28 NowOTNY, TJie Carolina Paroquet in Captivity. Ffai^ 



THE BREEDING OF THE CAROLINA PAROQUET 

 IN CAPTIVITY.i 



BY DR. NOWOTNY. 



At the end of October, 1878, I bought a pair of Carolina 

 Paroquets in Vienna. At first they were foolishly shy and very 

 much worried, dashing about and huddling together. Soon, how- 

 ever, by quiet, gentle treatment, they became > tame, the female 

 sooner than the male ; and in three months I had succeeded in 

 taming them to such an extent that both would take to my hand, 

 the female would fly on my head, and both would take their food 

 from my hand or mouth. Gradually they became tamer, and now 

 they fear me very little ; and when I return from some trip, they 

 fairly bow, rejoicing, and at the same time raising up their wings. 

 At first their noise was often unbearable, but this has changed 

 completely. Since the close of their breeding period they seldom 

 scream ; I hear only faint, pleasing sounds or angry notes from 

 the female, at times a short call or cackling during copulation. 

 Before and during the breeding period they were passionately 

 fond of chewing up soft wood, especially limbs of poplar as thick 

 as a finger. Every day a perching stick of soft wood one and a 

 half times the thickness of a finger was destroyed. The female 

 was the destroyer, the male being less destructive. This, too, 

 has now changed, but I dare not allow them to remain unwatched 

 when I open the cage (which is done every forenoon). The 

 perch is not molested, but the curtains, wall paper, doors, win- 

 dows, and the like are not safe from the attacks of the female.. 

 The male destroys nothing. 



They are very fond of music. When my wife places the zither 

 table near the cage in the evening, lights the lamp and begins to 

 play, then rejoicing, headraising, bowing and wing beating takes 

 place without measure. Similar pleasure was expressed by both 

 when we lit the Christmas tree, December, 1878. The male is 



' Translated for ' The Auk ' by Paul Bartsch from Die Fremdlandischen 

 Stubenvogel, ihre Naturgeschichte, Pfiege und Zucht, by Dr. Karl Russ,. 

 Vol. Ill, pt. ID, pp. S3S, et seq. 



