246



Correspondence, Notes, etc.



I may state that I have had opportunities to see Parrots in the wild

state for, during an extended journey in Brazil, I had the good fortune to

traverse at leisure considerable districts of cultivated, semi-cultivated, and

uncultivated country, with nothing else to do than to use my eyes and to

observe what objects of interest turned up.


As regards the number of species of Parrots, I have read some years

ago that it was estimated at Soo, and that frequent additions were being

made. I do not remember the title of the book, but I still believe that

when I wrote that “ I thought the known species of Parrots numbered

nearer 1,000 than 500 ” I was not far wrong.*


If we remember that the first mention of Parrots in history occurs in

the early years of the Christian era, that in 1820 only 158 species were

known, in 1832 179, in 1S67 350, and considering the progress of travel and

scientific research since that time, my estimate may not be far wrong when

I ventured to write that 1,000 species may exist, though 575 are enumerated

in a recent work on Parrots. Every ardent collector comes not un-

frequeutly across new species unknown to Museums, and the compilers

of Museum catalogues are often not too sure whether a new skin

should be declared an accidental variation of plumage, a local variety, or a

new species, and I think no Museum pretends to have a specimen skin of

every kind of Parrot in this wide world of ours.


It is gratifying to hear that on the whole Mr. Beebe seems satisfied

with the state of health and the rate of mortality of his birds during the

first year’s residence in his new Bird-house.


Far from wishing to be a sceptic, I would however remind him that

the result of one cycle of seasons is not conclusive. The second j'ear

reveals the real difficulties. I have seen tropical birds who survived one

winter’s open air treatment apparently surprisingly well, but who had no

stamina left afterwards. And another point is that any change acts as a

stimulant. I11 the seventies I was induced to exhibit a large collection of

many delicate and valuable small foreign finches. I thought that I was

risking the life of a good many, but to my great surprise not one died, and

all came back to my aviary as much refreshed and benefited as a human

being is who leaves, in the holiday season, a comfortable house and home to

spend some time in hot stuffy railroad cars and in hotels less comfortable

than his own home. Some such stimulus birds feel when they' first come

from a cage into an aviary, but the effect is not invariably so lasting as we

expect it to be.


And now I come to a very interesting part of Mr. Beebe’s letter, in

which he states that the American public pass by separate cages containing

but a single specimen or species, and are most attracted by collections

of larger numbers. That I can well believe, and it is a matter which Mr.

Beebe must doubtless consider. But I fancy that elsewhere the case is



About 600 species of Parrots are known. Ed.



