444 Canaries and Cage-Birds. 



only way to treat Lories successfully is to feed them on boiled rice, sponge-cake, and fruit 

 (currants in winter are a good makeshift), and to accustom them gradually to canary-seed and 

 Indian corn, by keeping a dish of seeds continually in the cage. If they once take to eating 

 dry seed, the daily allowance of boiled rice, &c., may be very gradually reduced, and the 

 sponge-cake may then be given dry. The choice of beautiful and enduring Parrots is so large 

 that amateurs may well leave these costly and delicate Lories to the zoological gardens. 



SCALY-BREASTED PARRAKEET {TricJioglossus cUoroUpidotus), New South Wales. 



(Illustration drawn from stuffed specimen shot and preserved by Mr. Anton Jamrach.) 



PsHtacus ckloro'-epidotus (Russ), Trichoglossits matoni. English dealers' name — Scaly-breasted Lory. German name — 



" Gelbgeschuppter Lori." 



It would scarcely interest the reader if I expressed my doubts whether those ornithologists 

 are right who class this Parrakeet amongst the Lories. Mr. Gould says that the Scaly- 

 breasted Parrakeet in New South Wales lives almost entirely on the flower of the_ Eucalypti. 

 The six or more of these lively and charming little Parrakeets which I possessed at various 

 times ate canary-seed and a morsel of dry sponge-cake very cheerfully, and prospered on this 

 diet as well as any cage-bird can do, and as Lories unfortunately do not. 



It is much to be regretted that this very handsome Parrakeet is so very rarely obtain- 

 able, for other amateurs would no doubt be as much pleased with this gentle and beautiful 

 Parrakeet as I was. 



SWIFT LORIKEET [Latkimus discolor), Tasmania. 

 (Illustration painted from stuffed specimen, in the Author's possession when alive.) 

 Psittacus discolor (Russ), Ps. humeralis, Ps. Latkami, Ps. Aiistralis, Ps. Banksiantis, Nanodes discolor, Euphtina discolor, 

 Trichoglossus discolor. English dealers' name— Latham's or Swift Lorikeet. German name—" Schwalben Lori," or 

 "Lori mit rosenrothem Gesicht." 



The brilliant Swift Lorikeet, which I consider one of the most beautiful Australian Parra- 

 keets, is a migratory bird, breeding in Southern Australia, and migrating north in the winter, 

 His very rapid flight has caused it to be named Swift Parrakeet. Though not rare in Australia, 

 it is not often brought to Europe, where high prices are readily obtained for the species. 

 Immediately after arrival these birds are delicate, and require careful feeding on millet and 

 canary seed, and soaked bread or sponge-cake, to both of which a little honey may be added 

 with advantage. I have, however, been credibly informed that this Parrakeet, like many other 

 Australians, becomes so hardy when fairly acclimatised, that Swift Parrakeets have been wintered 

 in perfect health in out-door aviaries. 



Every connoisseur will see at a glance that many birds of which the reader might wish to 

 have had some account have not even been mentioned ; but the limits of the foregoing chapters 

 had been fixed before I was requested to write them, and the chief difficulty was to compress 

 the material into the allotted space. Should the interest in foreign cage-birds extend as much 

 as seems probable, a future edition may enable me to add matter necessarily excised now, 

 and meanwhile other amateurs will no doubt gather fresh experience of interest to keepers of 

 foreign birds. The communication of any fresh discoveries or observations relating to foreign 

 cage-birds, addressed to the care of Messrs. Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co., will much oblige 



The Author. 



