Correspondence.



87



in the same way ; he may even have directed my attention to the shape of the

head when with me at some of the Crystal Palace Bird-Shows.


In my footnote I remarked that I believed I had published this character

for distinguishing the sexes of the Psittaci previous to the publication of “ How

to sex Cage-Birds”: I see that in my ‘‘Hints on Cage-Birds” p. 32, when

indicating sexual characters to be looked for in Parrots, I say: ‘‘note whether

the crown is short and arched, or long and flattish.” This little book was

published in 1903 and had previously appeared in serial form in ‘ ‘ The Feathered

World,” the above observation appearing in the part for May, 30th, 1902, and it

is certain that I was aware of the character many years before.


Characters which occur in birds, based upon the form of the skull and

beak, depend largely upon the habits of their possessors : where the female has

to do the thinking and the building, as well as taking her share in defending her

nest and young, she sometimes assumes what are in a general way male charac¬

ters ; indeed she is sometimes more masculine in form of head than her husband,

as I have noted in the case of the Quaker Parrakeet.


By the way, with regard to the green spot in female Rosellas, which, when

present, seems to be always round and of about the size of a pea, I never stated

on my own authority that it was absolutely constant; but where a green spot is

present in male birds it appears to be invariably irregular, never rounded.


_ Arthur G. Butler.


RE SEXING PARRAKEETS.


SIR,—In a footnote on page 43 of last issue, Dr. Butler refers to a state¬

ment of mine in “ Aviaries and Aviary Life.” Though the matter is but small,

perhaps, I may be permitted to state, that I acknowledged in the preface of

‘‘A. and A. L.” all works which I consulted in its compilation, and that the

statement referred to was from experience gathered from my own and many

friends’ birds under the conditions of avia^ life.


Tq Dr. Butler belongs the honour of gathering together systematically

what was known, as to differences in contour, between the sexes of similarly

plumaged species, aud adding thereto, from an exhaustive examination of the

■skins at the British Museum, etc.


At the same time it must be obvious that many of these distinctions could

not be original; for instance, the one in question as to contour of head, etc.

(this appeared in Bird Life in 1906, I think), was known to myself and many

other aviculturists long before that date, and, not only as regards Psittaci, but

other Orders too.


In “ A. and A. L.” owing to lack of space, I had to make reference to

such matters by a general statement, covering groups and not individual species.

Of course, I read Dr. Butler’s serial ‘‘How to Sex Cage Birds,” in Bird Life,

but did not get it when published in book form : had I quoted therefrom I

should most certainly have made due acknowledgment.


Before laying aside my pen, permit me to remark, re the ‘‘ green spot on



