YELLOW-BUMPED PABRAKEET. 9 



in its native land, is surely rather extraordinary, especially as it is 

 frequently kept as a cage-pet by the colonists, and being a grass-seed 

 feeder is by no means difficult to preserve in captivity. 



It was described by Latham, but the engraving accompanying his 

 text is very distorted, and conveys an exceedingly poor idea of the 

 bird, which is really a handsome creature. 



In his great work, The Birds of Australia, Gould describes this 

 species with his usual felicity, and gives a graphic portrait of it: it 

 is to be regretted that so little is known of this charming Parrakeet 

 in this country, for it is hardy, lively, and beautiful, not too noisy, 

 as Parrakeets go, and susceptible of being rendered very tame; its 

 capacities for the acquisition of knowledge are not very great, but a 

 young male brought up from the nest will learn to repeat a few short 

 words about as well as the Eosella. 



In the vast primeval forests of the Great Southern Land the Yellow- 

 rumped Parrakeet is at home, and, of course, seen and heard too, to 

 the best advantage; the glaucous green of the foliage of the Eucalypti 

 forms a not inharmonious contrast to the golden yellow shades of his 

 plumage, and his cries pass unnoticed amid the concert of Nature 

 which they contribute to maintain; in confinement, however, he is as 

 we have said, not inordinately noisy, and may be kept in a parlour 

 without fear of any one being driven out of the house by his cries. 



In its native woods this bird breeds in the hollow limbs of trees 

 a rule to which we know of no exception in Australia, save that of 

 Pezoporus formosus, making no nest, but depositing its eggs on the 

 bare wood; it is shy, however, and the nest is difficult to be discovered, 

 and more difficult still to be plundered, when long and careful watching 

 has revealed its site, which is so carefully selected as to be almost 

 inaccessible to man or beast. The breeding season extends from 

 September to February, and there are, usually, two broods in the 

 season, of four or five young ones, which remain in company with the 

 parents until the following spring, when they separate, and each pair 

 sets up housekeeping on its own account. 



It is curious to mark the resemblances that approximate the different 

 kinds of Parrots to each other, no less than to consider the distinctions 

 by which they are differentiated, and to observe by what strong evi- 

 dence it is shown that they must all have been formed upon one 

 original plan, rather than, as the Evolutionists say, have descended, 

 in the lapse of ages, from a common ancestor. That "lapse of ages" 

 is a very handy bridge to get over a difficulty on : but which was the 

 common ancestor? was it a Macaw, or a Madagascar Love-bird? a 

 Grey Parrot, or a Budgerigar? 



