Sydney Porter—Notes from Australia



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aviary, but seemed very neglected and some bad bad eye trouble.

There were a few wild ones outside the aviary trying to get inside, either

to reach the food or to be with their mates, as the birds had all been

trapped in the vicinity.


I watched a family party one morning, they were in the tops of the

giant gum trees and I had almost to lie on my back to watch them

through my binoculars. There was the old pair and a pair of young

ones, these latter persistently chased their parents round the whole time

uttering a loud querulous cry. They seemed insatiable, no matter how

much they were fed they cried for more. Each parent seemed to take

charge of one youngster. Often the male would feed his charge, quite

a lengthy process, and he would endeavour to rest awhile, but the

youngster would wag his head crying for more only a few inches from

his parent’s beak. The cock stood it for a while in stony silence,

and then let out the most ear-piercing shriek as though telling his

progeny to “ shut up After a time he flew off to another tree, but

the youngster followed him only a few inches behind his tail, still

clamouring for food.


The beautiful Blue Bonnets seem almost unknown at the present

time in captivity in Europe. I cannot quite understand this as they

were frequently imported and kept by aviculturists in pre-War days.

I wonder if we have lost the art of feeding them. That they are difficult

birds I know from sad experience ; it seems almost impossible to keep

them these days unless they are hand-reared, but when they are they

prove to be long-lived and most delightful birds as pets. Mr. Wadell, of

Melbourne, had three hand-reared specimens in his aviaries and they

were quite the most delightfully tame birds I have ever seen. As soon

as one appeared the birds literally threw themselves at the wire netting

demanding to be taken notice of, and as soon as one was in the aviary

they were all over one, racing round one’s shoulders or running up and

down one’s arm with head feathers erect and all the time chortling

their little warbling song and displaying their exquisite turquoise blue

shoulders. They were some of the few birds I have ever seen which

didn’t mind one holding them in the hand, in fact they almost reminded

one of puppies in their delight at being played with. It is only when

tame that their chief beauty is shown, i.e. their beautiful waxy blue



