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Some Experiences of Mealy Bosellas.



its foster parents through the bars of a cage until well and old

enough to be released. Still I could not help feeling rather disgusted

with the Brown’s, for his officious meddling with his neighbour’s

affairs and neglect of his own had cost me a breeding pair of

Bosellas and probably a nest of hybrids as well!


During the course of last summer, two new Mealies came

into my possession—both, unfortunately, to die after a few weeks—

which were interesting from a scientific point of view, and showed

curious variations of plumage. The first, a hen, had the crown of

the head thickly covered with strawberry-pink feathers, and showed

besides, an unusual amount of blue on the cheeks and on the upper

part of the neck. A tendency to erythrism, it may be noted, is

characteristic of several species of Australian Parrakeets ; individual

Brown’s, Bosellas, Yellow-bellies, and Manv-colours often showing

an abnormal amount of red in their plumage. The case of the Bed-

vented Blue-bonnet is very similar, and personally I do not consider

Psephotus Inoematorrhous as really a good species.


The second bird I received was a typical P. amathusia, the

first I have ever seen alive. He was much paler in colour than the

hen just mentioned, quite like an ordinary “ Moreton Bay ” Bosella

in many respects, but he had a dark-blue patch on the lower cheek,

not the circular patch one sees in a Pennant or Yellow-rump, which

starts from the base of the lower mandible but a kind of half-moon

lying low on the cheek and not reaching the beak at all. Although

this blue cheek patch is a very noticeable feature, the general resem¬

blance between P. amathusia and P. pallicliceps is so striking that

one can hardly fail to regard them as local races of one variable

species, and a series of skins obtained from different localities would

probably show the complete gradation of one form into the other.


In describing the habits of my Mealy Bosellas there is one

point I have forgotten to mention, viz., their playfulness. The

Platycerci as a family are very serious-minded birds, and do not

give themselves up to light-hearted antics. But here the Mealy is

rather an exception, and I have sometimes seen my birds playing in

true parrot fashion ; turning somersaults, throwing bits of stick

about, lying on their backs and hopping wildly round with spread

tails. I once had a Barnard’s Parrakeet who behaved in much the



