THE WARBLING GRASS PARRAKEET. 



381 



always much longer than the others, sometimes projecting nearly four inches. The female is 

 wholly green, and may thereby be distinguished from her mate. Owing to the variable develop- 

 ment of the central feathers of the tail, the length of this bird cannot be accurately given, but 

 may be set down from sixteen to eighteen inches. The upper mandible is coral-red, and the 

 lower is blackish ; the feet are flesh-colored. 



One of the very prettiest and most interesting of the Parrot tribe is the Grass, or Zebra 

 Parrakeet ; deriving its names from its habits and the markings of its plumage. 



It is a native of Australia, and may be found in almost all the central portions of that 

 land, whence it has been imported in such great numbers as an inhabitant of our aviaries. 

 This graceful little creature derives its name of Grass Parrakeet from its fondness for the 

 grass lands, where it may be seen in great numbers, running amid the thick grass blades, 

 clinging to their stems, or feeding on 

 their seeds. It is always an inland 

 bird, being very seldom seen between 

 the mountain ranges and the coasts. 



Of the habits of this bird Mr. 

 Gould writes as follows : "I found 

 myself surrounded by numbers, breed- 

 ing in all the hollow spouts of the large 

 Eucalypti bordering the Mokai ; and on 

 crossing the plains between that river 

 and the Peel, in the direction of the 

 Tori mountains, I saw them in flocks of 

 many hundreds, feeding upon the grass 

 seeds that are there abundant. So 

 numerous were they, that I determined 

 to encamp upon the spot, in order to 

 observe their" habits and to procure 

 specimens. The nature of their food 

 and the excessive heat of these plains 

 compel them frequently to seek the 

 water ; hence my camp, which was 

 pitched near some small fords, was 

 constantly surrounded by large num- 

 bers, arriving in flocks varying from 

 twenty to a hundred or more. 



"The hours at which they were 

 most numerous were early in the morn- 

 ing, and some time before dark in the 

 evening. Before going down to drink, 

 they alight on the neighboring trees, 



settling together in clusters, sometimes on the dead branches, and at others on the drooping 

 boughs of the Eucalypti. Their flight is remarkably straight and rapid, and is generally 

 accompanied by a screeching noise. During the heat of the day, when sitting motionless 

 among the leaves of the gum-trees, they so closely assimilate in color, particularly on the 

 breast, that they are with difficulty detected." 



The voice of this bird is quite unlike the rough sci"eeching sounds in which Parrots seem 

 to delight, and is a gentle, soft, warbling kind of song, which seems to be contained within the 

 body, and is not poured out with that decision which is usually found in birds that can sing, 

 however small their efforts may be. Tins song, if it may be so called, belongs only to the 

 male bird, who seems to have an idea that his voice must lie very agreeable to his mate, for in 

 light warm weather he will warble nearly all day long, and often pushes his beak almost into 

 the ear of his mate, so as to give her the full benefit of his song. The lady, however, does not 



WARBLING GRASS PAKRAKEET.— Metopsittacus vndulatus. 



