!S24} DAMASK PARROT. 



strong and whitish ; legs dusky. This bird, which 

 is described by Levaillant, is a native of the east- 

 ern parts of Africa, inhabiting deep forests, and 

 not advancing so far southwards as the Cape of 

 Good Hope; being found in lat. 32 south, and 

 consequently far beyond the limits so vainly and 

 absurdly assigned by BufFon to the Parrot tribe. 

 It delights particularly in the fruit of the tree 

 called by the Dutch in those regions Geek HouU 

 (bois jaune,) or fVild Kaersen^ ( Cermer sauvage^ 

 Fr.) Vast flocks fly into the above-mentioned 

 Eastern forests, in which they pass all the warm 

 season, and return again to higher latitudes on the 

 approach of the rainy season, after they have 

 reared their young. These flocks often fly at 

 such a height as to be heard without being seen. 

 During the breeding-season each pair remain in- 

 separable, either in the hollow of a tree or of a 

 rock, where the female lays four white eggs, about 

 the size of Pigeon's eggs, on dry leaves, moss, or 

 decayed wood; the male partaking the task of in- 

 cubation with the female. The exact period of 

 this could not be ascertained by Monsr. Levail- 

 lant, but he is inclined to think that the young 

 are hatched in less than twenty-four days. The 

 young are at first entirely naked, and are after- 

 wards covered with greyish-white down, through 

 which, in4;he space of about six days, the shafts 

 of the feathers may be perceived; and at this pe- 

 riod nothing can be more ugly than the young 

 birds. In about six weeks they are entirely co- 

 vered with plumage, but remain in the nest a con- 



