196 THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 



green. The staple food is grain and fruits, and in consequence 

 the birds are easily maintained in health in captivity, and are 

 the great feature of our bird shops. From ancient times these 

 birds have been made household pets, and have endeared them- 

 selves by their clever gymnastic performances, and the 

 wonderful faculty of acquiring human speech. Thus the Roman 

 satirist, Persius, asks — 



Quis expedivit psittaoo suum p^aipe, 

 Picasque docuit nostra verba conari ? 



(Who first extracted from the Parrot his Halloo, and taught 

 Magpies to attempt our speech'?) Which seems to show that 

 Greek and Latin were as handy to the birds as is back-blocks 

 English. Pew Parrots indeed are svich experts as was a bird 

 of a friend of ours, which had been brought from Mexico, and 

 was so particular in his conversation that he sounded his h's 

 before visitors who sounded theirs, and politely dropped them 

 if he noticed that that was the custom of those who came to see 

 him. Probably he was accustomed to the niceties of Spanish 

 pronunciation. It is, however, astonishing to hear the 

 vocabulary of some of our better talkers, as the White Cockatoo, 

 the Corella, and the Galah. A bird kept for many years at 

 Tom Ugly's Point, near Sydney, which had lost most of his 

 feathers amused passers-by by calling out in the winter, with what 



seemed to be appropriate vehemence, "D it, it's cold." As 



one would not expect from the harshness of the wild cries, the 

 parrot has apparently a good musical ear, and can be taught to 

 whistle tunes which have some go in them. The White 

 Cockatoo will become particularly tame and affectionate, and is 

 exceedingly knowing in his ways and diplomacy. A Sulphur- 

 crested Cockatoo has been known to live in captivity for 82 years. 



Most species nest in hollow trees, on the dust and rotten wood 

 at the bottom of the hole. Hence a certain expertness in 

 climbing is needed in those who hunt the young birds for sale. 

 Some of the Cockatoos build in crevices of cliffs or rocks. 

 Pezoporus and Geopsittacus breed on the ground, and 

 Psephotus pulcherrimus in deserted ant-hills. The eggs are 

 always white. 



The Black Cockatoos are generally found in the scrubs and 

 high forest, and rarely thrive in captivity. They occur in pairs 



