IN CAPTIVITY IN LOWER BENGAL. 267 



bathing, but a shallow trough of water should be allowed them during 

 the summer, or an occasional shower-bath applied with a garden 

 syringe. The love-birds do well in cages. 



Food. — Millet, hemp and canary seeds, and vegetables ; fruits, 

 bread, biscuits and sugarcane are also very acceptable to them ; 

 whenever possible, shoots of green corn should be given them, and 

 occasionally salt. All these grain-eating birds must have some gravel 

 or coarse sand placed in the cage. 



Breeding. — The undulated pass parrakeets have only once bred 

 in the garden. Of the five white eggs laid, only two were hatched, 

 the rest were broken, perhaps by other birds : an empty cocoanut, or 

 an old cigarbox with a circular hole in the side, large enough to admit 

 the bird, makes excellent nesting accommodation ; even when not 

 breeding they largely use their nests, and may often be seen pecking 

 at the fibres of the cocoanut : some sand and plaster off the wall of 

 an old building should be strewn on the floor of the cage to supply 

 them with lime. They are prevented from breeding by the presence 

 of strange birds and by want of privacy. 



Transport. — Hundreds of undulated grass parrakeets are con- 

 stantly imported packed up in very small cages. This is cruel. There 

 ought not to be more than a dozen birds placed in a cage about 18 

 inches long, 12 inches broad, and about 9 inches high. 



Treatment in sickness. 



They are generally hardy, but deaths frequently occur in a large 

 stock of grass parrakeets. They are not known to suffer from any 

 special diseases. 



Observations on their habits. 



Undulated grass parrakeets are noisy, always active and supremely 

 busy about nothing. They make the best of their captive life, and 

 appear to enjoy it far better than any other birds in a similar situation. 

 They become very tame, but not while living in the midst of a large 

 company. The love-birds are silent, quiet and amiable creatures, 

 and when kindly treated grow tame and affectionate. 



(184) THE PURPLE-CAPPED LORY. 



(LOEIUS DOMI0ELLA--(Z»»».) ) 



Description. — The prevailing colour of the plumage scarlet ; an 

 interrupted band of yellow stretches across the breast; the wings olive 

 green ; head deep purple, which in certain lights appears black ; a 

 broad band of light purple on the tail; beak orange red; the female 

 closely resembles the male, but is lighter coloured. 



Hah. — The Moluccas and the adjacent islands. 



Length of life in captivity. 

 Some of them have lived for over six years. 



