104 The Australian Satin Bird and the King Parrot. 



travel, the oftener will your path be crossed by tliis " dashing 

 pioneer." It is also seen frequently in the Groulburn district, 

 and I have met with, him as far north as Mount Hope ; but there, 

 as in some other places, I found that he had a dangerous rival 

 in the graceful and golden- fronted green leek parrot, and a 

 little lower down the Murray by the more sombre, yet noble 

 black-tailed lory. He is often to be seen in the Bass Biver 

 district, sometimes accompanied solely by his unpretending 

 queen, at others in the mixed company of his compeers. Here, 

 during the months of winter, they are to be found in many of 

 the gullies on the mountain ranges, keeping company with the 

 lyre bird and the Yankata cockatoo-; and in the same gully, 

 and doubtless often under the same trees, whilst they are 

 quietly feeding in the upper branches, the lyre bird is talking 

 to them in their own language at the foot. At this time of the 

 year they are remarkably quiet, and, owing to the density of 

 the upper foliage in these mountain scrubs, you may traverse 

 gully after gully in these sequestered ranges, swarming with 

 king parrots and other birds, and yet be entirely ignorant of 

 their presence, and the only way to arrive at a knowledge of 

 their vicinity is to repeat at intervals their short and mono- 

 tonous call-note, and then as likely as not you will hear it 

 answered from a tree under which you have just passed. 



In the spring the greater portion of these birds leave their 

 mountain home, and descend into the lower country adjoining 

 it, and when this is the case, our friend proves himself not only 

 the "king of parrots," but the "king of robbers," stripping 

 the fruit from the trees in the settlers' gardens ; and of all 

 vegetables, potatoes appear their favourite. After a time they 

 return to the ranges to rear their young, and when this is 

 done they reappear with augmented forces to " raid" in the 

 surrounding country. I think the king parrot right well and 

 worthily named ; for although some may perhaps say that the 

 dashing dress of the blue mountaineer is brighter in its hues, 

 and that of the crimson-coated lory deeper in its dye, yet 

 neither the one. nor the other, nor in fact any of the parrot 

 race, can, in my humble opinion, vie in stateliness of carriage 

 or splendour of appearance with their ' ' titled king," for the 

 bright red tint of his front and lower garniture stands forth 

 in bold relief from the dark purple and green of his lordly 

 back, while the bright reflection from his dark green wing, as 

 it flashes in the rays of the noon-day sun, dazzles the eye of 

 the beholder, and proclaims the presence of a " Prince of 

 the Birds of Air." 



