THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
the ranges, and it has, I think, increased of late years, as I have noticed it 
nearer Adelaide than formerly. The heavily-timbered flats and grass-covered 
gullies are its habitat. It feeds on the ground, and is fond of peas, to which 
crop it does some mischief ; it also attacks the fruit though its depredations 
are not so great as those of Glossojpsittacus concinnus. The young of both 
sexes are green, and I have noticed a mature hen with a very green mate, but 
not to my knowledge the opposite. Their breeding months are October 
and November, and they depart from their favourite feeding grounds and 
spread in pairs all over the hills and gullies, so that one sees them in all sorts 
of unaccustomed spots. They build in the hollows and spouts of the Gums, 
and prefer a hole which has sound wood for its edges. The largest set of eggs 
I have taken is eight, at Golden Grove, near Adelaide, four to six being about 
the usual number. I have seen the bird at Manum associated with Platycercus 
flaveolus , and took their eggs near Manum in October, 1907.” Dr. A. M. 
Morgan wrote : “ Platycercus adelaidce was formerly common all around Adelaide, 
but is now rare ; an odd pair may be generally seen in the hills. A little 
further north, about Angaston, they are still numerous and very destructive 
to fruit. They are ruthlessly destroyed by the orchardists, but do not seem 
to decrease much in numbers. They breed in the hollows of large Gum trees, 
the eggs being five, six or seven in number, and the main breeding season is in 
October and November, occasional clutches being found earlier or later. I am 
forwarding you an extract from Mr. W. Gilbert’s letter, of Pensey Vale, re 
P. adelaidce ; the birds are very numerous in his district. He writes : “I 
have gone through a lot of Adelaide Parrakeets under your direction, and so 
far found the brilliant birds to be all males. Some of the hens are brighter 
than others, one in particular had so much colouring that I thought it was 
a male, but still it was lacking the splendour the cocks display at this time 
of year.” Dr. Morgan later added : “ The birds spoken of by Mr. Gilbert as 
brilliant are red. I have seen a great many P. adelaidce, but do not remember 
to have ever seen one which looked yellow in flight except an albino in the 
Adelaide Museum, or to have seen one at all which was conspicuously yellow. 
I am myself convinced from what Mr. Gilbert tells me, that the males are the 
brilliant red birds, and that the females, although they become red from age, 
do not attain to the brilliancy of the male.” 
I have given Captain White’s note above but here reproduce his published 
note (Emu, Vol. XII., p. 128,1912): “Flinders Range. At the entrance to one 
of the gorges we met with a party of Adelaide Parrakeets. They were among 
the large gums on the banks of the creek, and the stomachs of specimens 
secured contained great quantities of gum seeds. This was a furthest north 
record, I considered, for the species, and the plumage of the birds appeared 
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