3240 THE ZooLoGist— OcrToBER, 1872. 
eventually died. This savage behaviour might have been owing to 
my having then but one nesting-place in their aviary ; a second 
cocoa-nut husk might have prevented the mischief. In a former 
instance the cock was the aggressor; in this case, too, there was 
but one nest. Many persons are unable to see any difference 
between the cock and the hen: as regards plumage they are 
similar; but the cere, in which the nostrils are placed at the base 
of the bill, is blue and smooth in the former; while it is rough and 
dirty-white in the latter; and this distinction is evident at an 
early age. 
Cockateels—The cockateels (Calopsitta Nove-Hollandie) are — 
great favourites with me; indeed, I think I may say that I prefer 
them to the little budgerigars, who, with all their beauty, are often 
very quarrelsome and very noisy. ‘I'he cockateels, on the other 
hand, are as gentle in manner as they are soft and elegant in 
appearance ; very tame and affectionate, and very hardy. At the 
commencement of laying, a young hen may sometimes die; but 
otherwise nothing seems to affect them. Mine have lived and bred 
for years in an out-door aviary. They usually commence breeding 
in April or May, and continue to the autumn: the hen lays four or 
five eggs, at intervals of one or two days, sitting steadily from the 
date of the first. As mentioned above, she sits by night, but is 
relieved at intervals in the day by the cock. About the twentieth 
day the first young one is hatched,—and an uglier little object can 
scarcely be imagined: during hatching the cock and hen remain 
in the nest together for a few days, one of them, I fancy, keeping 
the eggs, and the other the little chicks, which in about a month 
leave the nest, and are at first very wild, but soon cease to dash 
themselves about: even at this early period the young cocks can 
generally be distinguished by their yellower heads and darker tails, 
but this often is difficult till they moult. Cockateels live almost 
solely on canary-seed; as arule they do not care for green food, 
but like oats occasionally, and a bit of bread. Their note is a 
sweet whistle, that of the cock often resembling, “Joey, Joey ; 
sweet pretty Joey.” Should his wife happen to die, or to be 
removed from him, his note is most mournful and melancholy; 
and, if heard, the hen will certainly be found dead in her nest, if 
not seen elsewhere. 
ZTurquoisines.—The turquoisine (Huphema pulchella) is a very 
handsome little species, especially the cock, with his turquoise- 
