THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
neighbourhood of Blackwood and on visiting Buckland Park, twenty miles 
north of Adelaide on May 23rd, 1916, I found these birds well established in 
large numbers.” 
Mr. T. P. Austin writes from Cobbora, New South Wales : “ In this locality 
P. hce?natonotus is a very common bird, certainly by far the most numerous 
of the Parrot tribe. After the breeding season and all through the winter, very 
large flocks of them are seen feeding upon the ground : in the early morning 
and towards evening, great numbers are to be seen about my house, but they 
seem to go further away during the middle of the day. The males are very 
pugnacious, and are continuously fighting. They breed here wherever they 
can find a suitable hollow, sometimes they nest in large hollow posts in the 
stockyards, or even gate posts. Out of a great number of nests I have examined 
containing eggs, with two exceptions, they have all been during September and 
October, the other two in November. They usually lay four, five or six eggs, 
but I have found clutches of seven and eight.” 
Mr. E. J. Christian, writing from Northern Victoria, states : “ This is 
a very common bird here and is the third and best of the species which inhabits 
this district. These birds are chiefly seed eaters, living on grass seeds and ai^ 
other grain. Wherever there is a stack of hay one always sees the red rumper 
Parrakeet. They destroy a great many heads of valuable wheaten hay. In 
spring we have to shoot them as they take the peach and almond blossoms. 
I have seen this bird often in the Domain near the Botanical Gardens, 
Melbourne. The cock is a handsome parrakeet and the hen is a dingy greenish 
grey bird.” 
From the Austr. Mus. Spec. Cat., No. 1, Vol. III., I quote the following : 
North himself observes : “ I found it very common in August, 1887, on the 
Bell and Macquarie Rivers, in New South Wales. Later on I met with it on 
the Namoi River in November 1896, and on the Mehi and Gwydir Rivers in 
November, 1897, in the northern part of the State. During that time of the 
year, when it was exceedingly dry and hot, the Mehi River was little more 
than a chain of waterholes, and small flocks could be seen coming and going 
throughout the greater part of the day, either to drink or bathe, wading in 
until the lower half of the body was submerged, before dipping the head in, 
or beating the water with the wings. It passes most of its time on the ground, 
feeding on the seeds of various grasses and herbaceous plants, and it is when 
disturbed, or during flight, that the characteristic red mark on the rump of 
the adult male shows to advantage.” Mr. Robert Grant’s notes read : “ I 
found the Red-rumped Parrakeet ( Psephotus hcematonotus) in nearly every 
locality I visited in the inland portions of New South Wales, and especially 
common at Sodwalls, Locksley and Cow Flat near Bathurst. These birds 
