82 VASA PARROT. 



Barkly, at one time Governor of Victoria, and subsequently of the 

 Mauritius, is still smaller than the Lesser Vasa, measuring about eleven 

 inches in extreme length. It is an insignificant-looking, gentle little 

 creature; of an ashy black colour, with a greyish white beak. It is 

 only found on Praslin Island, one of the Seychelles, and is not very 

 numerous there ; so that at no very distant date it will in all probability 

 become extinct. Four examples have at different times been placed in 

 the Parrot House of the Zoological Society of London, of which the 

 first was received in 1867, and the last in 1874; and this bird is, or 

 was quite recently, living in the Gardens. 



In addition to the two Vasas, and the Praslin Parrot, there is a 

 fourth black member of the Parrot family, viz. : Psittacus comorensis, 

 Fnsch., or Coracopsis comorensis, Gr., found in the Oomorine group of 

 islands by Dr. Kirk. It is, however, even more scarce than the Praslin, 

 and no example of the species has at any time been an inhabitant of 

 the Zoological Gardens of London. 



It is stated, on the authority of Dr. JBolau, to have reached the 

 Hamburgh Zoological Gardens to the number of three, which were 

 received at the same time, but none since. It is somewhat smaller 

 than the Great Vasa, to which it bears a general resemblance, except 

 its black feathers reflect a tinge of metallic green, principally on the 

 wings, back, and tail. The beak is blackish brown, the eyes very 

 dark, and the feet dark brown; the cry is weak and not disagreeable. 



A skin of the bird was seen by Dr. Finsch in the British Museum 

 a few years since, but it is not there now. 



The rarity of the latter two species renders their price uncertain. 

 A dealer into whose possession one of them might come, would be 

 apt to ask for it whatever sum he thought he would be likely to get ; 

 but the Lesser Vasas, of which we saw a goodly number in a London 

 shop a couple of years since, were sold at from eighteen shillings to 

 twenty-five shillings apiece; although we believe the first price that 

 was demanded was sixty shillings a head, at which figure we do not 

 think a single bird was sold. 



They would all appear to be hardy, and, if not attractive-looking, 

 very desirable birds to make pets of, for they are gentle, the Praslin 

 especially; and have not the loud, disagreeable scream of so many of 

 their congeners. When they do shriek it is in quite a minor key 

 compared with the Cockatoos and the Amazons. 



The Lesser Vasa has laid eggs in confinement, but has not, as far 

 as we are aware, reproduced itself in the aviary. 



The Great Vasa is about twenty-one or twenty-two inches in length. 



