Red-Winged and King Parrakeet. Grey Parrot. 439 



RED-WINGED PARRAKEET {Aprosmictus erythropterui), Australia. 



(Illustration painted from live specimen lent by Mr. Chas. Jamrach.) 



Piittacus erythropterus (Russ), Psittacus melanotus, Platycercus erythropterus, Plistes erythroptenis et coccineopterus. English 



dealers' name — Blood-wing Parrakeet, or Crimson- wing Parrakeet. German name — " Rothfliigeliger Slttich." 



The Red-winged or Crimson-winged Parrakeet is a timid, rare, and very beautiful bird, 

 very nearly as large as a Grey Parrot, and well adapted for cage-life. Though the Crimson- 

 wing may not learn to talk, neither will he scream ; and his gentle manners, together with his 

 brilliant plumage, will recommend him as a pet. I once possessed what I believed to be the 

 most perfect specimen of a male Crimson-wing, and took much trouble to find him a wife. 

 When I at last succeeded in obtaining a female, the result was a great fight and considerable 

 danger to life and limb. Although kept for a year in cages standing within a few inches of each 

 other, the two birds never became even reconciled, and yet if the books are correct (?), according 

 to which the plumage of the female is less bright, and the red on the wing less extensive, 

 I had an undoubted pair.* The Crimson-wing has never been bred in confinement, but an 

 amateur in Germany had a solitary hen which laid a few eggs. 



KING PARRAKEET (Aprosmichis scapitlatus), New South Wales. (Illustrated.) 



Psittacus cyanopygiis (Russ), Psittacus scapulatus, Psittacus tahiensis, Platycercus scapulattcs, Plalyc. scapularis, 



Platyc. cyanopygus. English dealers' name — King Parrot. German name— " Koenigs Sittich." 



The largest, one of the best known, and most brilliant of the Australian Parrakeets is 

 the very sedate and amiable King Parrakeet. Whilst European amateurs pay high prices 

 for these birds, Australian settlers have good reason to wish the whole species eradicated or 

 transferred to some other part of the world, for they do much damage to crops of grain. 

 King Parrakeets require much water. Drought in the interior of the Australian continent 

 forces large numbers to visit the coast settlements, where they are caught whilst bathing and 

 drinking. Newly-caught birds will at once take to their food in a cage, and thrive on 

 Indian corn, hemp-seed, canary-seed, oats, wheat, and almost any other seeds. Artificial heat 

 in winter seems not to agree with King Parrakeets at all, and provided they are wintered in 

 a room without a fire, no difficulty will be experienced in keeping these Parrakeets for years. 

 Notwithstanding detailed " instructions " for breeding King Parrakeets invented by various 

 authors and published in due course, I do not think that this Parrakeet has yet been bred 

 and reared successfully, although there really exists no reason why it should be difficult or 

 impossible. Until the birds are over two years old, male and female are very difficult to dis- 

 tinguish, but subsequently the bright crimson of the breast and lower body will spread over 

 the head and neck of the male, whilst the head of the female remains green. 



GREY PARROT {Psittacus erithacus), West Africa. (Illustrated). 



Psittacus erithacus (Russ), Psittacus Guineensis cinereus, Psittacus ruber. English dealers' name — Grey Parrot. German name 



" Grau Papagei," or "Jako." 



The best-known and most popular Parrot is our domestic pet " Polly," the Grey Parrot 

 from Africa. Whether the Romans had already learnt to esteem this bird is doubtful, but 



* Since the above was written I parted with my unloving pair of Blood-wings. They came into the possession of 

 a very intelligent amateur in Germany, and vexed him, as they had vexed me, by furiously fighting when placed in one 

 cage. A simple expedient succeeded in making the birds agree, and is worth knowing. The partiality of pigeons for 

 aniseed oil is well known. A few drops of this oil were spread on the plumage of the Blood-wing hen, and the efJect was 

 beyond all expectation, for instead of quarrelling and biting, the birds at once displayed great affegtion for each other, an4 

 there is every prospect of a successful brood resulting. 



