BIRDS OF NEW ZEALAND. 31 



plumage was extremely gentle, quite free from vice, never attempting to use its 

 formidable bill. When requested to dance it would begin to bob its head up 

 and down and jerk its body to and fro in the most ludicrous manner ; and 

 this performance never failed to please every observer. Restless at night, he 

 would traverse his cage all over and give utterance to some curious sound 

 every now and then. I fear the cause of this bird's death was eating paint ; 

 and his extreme amiability of temper caused his loss to be a subject of great 

 regret, almost as much so as that of the famous Parrot mentioned by Miss 

 Strickland, in her ' Princesses of the House of Stuart,' p. 63, belonging to 

 the daughter of King Charles I., then consort of William II., Stadtholder of 

 Holland (this bird bore some faint resemblance to the White Kaka, but 

 had a red neck and tail, though otherwise a white Parrot), to which its owner 

 was much attached. " One day she left it under the care of her maids of 

 honour. On her return all her damsels fell at her feet in silence. ' Where 

 is my Parrot?' 'Alas, madam! the cage was opened and he flew away.' 

 The Princess said kindly, ' You are very foolish, my children, to weep for 

 this bird ; beautiful though he was, he was not worthy of the tears of 

 christians. Comfort yourselves and me, and let it not be mentioned again." 

 After all it was a light loss to that which her father and great grandmother 

 sustained. 



It is said that Onesicrites, the Admiral of the fleet of Alexander the 

 Great, first brought from the island of Ceylon a green Parrot with a red 

 neck. Probably the Alexandrine Parrakeet (^Palceornis alexandri) is meant, 

 as Jerdon (in his ' Birds of India ') says " this bird is abundant in Ceylon." 

 Aristotle evidently knew nothing of Parrots, and is doubtful about their 

 talking. 



Mr. Potts (' Transactions of the New-Zealand Institute,' vol. iii. pi. vii.) 

 gives an interesting illustration of the nest of the Kaka in the hole of a tree, 

 where, he says, " it lays four white eggs on the decayed wood." He also 

 states the following condensed particulars : — " It finds its liAdng on and 

 amongst trees, which it is often accused of injuring by stripping down 



