NOISY PARRAKA. 



191 



resembles the word parrakoua, from whence its 

 name is derived: it delights in the borders of 

 open woods, or the neighbourhood of cultivated 

 places \ but rarely in the interior of the country : 

 the females deposit from four to six eggs, making 

 the nest in low branches or stumps of trees, about 

 six or eight feet from the top ; when the young are 

 hatched, they descend, after a short time, on the 

 ground, and the mother behaves to her chickens 

 in the same manner as hens. The principal food 

 of this bird consists of grains and seeds, but it will 

 also eat fruits and tender herbs : the young are 

 fed with worms and small insects : during the day 

 they keep among the thick woods, but come out 

 into the open savannahs to feed, morning and 

 evening, at which times they are killed by the 

 inhabitants : their flesh is very fine, and greatly 

 esteemed : they are easily tamed, and bear con- 

 finement. 



