forward at the tips, the color being dark green, 

 while there is no nuchal collar, and the face is darlc green. With a brief account 

 of the two genera in which the tail is crossed from base to tip by alternate light 

 and dark bands, we may close our notice of this interesting group. The first of 

 these (Pezoporus] is further distinguished by having the tail long, much longer 

 in fact than the wing, and nails long and slender, its best-known member being 

 the Common Ground Parakeet ( P. terrestris) of South and West Australia and 

 Tasmania. It is about twelve and a half inches long, of which the tail takes up 

 nearly eight inches, the general color being green, with the forehead crossed by 

 a band of dark orange, and the remainder of the upper parts crossed feather by 

 feather by irregular bands of black and yellow, while the breast, abdomen, and 

 under tail-coverts are greenish yellow with numerous blackish bands; the four 

 central tail-feathers are green, with narrow bands of yellow. The Ground 

 Parakeet is a very peculiar bird, being entirely terrestrial in its habits, and 

 seemingly having lost the power of perching on trees or bushes. According to 

 Gould: "It usually frequents either sandy sterile districts covered with tufts 

 of rank grass and herbage, or low, swampy flats abounding with rushes and 

 other kinds of vegetation peculiar to such situations. From its very recluse 

 habits and great powers of running it is seldom or never seen until it is flushed 

 and then only for a short time, as it soon pitches again and runs off to a place 

 of seclusion. On the approach of danger it crouches on the earth or runs stealth- 

 ily through the grasses. It flies with great rapidity, frequently making several 

 zigzag turns in the short distance of a hundred yards, which it seldom exceeds 

 without again pitching to the ground. Its flesh is excellent, being delicate in 

 flavor and equaling, if not surpassing, that of the Quail or Snipe. Its four or five 

 white eggs are deposited on the bare ground," usually under a dense tuft of grass. 

 In many places where this species was formerly abundant it has now, entirely 

 disappeared, owing to the fact that the morasses have been reclaimed and the 

 drier open land broken up by cultivation. 



Night Parakeet. Inhabiting much the same portions of Australia is the 

 remarkable little monotypic Night Parakeet (Geopsittacus occidentalis), which is 

 peculiarly interesting from the fact that it is the only Australian member of its 

 group having nocturnal habits, and moreover it is almost the only one which 

 attempts to build a nest. Although it was first brought to scientific attention by 

 Gould, this great naturalist was unable to record anything regarding its habits, 

 but it has since been learned that it is mainly a ground bird. In an interesting 

 account the late Mr. F. W. Andrews says: "During the day this bird lies con- 

 cealed in the inside of a tussock or bunch of porcupine grass, the inside being 

 pulled out and a snug retreat formed for its protection. Here, also, its rough 



