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Nesting of Bourke's Parrakeet.



Every morning a casting, chiefly composed of grit and

mucous, was brought up before they took their food.


In my illustration one bird, it will be seen, is drooping one

wing; this they often did, especially when quite young and

when standing in the sun. These birds grew rapidly, especially

as regards their bills, and after a time they moulted many of the

black feathers of the neck, which were replaced by white ones.

By the time we reached England they had begun to moult their

long secondaries and the beautiful plume-like feathers were

beginning to take their place.


I rarely heard these young Ibises utter any noise, the

smaller one certainly made a loud chirping noise every morning

when let out, but beyond that I never heard a sound from them.


When first hatched the young Sacred Ibis is covered with

a short white down, with the exception of the crown, cheeks

and hind neck on which the down is black. The crown of the

head having a white patch in the centre. The iris is black.

Bill pinkish lavender and quite straight. Tarsi and toes pinkish

flesh colour. Later on the base and tip of the bill get black

and finally this colour spreads until the whole bill is black.



NESTING OF BOURKE’S PARRAKEET.


By W. R. Fasey.


From the very first day on which I commenced to keep

Parrakeets, I have looked forward to the time when I could

acquire the beautiful Bourke’s, and many are the dealers I have

commissioned to procure them, but without success until, in May

1904, I received a telegram from Mr. Jamrach—“Come at once,

one pair only Bourke’s and Princess of Wales”—I lost no time

in calling upon Mr. Jamrach, and came away with the two pairs

of birds at a price many times greater so far as the Bourke’s

are concerned than what they have recently been offered at;

but as this was the first pair that had been seen in England for

many years I was quite satisfied with the bargain. They were in

excellent condition and I believe would have nested that year if

I had not lost the hen, which flew against a perch and broke her



