Rcd-coUarcd Lorikeet . 
85 
r.ul the most ctirious game which they used to play was this: 
the two birds, one on top of the otlier, would roll on the Hoor, 
nibbling in a friendly manner each other's beak or feet; one of 
tlieni would suddenly free himself from the other's embrace, 
quickly seize his companion, lying on his back, by the tail, and 
would begin to drag him across the aviary, like the two rats in 
La l'\)ntaine. The other would soon free himself, fly to a 
branch, and with gestures and cries — 1 was going to write 
laughs — would protest against the impudence of his comrade. 
One cannot indeed give any other name than that of 
l)lay to the actions of this species, and, if these animals play, 
they merit being classed amongst the birds best reared in consti- 
tution, those which resemble most the mammifers in intelligence 
of the psiitacidcs . although they have not all attained the art of 
imitating the huiuan voice. 
My two other couples imported, and without doubt much 
older — only young creatures play — have never played thus. 
They are, however, interesting" to watch. llie roughness of 
their gestures is peculiar, and often makes me compare them to 
monkeys; these movements are not the movements of l)irds. 
These old Lories have never become tame like the other 
two. and, when I open their aviary, they invariably hide them- 
selves in the hollow log, which they use as a dormitory. 
The two young birds, of which I have spoken, died in 
May 1919. They had had at this time a few very warm days, 
and their little aviary, situated to the south, was too sunny for 
them. This situation is not very suitable for the home of the 
parrot, for they fear the sun. The very comfortable shelter 
inspired in me a confidence which it did not merit. One 
Thursday morning after a torrid afternoon, going round the 
aviaries. I noticed the male looked ill; the next morning he was 
dead— having died evidently from insolation. The female 
refused all food that day; she did not touch the fruit, although 
her health remained jjerfect. Saturday I brought her honey, 
an.d a half orange, which she hardly tasted, although she was 
generally greedy with fruit. In the evening my uneasiness 
about this diminished, when I saw that she had eaten a little, a 
very little bread in milk, and a little bit of an orange; she would 
doubtless survive lier companion and would resign herself to 
forget him. But on Sunday morning she was picked up dead — 
