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Correspondence, Notes, etc.



jealous of his wife’s well-being, and guards her bravely. I do hope the

eggs will hatch and the young ones be reared successfully. It will be most

interesting to see how the colours are distributed in these hybrids.”


At a recent meeting of the Zoological Society Dr. C. G. Steligmann,

the Society’s pathologist, read his report on the deaths at the Gardens

during the past year which, so far as it relates to birds, is of considerably

interest to readers of this journal. Post mortem examinations have been

made on 21S birds in thirty-six of which no assignable cause of death was

to be found ; fifty-two had died of tuberculosis, eleven from enteritis and

forty-eight from injuries.



CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES, ETC.



the: nesting of brush turkeys.


Sir, —I am pleased to inform you that sixteen Scrub Turkeys ( Cathe-

turns tathami) have so far been hatched from the nesting-mound in these

Gardens this season : they are doing well. There are one cock and two

hens in the enclosure. The mound has not been disturbed, so I do not

know how many eggs are still in it. D. Le Souef.


Zoological Gardens, Royal Park, Melbourne.


Y'ELLOW-NAPED PARRAKEETS.


Sir, —I notice I am made to say I bred Mr. Fasey’s Yellow-naped

hen. What I think I wrote was “which has bred,” thus proving her sex.


I am afraid I hardly made it plain what I wanted to ask in my last

letter, viz. are the young Yellow-naped Parrakeets all hens which do not

show the red band over the bill and those showing the red cocks ? Is this

a sexual distinction in the young? F. H. Rudkin.


[It ts hoped that the observations of those members who possess

examples of this species will soon settle this question. Ed.]


Sir, —I bought a pair of Parrakeets as Barnards, but I rather think

from the description in your book that they are the Yellow-naped; they are

certainly a pair, but only the cock has a little red over the beak, the hen

has none, and is also rather smaller than the cock ; the cock also has some

slight splashes of red on the breast; their yellow collars are very broad and

distinct. They fly rapidly up and down a great deal, uttering a cry which

might be thought to resemble “twenty-eight.” They seem very good-

tempered and are tyrannized over by an old Rosella, who, however, never

hurts anything, and I have had him with other birds in the open air for

about fifteen years. M. W. ConneeE.


[Doubtless these are Yellow-naped Parrakeets (Barnardius semitor-

qualus), several of which have lately arrived in this country. Ed.]



