Correspondence



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are likely to require in the care of their pets. It is divided into two

parts, the first being a general account of Parrots, their feeding,

handling, exhibition, and so forth, the second dealing with the

individual groups of Parrots and containing a list and brief description

of the different species and their localities. A cheap but very useful

little book.



CORRESPONDENCE, NOTES, ETC.


THE SPLENDID GRASS PARRAKEET


I have been fortunate, through the great kindness of Mr. Harvey, of Adelaide,

to secure a very fine pair of Splendid Grass Parrakeets bred by himself and

nearly adult. The cock will be a magnificent specimen should he survive

his next complete moult, as the greater part of his breast is already scarlet.

The hen is extremely Turquoisine-like, so much so that I doubt if I should

have identified her as a different species had she come over with Turquoisines.

The blue on her wing is certainly paler but less strikingly so than I expected,

and she has a good shot of orange on the abdomen, but so have some hen

Turquoisines. It is evident that N. splendida is the Turquoisine’s closest

ally, far closer than any of the Grass Parrakeets of the Bluewing type which

cannot be so very near as their hybrids with the Turquoisine appear to be

sterile.


The Splendid’s favourite food appears to be spray millet and they are

very fond of seeding grass and green food.


Like many aviary-bred Parrakeets they are at present more timid than

the average bird that has been captured in a wild state.


Tavistock.



SUNBIRDS


I was delighted to see in the June number of the Magazine an article

on Sunbirds from the able pen of the Hon. Anthony Chaplin. I notice that

Mr. Chaplin does not agree with all I wrote about Sunbirds in the May issue.

This is all to the good, as one learns much from such discussions. May I be

allowed, however, to make a few further remarks on this interesting subject ?

In my recent article I did not say that Sunbirds required great heat. I said

that I had found that they could stand the cold when once acclimatized, but

did better with a little heat, and I still maintain that this is so. If a bird can

live in the cold when at liberty it does not follow that it will continue to

do so when in captivity. This I have proved over and over again. Take, for

example, our own British birds, the Wren and Tree-creeper. I have always

found that they will be far happier when caged if given a little heat, and

60 degrees is far better than 40 degrees. Now as regards my advice about food,

I have found that if the syrup is given too strong it is likely to purge the bird,



