PAEEOTS. 



463 



their prison. They have been known to pluck and even tear them^ 

 selves in these paroxysms. Supplying them with a plaything is 

 the only means of keeping them quiet under such circumstances. 



These Climbers are endowed with remarkable longevity. The 

 " Memorandums of the Academy of Sciences of Paris " mention a 

 Parrot that lived in the family of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, in 

 Florence, more than a hundred and ten years. Vieillot speaks of 



Fig. 185. — Ringed Paiiukeet {Palceornis torquatus, Vig.). 



having seen one near Bordeaux which was eighty-four years of 

 age. The average length of their life cannot, however, be exactly 

 ascertained. 



Parrots rarely breed in Europe ; it is true they often lay, but 

 the eggs are sterile. A few instances have been known in 

 France where, under favourable circumstances, they have per- 

 petuated their species. Generally all that we see in our tem- 

 perate regions are brought from countries where the majority 

 have been taken from the nest. Different means are employed 

 to capture the adults, all of which have for their aim to stun 

 them for an instant, in order to paralyse their movements. 



