LOVE-BIRDS 
JVHESE little members of the parrot 
family have earned their name by the 
devotion shown to their mates. A pair 
will sit closely side by side on the perch, 
cheek against cheek, or often bill touch- 
ing bill for long periods of time. How- 
ever, their love is not wide in its scope, and does 
not include other love-birds, and especially not 
other species of birds, toward whom they act 
most spitefully if given opportunity. The gray- 
headed love-bird comes from Madagascar, and is 
quite hardy; it is about the size of an English 
sparrow; the male being green, with a purplish 
gray neck, while the female is entirely green. In 
its native wilds the female has an interesting man- 
ner of carrying the shreds of bark with which to 
line her nest tucked safely beneath the feathers of 
her back, a wise way to carry a load. 
The rosy-faced love-bird comes from southwest- 
ern Africa. The face and beak are red, and the re- 
mainder of the plumage green. The wings of the 
male are lined with black. It is more delicate than 
the gray-headed, and needs tender care. These 
birds occur in their native land in small flocks, and 
fly with exceeding swiftness for short distances. 
Their food consists of berries and similar fruit seeds. 
They are in the habit of using the nest holes made 
by other birds for their own nests. 
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