I 
400 the PHILIP ISLAND PARROT. 
tempered birds, seldom trying to bite unless they have been teased, and even in that case they 
generally give fair notice of their belligerent intentions by yelling loudly with anger, and 
spreading their yellow crests in defiance of their enemy. 
The Cockatoo evidently possesses some sense of humor, particularly of that kind which is 
popularly known as practical joking. A lady had once shown some timidity in approaching 
a tame Cockatoo, and was evidently afraid of its beak. The bird thought that it was a great 
joke to fiighten any one so much bigger than itself, and whenever the lady came near its perch 
it would set up its feathers, yell, and make believe to attack her, merely for the pleasure of 
hearing her scream and seeing her run away. 
In its own country the Cockatoo is anything but a favorite, on account of its devastation 
among the crops. In treating of this bird, Mr. G-ould writes as follows : “As may be readily 
imagined, this bird is not upon favorable terms with the agriculturist, upon whose fields of 
newly sown grain and ripening maize it commits the greatest devastation. It is consequently 
hunted and shot down wherever it is found, a circumstance which tends much to lessen its 
numbers. It is still, however, very abundant, moving about in flocks varying from a hundred 
to a thousand in number, and evinces a decided preference for the open plains and cleared 
lands, rather than for the dense bushes near the coast. 
“ Except when feeding or reposing on the trees after a repast, the presence of a flock, if not 
seen, is sure to be indicated by their horrid, screaming notes, the discordance of which may be 
slightly conceived by those who have heard the peculiarly loud, piercing, and grating scream 
of the bird in captivity ; always remembering the immense increase of the din occasioned by 
the large number of the birds uttering their disagreeable notes at the same moment.” 
The color of this Cockatoo is white, with the exception of the crest, which is of a bright 
sulphur-yellow, and the under surface of the wings and the basal portions of the inner webs of 
the tail-feathers, which are of the same color, but much paler in hue. The total length of 
this species is about eighteen inches. 
The remarkably handsome bird which is represented on page 401 is a native of Australia. 
It is called by several names, such as the Tricolor Crested Cockatoo, and the Pink Cocka- 
too, by which latter name it is known to the colonists. The title of Leadbeater’s Cockatoo 
was given to the bird in honor of the well-known naturalist, who possessed the first specimen 
brought to Europe. 
It is not so noisy as the common species, and may possibly prove a favorite inhabitant of 
our aviaries, its soft, blush- white plumage and splendid crest well meriting the attention of bird- 
fanciers. The crest is remarkable for its great development, and for the manner in which the 
bird can raise it like a fan over its head, or depress it upon the back of its neck at will. In 
either case it has a very fine effect, and especially so when it is elevated, and the bird is excited 
with anger or pleasure. 
The general color of this bird is white, with a slight pinkish flush. Pound the base of 
the beak runs a very narrow crimson line, and the feathers of the crest are long and pointed, 
each feather being crimson at the base, then broadly barred with golden yellow, then with 
crimson, and the remainder is white. The neck, breast, flanks, and under tail-coverts are 
deeply stained with crimson, and the under surface of the wing is deep crimson-red. The beak 
is pale grayish-white, the eyes brown, and the feet and legs dark gray, each scale being edged 
with a lighter tint. In size it is rather superior to the common white Cockatoo. 
A very singular form of Cockatoo is that which is known as the Philip Island, or the 
Long-billed Parrot. 
This bird is only found on the little island from which it derives its name. It may probably 
become extinct at no distant period, as its singularly shaped beak renders it an object of attrac- 
tion to those who get their living by supplying the dealers with skins, and various objects of 
natural history ; and its disposition is so gentle and docile, that it readily accommodates itself to 
captivity. Philip’s Island is only five miles in extent ; and it is a very remarkable fact, that 
this Long-billed Parrot is never found even in Norfolk Island, though hardly four miles distant. 
