30 
A. H. CHISHOLM, Seeking Rare Parrots . [ Uj fuTy 
MEETING THE PARADISE PARROT. 
A few clays after leaving the charming birds of Fraser Island, 
I was. in the Burnett district (south-central Queensland) with 
Mr. Jerrard, seeking the Paradise Parrot. It was not an easy 
occupation, in the heat and drought of those sparsely timbered 
areas. Many items of interest claimed attention on the first day 
out, but the only indication of the beauty-bird’s presence were 
the old mound (the one that figured in The limit photographs) 
now broken up, and one or two others that bore marks suggest¬ 
ing that the birds had been experimenting. Next day (1 st No¬ 
vember) we again drove seven miles to the spot, and divided 
forces in order to roam the whole of the immediate district 
thoroughly. 
It was my last day; at dawn next morning I had to leave for 
Brisbane, there to bid good-b} r e to Queensland — and possibly 
also to the chance of ever seeing the much-sought bird which 
Dr. Greene long ago described as “the most beautiful Paroquet 
that exists.” Imagine, therefore, how much of anxiety mingled 
with the hope that animated that hunt! The morning’s search 
was fruitless. Then came the lunch adjournment. At one 
o’clock I had emerged from a paddock on to the straggling bush 
road, and was gathering sticks for the fire. Suddenly, almost 
sub-consciously perhaps, a “new” bird-note caught my ear, and, 
looking up sharply, I saw a bird about the size of a small 
Eeatherhead fly into a tree 150 yards off. A sprint down the 
road followed. What a relict it was, then, to see a female Para¬ 
dise Parrot perched contentedly aloft! There was no mistaking 
the slim, graceful form. Presently she flew into the next tree. 
^ A moment later I gasped with delight, “Oh, you little beauty!” 
For there was the male Parrot, the gorgeous red of his under¬ 
parts gleaming in the midday sun. He was sitting quietly on a 
dry branch of the tree, about thirty feet up, and did not appear 
unduly disturbed when I cruised about in order to get a glimpse 
of his pretty red shoulder. Indeed* the only effect of the in¬ 
ti usion was to cause him to cease a pretty, plaintive pipe, not 
unlike that of a young bird, and perhaps to sit up a trifle 
straighten Mr. Jerrard came along then, and shortly afterwards 
the two Parrots flew fifty yards away and settled lower. The 
little lord dropped into the grass, while the lady, more cautious, 
emulated him to the extent of descending to a sapling. They 
lose as I approached too closely, and there was a flash of glow¬ 
ing colours as both flew off across a dry creek. Following, I 
got within twelve yards of the pair, and remained there for about 
fifteen minutes, admiring the beautiful color-scheme of the male 
and the ease with which both birds stripped the grasses. 
The method of feeding was to seize a grass bent near its 
base and run it through the bill until the seed was reached. In 
odd cases ihe grass-stem, was thick ; then the bird would climb 
on and bend it down with weight. They kept fairly close to- 
