i8o Parrots ^ Parakeets 



It seems a great pity that special aviaries for the 

 hardy parrots and parakeets are not built at the 

 London Zoological Gardens ; for it is anything but 

 encouraging to see these graceful and active birds 

 cooped up in small cages in that deafening babel of 

 screams and close atmosphere, in the parrot-house. 



A Forsten's lorikeet — \yhich I presented to the 

 Society, and which with me lived in an outdoor 

 aviary all the year, with no artificial heat, and looked 

 the picture of health ; with only seed for food, and 

 greens in summer — I found in the vitiated air of the 

 parrot-house, on a mild October day, with some very 

 sloppy bread and milk in addition to its seed ; looking 

 as different in its condition as an East London child 

 does to a country one. 



Rows of cages jammed together, which in the 

 winter time are dominated by an upper tier of 

 raucous-voiced macaws, backed by lines of cockatoos 

 and amazons shrieking against each other ; while here 

 and there a plaintive " Poor Cocky " makes itself heard, 

 as much as to say, " Take me out of this ; I'm not used 

 to such language, and my head aches fearfully." 



Mingled in with all these boisterous birds are tiny 

 finches and delicate tanagers, as well as flashy-billed 

 toucans and green hunting jays. 



So much money has been expended upon reptile 

 houses, &c., where room enough is given to some 

 monstrous python to strike a miserable guinea-pig or a 

 wretched trembling rabbit and then curl himself up in 

 a blanket for a fortnight ; yet these lovely birds are 

 still refused the model dwellings they deserve and the 



