33 



f^OCKATIEL. 



Psittacus Novce-Hollandice, Russ. 



Synonyms: Palceomis Novce-Hollandice, Leptolojphus auricomis, 



Nymphacus Novce-Hollandice, Calojpsitta Novce-Hollandice, Gould. 



German: Ber Nymfensittich. French : La perruche calopsitte. 



THIS quietly pretty bird upon whom naturalists have imposed such 

 a multiplicity of names, but which is now very generally desig- 

 nated Cockatiel, a word signifying little Cockatoo, is not, properly 

 speaking, a member of the sub-family of the Plyctolophce, but rather 

 takes rank with the Grass Parrakeets, themselves nearly related to the 

 Ground Parrots, as is evidenced by the length of its legs, and the 

 facility with which it walks and runs on the ground. 



The plumage of the Oockatiel, without being beautiful, is strikingly 

 pretty and effective, affording, as it does, such bold contrasts of colour; 

 the general hue of the plumage is ashen grey, darker on the upper 

 than on the under surface of the body; the shoulders and outer edges 

 of the wings are pure white, the crest, which the bird has not the 

 power of elevating and depressing at will, like the true Cockatoos, and 

 the face are citron yellow in the male, but grey in the female, and 

 on the centre of the cheek, in both sexes, occurs a patch, about the 

 size of a thumb-nail, of brick red; the under surface of the tail is 

 black in the male, but in the female prettily barred and mottled with 

 yellow. The upper surface of the tail and the rump of the female are 

 barred and marked in the manner the French term zebre, with streaks 

 and lines of a lighter shade of the uniform grey of the plumage, giving 

 the bird a mottled appearance, while in the male the same parts present 

 one uniform tint of deep slate grey, so that there is no difficulty in 

 distinguishing the sexes from each other. 



The young of both sexes have the under surface of the tail barred 

 like that of their mother, but even when leaving the nest the young 



