Correspondence. 119


CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES, ®c.



LONGEVITY IN CAPTIVITY.


SIR-,—In the October number of the Magazine there was an article by

Dr. A. G. Butler on 1 ' Longevity in Captivity,” etc. It may be of interest in

this connection to place on record the following cases :—


In February, 1874, I bought a Red-headed Cardinal (Paroaria cucullata).

This bird died in June, 1899. He thus lived twenty-five years and four months

in captivity, occupying the same cage during the whole period. During the last

three years or so he showed some signs of age, much thickened scales on the legs

and a difficulty in the autumn moult, otherwise he remained in excellent

plumage with a brilliant red crest, mostly raised, and was very lively to the end.


In July, 1872, I bought a Lesser Sulphur Crested Cockatoo (Cacatua

sulpherea ), he was then a year old. This bird was killed by an accident in June,

1906, being then about thirty-five years old and showing no signs of age. He

enjoyed a good deal of liberty about the grounds. Of course this is not so in¬

teresting a case as the first, since some species of parrots are known to live to a

great age, over 100 years probably. WALTER CHAMBERLAIN.


SEXING PARRAKEETS.


SIR,—I was glad to see that my humble paper had called forth such a

hearty response. Lord Tavistock’s article is extremely interesting and should

prove most helpful to keepers of Parrakeets. Since writing my paper I have

bought several more Broadtails and in every single case the broods have either

been sexed wrongly or the birds have not been sexed at all.


With regard to young Redrumps I am glad to be put right. I understand

from one who had bred them that one could not sex them until the first moult.

Personally I have never had them although I possess a pair.


The Red Rosella question seems to have caused a good deal of heart¬

burning and I fear I was a little precipitate in bringing Dr. Butler’s name into

the discussion. I do not possess Dr. Butler’s “ How to Sex Cage Birds,” but a

friend allowed me to consult his copy one day and I quoted from memory with

regard to the green spot. Like Dr. Butler I have been a very keen entomologist

and I dare say he will recognise the name in that capacity. It was the Red

Rosellas that first led me to doubt whether they were a true pair. One or two

senior aviculturists took a good deal of trouble to point out the green spot in the

one bird but not in the other. But I couldn’t see it myself and I felt more and

more convinced I had two cocks. Subsequent history proved I was right, and

from that moment I have never ceased to carry out for myself the differences in

the sexes of birds in general and Parrakeets in particular. The result of my

investigations are chronicled. They are absolutely original as far as I am con¬

cerned, and, with the one exception of the unfortunate green spot, I neither



