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©OCKATIEL. 
Psittacus NovcE-Hollandice, Russ. 
Synonyms: Palceornis Novce-Hollancliw, Le^toluphm auriconiis, 
Nymphacus NovcB-HoUandioe, Calopsitta Novce-Hollandiai, Gould. 
German: B'er Nymfensitticli. French: La pemiclte calopsitte. 
T his quietly pretty bird upon wbom naturalists bave imposed such 
a multiplicity of names^ but which is now very generally desig- 
nated Cockatiel, a word signifying little Oockatoo^ is not, properly 
speaking, a member of the sub-family of the Plydolophce, but rather 
tabes rank with the Grass Parrakeets, themselves nearly related to the 
Ground Parrots, as is evidenced by the length of its legs, and the 
facility with which it walks and runs on the ground. 
The plumage of the Cockatiel, without being beautiful, is strikingly 
pretty and effective, affording, as it does, such bold contrasts of colour; 
the general hue of the plumage is ashen grey, darker on the upper 
than on the under surface of the body; the shoulders and outer edges 
of the wings are pure white, the crest, which the bird has not the 
power of elevating and depressing at will, like the true Cockatoos, and 
the face are citron yellow in the male, but grey in the female, and 
on the centre of the cheek, in both sexes, occurs a patch, about the 
size of a thumb-nail, of brick rod; the under surface of the tail is 
black in the male, but in the female prettily barred and mottled with 
yellow. The upper surface of the tail and the rump of the female are 
barred and marked in the manner the French term zebre, with streaks 
and lines of a lighter shade of the uniform grey of the plumage, giving 
the bird a mottled appearance, while in the male the same parts present 
one uniform tint of deep slate grey, so that there is no difficulty in 
distinguishing the sexes from each other. 
The young of both sexes have the under surface of the tail barred 
like that of their mother, but even when leaving the nest the young 
D 
I. 
