i6o 
Parrots. 
\n'^ them into otitdoor aviaries too early in the season. Dr 
Butler describes the female as having a thicker beak, with less 
deiined culmen, and without the defined angle at the end of th;' 
cutting edge of the upper mandible, as viewed from above. My 
first pair were of the thin narrow-l.ieaked variety, and although 
they kissed and caressed each other and roosted in the nest box 
together, they did not lay. ]\Iy second pair were of exactly the 
same type, and altliough one of these, as I was assured, had laid 
eggs in a cage, they did nothing with me. At last I secured a 
pair, one of which was of the thick-billed type, described by Dr. 
Butler as that of the female. Alas! this bird, whatever its sex 
may have been, proved a perfect little demon, and after it had 
murdered two of the others. I disposed of it and the survivors. 
Two that were post mortemed proved to be males. 
The Tovi Parrakeet (B. jugularis) I have had two 
specimens only, and I believe them both to have been males. At 
any rate one of them mated up with a hen Ringneck and she 
laid and incubated a nest of eggs for him, whilst he most care- 
fully guarded the nest. Nothing, however, came of this liason 
much to my regret. 
The Tui Parrakeet (B.tui) is a very charming little 
bird, about the size of the Madagascar Lovebird, and of whici' 
I think that there are two quite distinct species. Dr. Eutlei 
tells us that the hen differs from the cock by having no yellow- 
streak behind the eye, and by having a narrower and shorter 
beak than the male. Now the first pair that I possessed were 
both adorned with the yellow eyebrow streak, and to all appear- 
ance were a true pair. If one was removed, the other was incon- 
solable, and they were altogether the most loving little parra- 
keets that 1 have kept. However, no eggs were laid, so 1 
determined to try and procure one without the eyebrow streak 
At last I succeeded in getting one, from one of our lady 
members, who assured me that this bird had laid eggs in a cage. 
On arri\al I found that it was a slightly larger bird than either 
of my own; that its irides were white instead of brown, and that 
its beak was of a darker shade. When introduced to the others 
they would have nothing to do with it. Sometime afterwards 
I was at a large London dealer's and there saw two pairs in 
