40 
BLUE MOUNTAIN LORY. 
lie closely together; the under wing coverts' are vermilion red; the claws 
are strong and hooked, and the tarsi rather short, indicating arboreal 
habits, and in fact the Blue Mountain seldom descends to the ground, 
but passes the greater part of its life among the gum-trees [Eucalypti) , 
upon the pollen and nectar of which it principally subsists; but in 
times of scarcity it will also eat grass-seeds, and is never averse to a 
little insect food, for want of which, we believe, it often dies prema- 
turely in captivity. 
Dr. Buss mentions that a pair which were obtained from a London 
dealer in 1870 for two hundred and ten marks (ten guineas), were the 
first of these birds that were imported, but the Loudon Zoological 
Society had obtained some of them two years previously, in 1868; for 
a long time, however, they remained at a high price, and even now a 
pail- will fetch £3 in the bird-market, though occasionally an odd speci- 
men, the mate of which has died, may be picked up for a much less 
sum. 
Beautiful although he most undoubtedly is, the Blue Mountain Lory 
is not an encouraging bird to keep, for, although the odds against his 
living are not quite so high as Mr. Gedney would make it appear 
(100 to 1), he requires some amount of care and attention to preserve 
him in health for any length of time. Mr. Wiener, however, does not 
consider him either delicate or difficult to keep; and Dr. Buss gives 
the names of four German amateurs who have successfully bred him. 
Notwithstanding all this testimony in his favour, we warn amateurs to 
beware of the Blue Mountain Lory: dealers wffil tell them that ho can 
be kept without the least trouble on a diet of seed only: so he can 
for a time; but after a while he will be found dead on the floor 
of his cage or aviary some morning— cause, a fit, the result of con- 
stipation from deprivation, for too lengthened a period, of his favourite 
food, pollen and nectar, not forgetting the insects of which, in his 
wild state, he pretty frequently partakes. 
Dr. Buss recommends the following diet: — '^Canary- seed, millet, hemp, 
and oats, with ‘’egg-bread’, boiled rice, fresh or soaked ants’ eggs, 
sweet ripe fruit, cherries, berries of different kinds, grapes, dates, figs 
etc.” 
Mr. Wiener’s bill of fare is very similar: “1 would advise”, says this 
gentleman, “to feed these birds on a mixture of canary-seed, oats, 
millet, Indian corn, and hemp-seed, giving daily in addition either a 
piece of sponge-cake, a little sweetened boiled rice, a couple of dates 
or figs, or some ripe fresh fruit.” 
T-he same author speaking of a female Blue Mountain Lory, formerly 
in his possession, and which, after passing from his hands, survived 
