THE MALAYAN LONG TMLED PARROQUET 
Other habits : —¥]o£ks of these birds will often come down 
to trees bearing fruit and we have not rarely seen them in the 
Botanic Gardens fro.m whence Ridley has recorded that the 
species evidently prefers tlr>^ seeds to juicy fruits, being especi- 
ally fond of those of the Mahang-trees (Macaranga) and the 
"Pagar Anak" {Ixonanthes). 
In Sumatra they are satd by Mr. E. Jacobson to cause much 
damage by eating' the young shoots and leaves of the coconut 
palms. The same writer states that; "The bill of captured 
birds is usually covered by a brownish substance, being the 
dried up sap of the fruits they feed on'\ 
[This bird breeds in holes in trees and lays about four 
white eggs. It feeds on fruit, berries and, it is said, seeds and 
grain. It does well in an aviary and will eat bananas in 
amazing quantity. 
Parrots are clean feeders and it is not, perhaps, generally 
known that thev are excellent to eat.— J. A. S. B.]. 
Two other species of parrots have been recorded from 
Singapore, but neither of them are common and tiie species 
described above is the only member of the PsiUaciformes we 
have ever seen on the island. 
The others are the blue-rumped parroqitet (Fsittinus 
incerius malaccensis) and the blue-crowned hanging parroquet 
(Loriculus £algiilus). Both are very distinctive looking birds 
and on account of their short tails not to be confused with 
Pal^orms long'ttmtda, P. i. niQlacc crisis has the head and 
rump pale blue, the back blackish, the wings mostly green and 
the undeq^arts pale greyish-green washed with blue here and 
there, The female is generally duller and has the blue of the 
head replaced by brown; wing about 4^ inches. 
Lorlctdus galguius is very small^ — about sparrow size in 
fact. The male is bright grass green with an orange-yellow 
patch on the back of the neck, a blue spot on the top of the 
head and a bright vermilhon patch on the throat. The rump 
and upper tail-coverts are also bright red. The female has no 
red on the throat. The "serindit" is imported into Singapore 
in large numbers for it is a favourite cage bird with the Malays. 
[113] 
RAFFLES LIBRARY 
SINCAPOKI 
