Dr. Evelyn Sprawson—The Breeding of Barnard's Parrakeet 269


the upper breast and abdomen) type of Barnard, but some of the young

are quite of the darker type called by Matthews in his big work B.b.

whitei —indeed, no two of the young are identical in colouring, and the

crown of the head (for instance) varies from almost yellow in one to

dark green in others.


We have never seen the parents less concerned and worried over the

feeding of their family before leaving the nest; indeed, except for the

occasional disappearance of one or both parents, we would hardly have

known that they had a family.


The young were reared almost entirely on soaked hemp and

groundsel, canary seed and wheat (both soaked) were always available,

but not much used ; they were also given an occasional chop-bone

with fragments of meat on ; this last perhaps needs some explanation,

as it is, of course, rather unorthodox. We have noticed from time to

time that Barnards, Pennants, etc., eat earthworms, which they find

on the lawn in their flight ; now it seems rather derogatory for such

birds to be found eating earthworms, yet seems to suggest that food

of an animal protein nature is desired, moreover I have read some¬

where—in Gregory Matthew’s big work, I think—that Port Lincolns

used to settle on the camp refuse dump in Australia to make a feast

from the bones there, so we offered them a chop-bone. They seemed to

know what it was for, because they left all other food and devoured it

forthwith, bone and all, usually, but we did not give it very often,

about once a fortnight.


After the young had left the nest, and when green oats became

available these were given, and it was instructive to note the speed

and method with which they were devoured ; it made one sympathize

very much with the Australian farmer on whose field of growing or

standing corn a family of these or kindred birds may settle to feed.

What must it be when a flock of thousands (as it used to be) of the

much larger Roseate Cockatoo settled on his fields ? One can readily

forgive him shooting, trapping, or doing anything else he may think of

to compass their diminution, which no doubt seems a strange thing for

an aviculturist to say—but, after all, even the farmer has to live, and

it is a question of his living or theirs.


We are rather proud of our nest of Barnard’s because we believe



