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have always been other [birds I have wanted more — but they

would be an agreeable change from Budgerigars, if they would

breed as readily. The one bird at " Brooklyn," which I do not feel

sure I have ever seen before, was the Blood-stained Cockatoo.

This must be Bechstein's Cockatoo (C. philippiiiariini) (a) of

which he says the cry is very disagreeable. But Mr. Fulljames

says it is quiet. It is quite the smallest Cockatoo I have seen..

Not far from it stood Pionus chalcopterus — the Bronze-winged

Parrot. He is a very tame little bird ; but the Piojii, as a rule,

are tame, yet they can occasionally give a nip, as this one alsO'

does. And they take their dislikes, too. A hen Menstruus I had

was very good with me, but hated one of our under-keepers, and

would always bite him if he could. Mr. Fulljames had also a

hen Menstruus , but it did not seem specially tame.


In the window stood several Australian Parrakeets, but

amongst the Australians there was nothing, with the exception

of one, which was either a Variegated Rosella or a hybrid, to call

for special note. A Forsten's lyorikeet, a Scaly-breasted Lorikeet,,

a Crimson-wing, a Rock Peplar, a King, and a cock Barraband.

were amongst the number. In mentioning the birds on the oppo-

site side of the room, I forgot to say that there was a hen Malabar,

which was the only representative of the genus PalcBornis in the

collection. There were no Conures ; Mr. Fulljames, I was

interested to find, quite sharing my feelings about them. I was

disappointed at missing the Microglossus — which had been sent

to the Alexandra Palace to try and forget feather picking in a

large aviary. The Gangas had been sold at the Crystal Palace

Show. Even Mrs. S. had not a good word to say for them. Her

experience was what mine has been, that they were morose

creatures, and not very willing to make friends. I may be going

to change my opinion— but of that more another day.


I have left, for the last two notes, the gems of the collection,

and the most interesting bird in it.


The gems were a pair of Princess of Wales Parrakeets-

{Polytelis alexa^idrcB). I had seen the bird before at the

Zoological Gardens, but never in such plumage as these. Not

only were the colours of these — the yellow-green of the wings

and the delicate rose of the throat — most vivid, but their tails-

were of a length I have never seen in an}^ species of the family.

I have never seen even a Barraband, or a Rock Peplar, with such

tails. And then, they were delightfully tame, coming up to the

bars of the cage to be noticed, and piping with a loud clear pipe


(a). The Cacatua haematuropygia of the Cat. Birds Brit. Mus.— R. P.



