26 i



Notes on my Birds.



NOTES ON MY BIRDS.


By Rosie Arderson-.


(i Continued, fiom page 238).


No. 4 division of the aviary is not used as a nesting house

at all, hut just as a place to turn in one or two odd specimens

and some of the year’s young birds when they are old enough to

well do for themselves. It is always useful to keep a place

especially for this purpose, but apart from this, my chief reason

is that not a nest is safe in this house owing to the wickedness of

“ Dick,” 111}' Masked Parrakeet. He will eat the eggs or even

the young birds, for I once found him eating a young Picni Dove

that was quite a good size. “Dick” is very peculiar with birds

though quite good tempered with people ; I have never known

him bite anyone yet. He has already injured or killed several

birds at different times, but as a rule they have been birds of his

own species. Now I only keep doves in his house, and he

seldom takes any notice of any of them, very rarely he has

sudden outbreaks, and then I have to be on the look out for the

safety of the other birds, but as a rule the offending bird can be

removed before any real harm is done. “Dick” is a very

engaging pet and so tame I can do what I like with him. He

is very gentle and if he may sit on my shoulder or nestle under

my coat he is quite happy, chirping and making strange noises

to show his pleasure. If he sees me talking to another bird and

can attract my attention in no other way he will put on a make-

believe limp in one leg just to get me to notice him. He is a

strange bird in his tastes, and seems to like things the reverse

way on : for instance, he prefers the pips to the orange, the

stalk of the grape to the fruit, and the shell of the pea to the

peas themselves. I have had “ Dick ” now for some years and

consider him the gem of my small collection. He was brought

over from the Fiji Isles by a sea-captain, and was tame with me

from the very first. The Masked Parrakeet is very handsome,

being a large bird with a very long sweeping tail; the general

colour is very bright emerald green, but the face is black (hence

its name), the eyes bright orange, and the breast yellow shading

into deep orange on the under parts. The long quill feathers in

the wings are bright blue.



