GOLDEN-CROWNED CONTJRE. 89 



although a native of South America, is not very delicate or difficult 

 to preserve." 



This adaptability of South American species, not only of Parrots, 

 and other birds, but of mammals, and plants and trees, to almost every 

 variety of conditions in which they happen to be placed, is a curious 

 fact to which we have already adverted, though why this should be so 

 is a question not very easily or satisfactorily answered : thus the Passion 

 flower is so far acclimatised that it grows freely out of doors in this 

 country, where it blossoms in profusion, and even matures its golden 

 yellow fruit: and the Green and Eed-crested Grey Cardinals brave the 

 cold of our most severe winters with impunity; while many flowers 

 and birds of Southern Europe would perish at the slightest degree 

 of frost, although the mean temperature of their native land is not, 

 by many degrees, as high as that of Brazil and Demerara. 



The Half-moon Parrakeets are natives of South America, where they 

 are common and widely diffused : the nest is made in a hollow branch, 

 where the female lays two or three white eggs. In the house they 

 become very familiar, and are very gentle and desirable birds: Dr. 

 Russ relates that a male in his bird-room was so tame that it would 

 fly on to his shoulder, and perch on his finger. 



In their native country they do considerable damage to the rice 

 crops/ and in captivity are to be fed on canary seed, millet and oats 

 adding rice in the husk when obtainable: in fact the latter is almost 

 a necessity when the birds first arrive in this country, unless they 

 have been accustomed to our English seeds on their voyage from their 

 native land. 



There is no record of their having as yet bred in Europe, at least 

 that we are aware of; but should any of our readers chance either to 

 have successfully bred them, or to know of any one who has done 

 so, we shall take it as a favour if they will kindly communicate the 

 particulars to us through our Publishers, as it adds much to the 

 interest possessed by a species for amateurs if the same has been 

 successfully reproduced in captivity. 



The Half-moon, or Golden-crowned Conure is often confounded with 

 the Sun Parrakeet (Psittacus solstitialis, Lin.), which is a very different 

 bird, although a native of the same country as the Half -moon: the 

 ground colour of the Sun Parrakeet is bright citron yellow; the face, 

 back, breast, and belly are a yellowish brownish red, the wings green 

 with yellow, black and blue markings, the beak is black, and the eyes 

 reddish yellow, so that the birds can be readily distinguished one from 

 the other: though the latter has occasionally been sold as the female 

 of the former, we do not insinuate with any intention to defraud his 



