DAMASK PARROT. S2(S 



siderable time longer, and are fed by the parents, 

 who disgorge in the manner of Pigeons. At the 

 age of about two months they begin to feed them- 

 selves, at first accompanying the parents in their 

 flights, by whom they are afterwards driven away, 

 when they form a separate party. 



Every day, at the same hour, says Monsr. Le- 

 vaillant, the Parrots of this species fly to the water 

 in order to bathe themselves, in which operation 

 they take great delight : their hours of feeding are 

 also extremely regular, and their whole day is dis- 

 tributed by rule. At the dawn of morning the 

 whole flight of each canton assemble, and alight, 

 with much noise, on one or more dead trees, ac- 

 cording to the size of the flock, and there, dis- 

 playing their wings to the first rays of the sun, 

 recal to the mind of the spectator the idea of some 

 ancient race, of simple manners, assembled on 

 some hill, in order to chant a hymn in honour of 

 the God of Day. The reason, however, of this 

 assembly of the Parrots is to warm and dry their 

 plumage, moistened and chilled by the dews of 

 night, which in these regions is often very cold, 

 and always damp. When they are once warmed 

 and dried, they arise in small flocks, and fly about 

 in quest of their favourite fruit, the stone of which 

 they break in order to obtain the kernel; in this 

 resembling the generality of the Parrot tribe, 

 which prefer the kernel to the fruit itself. This 

 their morning repast continues till about ten or 

 eleven o'clock, at which time all the separate 

 flocks- fly to the water to bathe. When the heat 



