THE AUSTRALIAN GRASS PARRAKEET. 



I am a Parrakeet. I belong 

 to the Parrot family. A man 

 bought me and brought me here. 



It is not warm here, as it was 

 where I came from. I almost 

 froze coming over here. 



I am not kept in a cage. I 

 stay in the house and go about 

 as I please. 



There is a Pussy Cat in the 

 house. Sometimes I ride on her 

 back. I like that. 



I used to live in the grass 

 lands. It was very warm there. 

 I ran among the thick grass 

 blades, and sat on the stems and 

 ate seeds. 



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p^\ ARRAKEETS have a great 

 ' ' fondness for the grass 

 lands, where they may be 

 seen in great numbers, 

 running amid the thick grass blades, 

 clinging to their stems, or feeding on 

 their seeds. 



Grass seed is their constant food 

 in their native country. In cap- 

 tivity they take well to canary seed, 

 and what is remarkable, never pick 

 food with their feet, as do other species 

 of parrots, but always use their beaks. 

 " They do not build a nest, but must 

 be given a piece of wood with a rough 

 hole in the middle, which they will 

 fill to their liking, rejecting all soft lin- 

 ing of wool or cotton that vou may 

 furnish them." 



Only the male sings, warbling 

 nearly all day long, pushing his beak 

 at times into his mate's ear as though 

 to give her the full benefit of his 

 song. The lady, however, does not 



I had a wife then. Her 

 feathers were almost like mine. 

 We never made nests. When 

 we wanted a nest, we found a 

 hole in a gum tree. I used to 

 sing to my wife while she sat on 

 the nest. 



I can mock other birds. Some- 

 times I warble and chirp at the 

 same time. Then it sounds like 

 two birds singing. My tongue 

 is short and thick, and this helps 

 me to talk. But I have been 

 talking too much. My tongue 

 is getting tired. 



I think I'll have a ride on 

 Pussy's back. Good bye. 



seem to appreciate his efforts, but 

 generally pecks him sharply in return. 

 A gentleman who brought a Parra- 

 keet from Australia to England^ 

 says it suffered greatly from the 

 cold and change of climate and was 

 kept alive by a kind-hearted weather- 

 beaten sailor, who kept it warm 

 and comfortable in his bosom. It 

 was not kept in a cage, but roamed 

 at will about the room, enjoying 

 greatly at times, a ride on the cat's 

 back. At meals he perched upon his 

 master's shoulder, picking the bits he 

 liked from a plate set before him. If 

 the weather was cold or chilly, he 

 would pull himself up by his master's 

 whiskers and warm his feet by stand- 

 ing on his bald head. He always 

 announced his master's coming by a 

 shrill call, and no matter what the 

 hour of night, neve? failed to utter a 

 note of welcome, although apparently 

 asleep with his head tucked under 

 his wing. 



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