66



Mrs. Johnstone,



Catalogue shows several marked differences ; surely one may

wonder where one shall look for satisfactory characters

whereby to separate the Brown- throated from the Yellow-billed

Cardinal.



BREEDING OF THE ROCK PEBBLER PARRAKEET.


Polyielis melanura.


By Mrs. Johnstone.


The Black-tailed or Rock Pebbler* Parrakeet is not very

commonly known, although I expect it is familiar to the greater

number of aviculturists by coloured plates, or perhaps by

personal experience in their aviaries. Mr. Campbell tells us it

.is a common species in South Australia, its native home, and

that it is generally to be met with in the interior provinces or the

vicinity of permanent water.


The cock is most lovely, and for those who are un¬

acquainted with this species I add a short description :—


The head, breast, rump, upper and under wing coverts

are bright canary yellow, back greeny yellow, a bar of soft

bright rose colour across the centre of the wings ; flight and tail

feathers dark navy blue and black, beak deep rose colour. In

my bird the tail feathers are very long, the centre one measuring

ten inches, the whole bird nineteen inches. They are exceedingly

gentle, and I have never seen any of mine in the least disagreeable

to the others. They could, I am sure, be trusted with any bird,

however small and pugnacious. The hens are good layers and

sitters : both my hens, before I obtained a cock, laid five eggs

and sat the usual time. I did not take them as one hen at least

had paired with a Pennant Parrakeet. They would be very

useful, I am sure, to place eggs under when the rightful owners

declined to sit; they seem so anxious to nest, and I only regret

that I was not able to obtain more than one cock. Mr.

Campbell, in his Nests and Eggs of Australian Buds, says:—



* This species is a frequenter of rocks and pebbles bordering- rivers, commonly

breeding in the cliffs; and I am very glad to see that Mrs. Johnstone gives the correct,

instead of the corrupt and meaningless spelling of the familiar name generally used in

this country.—R. P.



