2 GOFFIN'S COCKATOO. 



noiseless personage, rarely opening her mouth, except to appropriate 

 the various good things in the shape of food with which her owner 

 has supplied her, and — this is the surest differentiating mark, — the irides 

 in her case are chesnut brown, while those of her lord and master are 

 jet-black. 



Groffin, as we hare said, is comparatively a rare bird, so that few 

 people have had the pleasure of possessing a specimen: let those who 

 are so fortunate as to include one in their collection, take care of him, 

 for he is teachable and lovable, making one of the most charming pets 

 that can be imagined. There seems no limit to the capacity for ac- 

 quiring knowledge of the human language possessed by this intelligent 

 bird, which often picks up, not only words, but long sentences, which 

 have been pronounced in its presence but on a single occasion; while 

 as for domestic sounds of all kinds, from the whimpering of an infant 

 to the crowing of cocks, and even the song of a canary bird, he readily 

 acquires, and with wonderful fidelity to nature reproduces them all. 



The female, as we have said, is a silent bird; one that we had in 

 our possession for some time, though mated with a most loquacious 

 husband, never succeeded in mastering his acquired language, beyond 

 repeating in a low and timid voice the two words "Well" and "Martha" 

 — the latter her own name. 



The male has one great drawback, however, he is an inveterate and 

 ear-piercing screamer, not at all times be it understood, but when he 

 is "put out", or hungry, or wants to be let out of his cage for a 

 ramble round the room, or is feeling dull, or, perhaps, poor thing! 

 when his liver is out of order: but we have never heard the female 

 scream, not even when teased and provoked in every possible way; hers 

 really seems to be an imperturbable temper, and oh! what a blessed 

 possession that is to be sure, for bird or man! 



Although natives of an intertropical region, the Groffins are by no 

 means delicate, but on the contrary hardy to the extent of being win- 

 tered safely out of doors in a partially covered aviary, where, if pro- 

 vided with suitable nesting arrangements they will also breed. 



Like all the Parrot tribe, with one or two doubtful exceptions, the 

 nesting-place of GoffrVs Cockatoos is in the hollow of some dead branch 

 of one of the larger trees that flourish in their native wilds: beyond 

 smoothing out, and carefully freeing from all extraneous matter, the 

 cavity they have selected for their dwelling place, these birds make no 

 nest, properly so called, but Jay their eggs on the smooth wood; three 

 or four in number, and about the same size as those of the Collared 

 Dove (Columba risoriusj but somewhat rounder, the eggs are pure 

 white, hatched in twenty-one days, and there are usually two broods 



