400 THE PHILIP ISLAND PARROT. 



tempered birds, seldom trying to bite unless they have been teased, and even in that case they 

 generally give fair notice of their belligerent intentions by yelling loudly with anger, and 

 spreading their yellow crests in defiance of their enemy. 



The Cockatoo evidently possesses some sense of humor, particularly of that kind which is 

 popularly knovm as practical joking. A lady had once shown some timidity in approaching 

 a tame Cockatoo, and was evidently afraid of its beak. The bird thought that it was a great 

 Joke to frighten any one so much bigger than itself, and whenever the lady came near its perch 

 it would set up its feathers, yell, and make believe to attack her, merely for the pleasure of 

 hearing her scream and seeing her run away. 



In its own country the Cockatoo is anything but a favorite, on account of its devastation 

 among the crops. In treating of this bird, Mr. Gould writes as follows : "As may be readily 

 imagined, this bird is not upon favorable terms with the agriculturist, upon whose fields of 

 newly sown grain and ripening maize it commits the greatest devastation. It is consequently 

 hunted and shot down wherever it is found, a circumstance which tends much to lessen its 

 numbers. It is still, however, very abundant, moving about in flocks varying from a hundred 

 to a thousand in number, and evinces a decided preference for the ojDen plains and cleared 

 lands, rather than for the dense bushes near the coast. 



"Except when feeding or reposing on the trees after a repast, the joresence of a flock, if not 

 seen, is sure to be indicated by their horrid, screaming notes, the discordance of which may be 

 slightly conceived by those who have heard the peculiarly loud, piercing, and grating scream 

 of the bird in captivity ; always remembering the immense increase of the din occasioned by 

 the large number of the birds uttering their disagreeable notes at the same moment." 



The color of this Cockatoo is white, with the exception of the crest, which is of a bright 

 sulphur-yellow, and the under surface of the wings and the basal portions of the inner webs of 

 the tail-feathers, which are of the same color, but much j)aler in hue. The total length of 

 this species is about eighteen inches. 



The remarkably handsome bird which is represented on page 401 is a native of Australia. 

 It is called by several names, such as the Tricolor Crested Cockatoo, and the Pink Cocka- 

 too, by which latter name it is known to the colonists. The title of Leadbeater's Cockatoo 

 was given to the bird in honor of the well-known naturalist, who possessed the Itrst specimen 

 brought to Europe. 



It is not so noisy as the common species, and may possibly prove a favorite inhabitant of 

 our aviaries, its soft, blush-white plumage and splendid crest well meriting the attention of bird- 

 fanciers. The crest is remarkable for its great development, and for the manner in which the 

 bird can raise it like a fan over its head, or depress it upon the back of its neck at will. In 

 either case it has a very fine effect, and especially so when it is elevated, and the bird is excited 

 with anger or pleasure. 



The general color of this bird is white, with a slight pinkish flush. Round the base of 

 the beak runs a very narrow crimson line, and the feathers of the crest are long and pointed, 

 each feather being crimson at the base, then broadly barred with golden yellow, then with 

 crimson, and the remainder is white. The neck, breast, flanks, and tinder tail-coverts are 

 deeply stained witli crimson, and the under surface of the wing is deep crimson-red. The beak 

 is pale grayish-white, the eyes brown, and the feet and legs dark gray, each scale being edged 

 with a lighter tint. In size it is rather superior to the common white Cockatoo. 



A very singular form of Cockatoo is that which is known as the Philip Island, or the 

 Long-billed Parrot. 



This bird is only found on the little island from which it derives its name. It may probably 

 become extinct at no distant period, as its singularly shaped beak renders it an object of attrac- 

 tion to those who get their living by supplying the dealers with skins, and various objects of 

 natural history ; and its disposition is so gentle and docile, that it readily accommodates itself to 

 captivity. Philip's Island is only five miles in extent ; and it is a very remarkable fact, that 

 this Long-billed Parrot is never found even in Norfolk Island, though hardly four miles distant. 



