The Flight of the Black-tailed Parrakeet



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p. 148) to disable them, but only to pluck the dead bird and eat it,

commencing to tear up the head first, then other parts.


These Erlanger Falcons (Falco biarmicus erlangeri ) looked to be

about 16 or 17 inches long.


I have been unable from want of time and from other reasons to

look up specimens in museum or book accounts of adult plumage,

but have an impression that the above is immature plumage. Is

this so ?


Since August, 1921,1 have not seen either bird.



THE FLIGHT OF THE BLACK-TAILED

PARRAKEET


Some very interesting correspondence on the speed of the flight

of birds has been published recently in the Field, and amongst the

various letters one from the pen of the Marquess of Tavistock is of

considerable interest to aviculturists. The Black-tailed Parrakeet is

perhaps better known to aviculturists as the “ Rock Pebbler ” or

“ Rock Pepler


Lord Tavistock writes : —


“ I should say that the rather scarce Australian Black-tailed

Parakeet (Polytelis melanura) is probably one of the fastest birds in

the world, and also one of the most superbly graceful on the wing.

I have kept a young male of this species at liberty for some months

past, together with the nearly allied Barraband’s parrakeet and the

common Indian Ringneck, and have thus been able to compare the

speed of the three species with one another and with native British

birds. Very few of the latter can equal the pace of the Ringneck,

which, when alarmed, is an exceedingly swift bird ; but it is quite a poor

flyer by comparison with the Barraband, and the Barraband is a little

slower than the Blacktail. I have often watched the latter on a fine

morning dashing round and round at an almost incredible speed, now

turning and twisting over the grass, now diving through the branches,

until one would think that only a miracle could save him from being

knocked to pieces. The sight is a wonderfully beautiful one, but

unluckily a second bird of the same species, which I released last summer,



