THE WARBLING GRASS PARRAKEET. 
381 
always much longer than the others, sometimes projecting nearly four inches. The female is 
wholly green, and may thereby be distinguished from her mate. Owing to the variable develop- 
ment of the central feathers of the tail, the length of this bird cannot be accurately given, but 
may be set down from sixteen to eighteen inches. The upper mandible is coral-red, and the 
lower is blackish ; the feet are flesh-colored. 
One of the very prettiest and most interesting of the Parrot tribe is the Gbass, or Zebba 
Pabeakeet ; deriving its names from its habits and the markings of its plumage. 
It is a native of Australia, and may be found in almost all the central portions of that 
land, whence it has been imported in such great numbers as an inhabitant of our aviaries. 
This graceful little creature derives its name of Grass Parrakeet from its fondness for the 
grass lands, where it may be seen in great numbers, running amid the thick grass blades, 
clinging to their stems, or feeding on 
their seeds. It is always an inland 
bird, being very seldom seen between 
the mountain ranges and the coasts. 
Of the habits of this bird Mr. 
Gould writes as follows: “I found 
myself surrounded by numbers, breed- 
ing in all the hollow spouts of the large 
Eucalypti bordering the Mokai ; and on 
crossing the plains between that river 
and the Peel, in the direction of the 
Turi mountains, I saw them in flocks of 
many hundreds, feeding upon the grass 
seeds that are there abundant. So 
numerous were they, that I determined 
to encamp upon the spot, in order to 
observe their habits and to procure 
specimens. The nature of their food 
and the excessive heat of these plains 
compel them frequently to seek the 
water ; hence my camp, which was 
pitched near some small fords, was 
constantly surrounded by large num- 
bers, arriving in flocks varying from 
twenty to a hundred or more. 
“The hours at which they were 
most numerous were early in the morn- 
ing, and some time before dark in the 
evening. Before going down to drink, 
they alight on the neighboring trees, 
settling together in clusters, sometimes on the dead branches, and at others on the drooping 
boughs of the Eucalypti. Their flight is remarkably straight and rapid, and is generally 
accompanied by a screeching noise. During the heat of the day, when sitting motionless 
among the leaves of the gum-trees, they so closely assimilate in color, particularly on the 
breast, that they are with difficulty detected.” 
The voice of this bird is quite unlike the rough screeching sounds in which Parrots seerq 
to delight, and is a gentle, soft, warbling kind of song, which seems to be contained within the 
body, and is not poured out with that decision which is usually found in birds that can sing, 
however small their efforts may be. This song, if it may be so called, belongs only to the 
male bird, who seems to have an idea that his voice must be very agreeable to his mate, for in 
light warm weather he will warble nearly all day long, and often pushes his beak almost into 
the ear of his mate, so as to give her the full benefit of his song. The lady, however, does not 
Ah 
WABBLING GBASS PARE A KEET.—Melopsittacus undulatus. 
