154


Out of the eight, I believe only one turned out to be a male ; this

bird and his mate are at the Zoological Gardens in the Regent's

Park, and it was from them that our illustration has been taken.

When first received, the male was in immature plumage, like to

that of the adult female ; but the authorities at the Gardens

quickly detected that the birds were not Psephotus pulcherrimus ;

and, as soon as the male had donned his adult attire, it was

announced that they were Psephotus cJuysopterygius. I suppose

that never before had living specimens of this species been seen

in this countr3^


For a time I tried to persuade myself that my two were

likewise a pair ; and I kept them under observation in a large

aviary-cage in my dining-room ; but there is not any sense in

living in a fool's paradise. True, indeed, that one had a darker

■crown than the other, and that a well-known Parrot-lover (not,

indeed, a member of our Society) pointed out with authority

which was the male and which was the female, and what were the

points of difference. I could only smile a sickly smile, for even

an authority cannot change the sex of a bird. Something may

be said for deceiving another, but not much for deceiving one-

self; and I knew in nxy heart that they were both females.


Although lacking the magnificence of the male, the female

possesses a sweet delicate beauty of her own ; some of the tints

are exceedingly soft and attractive, and the figure is exceptionally

slim and graceful. In many of its notes and ways, the Golden-

shoulder is like the Many-coloured Parrakeet, and is as easily

kept in health on the simplest fare, canary seed and spray millet

being its principle food. But the female, at any rate in the

absence of a male of her own species, is much more timid and

nervous. It is an adlive, lively bird, and its flight is very rapid.

When eventually loosed into the bird-room with garden aviary

attached, my two females did not get on very well, for their timid

wild nature hindered them from seeking the shelter of the bird-

room during cold weather, and often from obtaining a sufficiency

of food. This, however, was distinctly the fault of the aviary

and its inhospitable inhabitants. With peaceable companions,

this species would succeed much better in a warm aviar}^ than in

the best of cages. Although not exactly delicate, it is small

wonder that it keenly feels the cold when we consider that it

comes from so torrid a region as North Australia.


Like the Blue Bonnet and the Many-coloured, only in a

much greater degree, the Golden-shoulder has an instinctive

desire, as a general rule, to hang on to the wires of its cage or



