74



D. Seth-Smith—The Splendid Grass-Parrakeet



The Splendid or Bed-breasted Parrakeet was apparently never a

common species anywhere and very few specimens have reached

Europe alive, though to read Greene’s Parrots in Captivity one would

imagine that, at the time that was written (1884) it was by no means

impossible to obtain specimens if the dealers were given adequate

inducement to obtain it, for he says, “ the Splendid Parrakeet is not

a difficult bird to keep, so that the £10 or so given for him is much

more safely invested than if risked upon a couple of pairs of Paradiseas

or Many-coloured Parrakeets.” By the way he writes one would

think he had kept the species, but we may be quite sure he never had

the opportunity to do so, and probably only saw those at the Zoo.


Gedney, whose Foreign Cage Birds is undated (probably about 1876),

was doubtless nearly correct when he wrote of this species : “ They

are very rarely met with even in Australia, and no specimen has

ever reached the hands of an English dealer,” though we know that

the Zoological Society’s specimens came from dealers.


A note in the Proceedings of 1871 referring to the Zoo’s original

pair is as follows (page 102) :—-


“ A pair of the Splendid Grass-Parrakeet (Euphema splendida y

Gould, B. of Aust. v, pi. 42). These are, I believe, the first examples

of this beautiful Grass-Parrakeet ever brought alive to this country.

We purchased them on 30th January from a London dealer, who

states that they were received from a vessel coming from Adelaide.”

The price paid for this pair was £7, and for the single bird from

Mr. Jamrach £1 ! At the present time I suppose a pair of these birds

would be worth more like £100.


It is very satisfactory to find that this lovely Parrakeet is probably

no rarer now than it has always been and it is much to be hoped that

the pair owned by our King, and now in this country in the capable

charge of Mrs. Fetherstonhaugh, may be successful in reproducing

their kind.



D. Seth-Smith,



