68 BARRABAND'S PARRAKEET. 



next paragraph but one, on the same page, he also says, " Green Leeks 

 do not show any strong affection one for the other", which is surely 

 somewhat inconsistent. 



The same author concludes his chapter on Barraband' s Parrot with 

 the following recommendation: — "The treatment of the Grreen Leek 

 should be the same as that of the King-necked/-' 



Mr. Wiener, on the other hand, with more exactness, remarks, "This 

 Parrakeet is said to live on the bloom of the wattle shrub during part 

 of the year, but he does not appear to be quite as delicate as the 

 Paradise or Many-coloured, although I have gathered costly experience 

 by seeing Barrabands fall in fits from their perches for very trivial 

 causes." 



Dr. Euss, whose intimate knowledge of the subject is second to none, 

 advises the Barraband to be fed on hemp-seed, fresh ants' eggs, meal- 

 worms, and egg food; while Mr. "Wiener fed his on canary-seed, millet 

 in the ear, and groundsel: be that as it may, we believe that insect 

 food of some kind is indispensable, and prefer fresh ants' eggs, when 

 obtainable, to any other; failing these, however, we give a preference 

 to mealworms, about a dozen daily for each bird, and a piece of sponge 

 cake a day old: on this diet a Barraband will live for some years, 

 varying the bill of fare now and then with boiled rice, sweetened with 

 Jamaica or Mauritius sugar, bruised figs, or even currants soaked; and 

 any kind of flowers, such as cabbage blooms, mignonette, pea and bean 

 blossoms, and so on; but if attempted to be kept on the food suitable 

 for a Eing-necked Parrakeet, the chances are the poor birds would 

 very soon have fits, which means either death, or, which is almost 

 worse, paralysis. 



Although difficult to keep on the score of food, the Barraband is 

 not very susceptible to climatic influences, but, on the contrary, is able 

 to stand a very low temperature with perfect impunity. 



So far none of these birds have been bred in captivity, either here 

 or on the continent, nor are we even aware of any cases of egg pro- 

 duction among them. 



On the whole, we can scarcely recommend the tyro in Parrot keeping 

 to invest his money in Barrabands, which are by no means common, 

 and, when imported, usually fetch from £3 to £4 each in the market. 

 That they are handsome and elegant birds, the male especially, no one 

 will attempt to deny, but enough has been said to show that they are 

 even more difficult to preserve than the Purple-cap or Blue Mountain 

 Lory. 



"A constant supply of green food and a great variety of seeds" 

 are suggested by Mr. Wiener as a preventive of fits, to which an un- 



