Sydney Porter—The Parrot Ban



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on the way over and a goodly percentage died in the dealers’ shops.

The survivors were sold, not to aviculturists who had proper accom¬

modation for them, but to people who, tempted by the offer of a cheap

talking Parrot, bought one as a form of amusement, in the same way

as one would buy a wireless set these days. Very often the bird was

diseased and died in a short time and even those which were not dis¬

eased often died through wrong feeding. I have known of many people

who had as many as six birds before they got one which lived.


Then, about the thousands of birds which were caught during

the breeding season and the young left to die of starvation. My

opponents will no doubt tell me that most of the Parrots imported into

this country were hand-reared by kindly natives .... A small percent¬

age perhaps were, most of the Amazons and the majority of the Greys,

but what about the Eingnecks and Galahs which formed the greater

percentage of the “ 30s. Talking Parrot and Cage ” trade, also the

thousands of Lovebirds, Alexandrines, Budgerigars, Eosellas, etc. ?

These were the main sufferers. I have seen the floors of the crates and

cages containing these birds thick with dead and dying birds. Most

of these birds when they land are sold, in miserably small and inadequate

cages, to working-class people all over the country, and few birds

survived after the first twelve months. “ All the better for the trade,”

say the dealers.


Few people realize that Parrots in a wild state do not feed upon

seed any more than “ soft bills ” feed upon soft food. They live

mainly on soft fruits, berries, and milky corn in the ear, if they can by

chance raid the plantations of natives. A goodly percentage of

Parrots die in the transition stage from the wild food to hard seed.


I do not want to appear like some politicians who merely denounce

the existing state of affairs without offering a solution to the problem.

Firstly, I would suggest that only certified collectors, of which there

are some very excellent ones now at work, should bring in a limited

number for aviculturists who have permits. These permits, I would

suggest, be given to any one desirous of breeding or keeping the birds

under decent conditions.


No doubt I shall be asked whether I am going to deny the working

man the pleasure of keeping a tame Parrot: this is a stock phrase and



