An Australian Bird Book Part 25

Disc sooty-gray deeper round eyes; upper brownish-black finely spotted white; under brownish-black washed buff, fainter spots; legs mottled brown, white; f., larger. Mice, rats.

=183 Gra.s.s Owl=, _S. candida_, India, Formosa, China, Philippines to E.A.

[~179-183 _Genus, Tyto._]

Stat. v.r. _gra.s.s_ 14

Disc white or tinged pale-pink; brownish spot before eye; edge disc dark-brown above, buff below; upper dark-brown finely spotted white; under white tinged orange-buff with scattered brown spots; tail whitish barred brown; legs long; f., sim.

While Australia possesses representatives of nearly all the important widely-spread families of birds this favored land also contains many birds that are unknown elsewhere. In addition, there are some groups which are found in other continents, but which reach their highest development here. Conspicuous amongst these are Parrots and c.o.c.katoos.

Australians are so accustomed to see these beautiful birds on every country road, and in cages outside their houses, that they do not appreciate their beauty or their interest, for "familiarity breeds contempt," even with bird life.

When one reflects that no figure of a Parrot is found in ancient Egyptian art, and that no Parrot is mentioned in the Bible, then one begins to understand the interest of Europeans in these "spoilt children" of the animal world, the "monkeys of the bird world," and "the cream of the Australian avifauna."

Their tameness, their affection, their entertaining habits, and their remarkable powers of speech, all help to render Parrots the favorites amongst birds. The brilliance of their plumage, their intelligence, and their longevity excite wonder, for Parrots have been known to live 100 years in captivity. Presumably, they would live even longer in a state of nature. Humboldt recorded, as quoted in Newton's "Dictionary of Birds," "that in South America he met with a venerable bird, which remained the sole possessor of a literally dead language, the whole tribe of Indians, Atures by name, who spoke it, having become extinct."

Australians will perhaps be surprised to learn that there are no Parrots or c.o.c.katoos in Europe, and none in Asia, excepting India, none in Africa north of the Tropic of Cancer, and only two in North America, and that one of these is rapidly becoming extinct, and that Africa and India are poor in Parrots. Thus South America and Australasia alone are left as the lands that contain these interesting birds in any number. While South America contains the largest Parrots--the Macaws--all the South American species belong to one family. In the Australian region six families of Parrots are represented. Four of them are confined to the region, while but one species of the fifth family (c.o.c.katoos) is found outside the region.

The Brush-tongued Parrots, or "Lorikeets," are a purely Australian family. Some of these are very common at times in flowering eucalypts, even in the public gardens and streets. The Blue Mountain Parrot, very common at times, is a giant of the family. It has been described as a "n.o.ble bird, gorgeously apparelled." Its vernacular name of Blue-bellied Lorikeet has been altered to Blue Mountain Lorikeet.

We found these birds nesting in the big sugar-gums bordering Warunda Creek, Eyre Peninsula. They keenly and noisily resented our curiosity, and screeched much as we tried to discover them amongst the green foliage. Though so gaudy, they were picked out with difficulty.

This bird was very troublesome in my garden at Bengworden, near the Gippsland Lakes, where, when the apples were about the size of marbles, they tore them to pieces to get the developing "pips." In common with the other members of the family, they have a swift, direct flight, and screech much when flying. The "Green Keets," generally called "Green Leeks," which are so very numerous at times, are often accompanied by two other Lorikeets, the Little and Purple-crowned Lorikeets. These green birds hang, head down, among the eucalyptus leaves, and brush up the honey from the flowers with their brush tongue. They follow the flowering of the eucalypts from district to district, and since the eucalypts flower at irregular intervals, these birds are not so regular in their movements as Swifts, Snipe, Curlews, Cuckoos, and other migratory birds. For this reason the birds may be absent from a district for some years, and then suddenly appear again in great numbers.

c.o.c.katoos are almost confined to the Australian region. This includes the islands north-west of Australia out to Wallace's line, pa.s.sing between Celebes and the Philippine Islands, Celebes and Borneo, and between the small islands of Lombok and Bali, east of Java. These islands, though but fifteen miles apart, "differ far more from each other in their birds and quadrupeds than do England and j.a.pan. The birds of the one are extremely unlike those of the other." Another authority says that the faunas of Bali and Lombok are more unlike than those of South America and Africa. Bali has Woodp.e.c.k.e.rs, Barbets, Bulbuls, and Black and White Magpie-Robins, none of which is found in Lombok, where we find Screaming c.o.c.katoos, Friar-birds, and other Honey-eaters, and the strange mound-building Megapodes and numerous other remarkable birds. This narrow strait is over 1000 fathoms in depth, and is probably one of the most ancient and most permanent dividing lines in the world. Instead of being united to Asia, it is probable that Australia has been more recently joined to New Zealand, South America, and South Africa. Only one c.o.c.katoo transgresses Wallace's line to the west, and that is found in the Philippine Islands; evidently it has spread there from the adjacent part of the Australian region.

The sombre, slow-flying Black c.o.c.katoo is the largest of all c.o.c.katoos. It is seen fairly often in small companies, especially on wattles and eucalypts, the wood of which it tears to pieces with its powerful bill to get the insect larvae feeding there. It is a valuable forest-saving bird.

The Glossy or Leach Black c.o.c.katoo is named after Dr. Leach, who did a great amount of work on Australian animals about 100 years ago. It is a rare bird, and may readily be distinguished by its smaller size and more glossy plumage.

The peculiar gray Gang-gang c.o.c.katoos are common in parts of the forest country. The male is easily recognized by his red head and crest. I occasionally see these interesting birds in the big eucalypt forests of Gippsland. I was surprised to discover that, in South Gippsland, it is generally called the Galah, a name which belongs to quite a different bird (194).

The screeching, fussy White c.o.c.katoo, with its delicate sulphur crest, is well known. Many country dwellers enjoy the privilege of often seeing these snowy-white birds almost covering a dead tree. They are favorites as pets, and live to a good old age. They render good service at times by digging up and eating gra.s.shoppers' eggs, though they do damage to maize and other crops. As they post sentinels, they are difficult birds to approach.

The Pink c.o.c.katoo (Major Mitch.e.l.l) is unfortunately becoming rare. It was fairly common when I taught in a Mallee school, near where Hopetoun now is. It has been described as "quite the most beautiful of all the c.o.c.katoos, being a harmony of delicate rose-pink and white, with a handsome crest of ac.u.minate feathers barred in crimson, yellow, and white." It does not take kindly to captivity. It nested in the smaller "spouts" of the green "box-trees" in the "box-flats" and swamps about the Goyura School, south of Lake Corrong.

What is more glorious than a mob of Rose-breasted c.o.c.katoos (Galahs), 500 strong, airing their beauties and graces as they take a const.i.tutional before retiring for the night? Probably no other kind of bird shows better company-flying than Galahs; now one sheet of a delicate gray lavender, and the next instant a flash of brilliant salmon-pink, as the whole company turns and wheels, obedient to some command or signal unperceived by us; again, the sun lights up the pale-pink crests and gray backs, as they turn once more and wheel, screeching, to continue their evolutions further afield. It is a sight that lingers in the memory. They are charming pets, and some talk well. Their beauty adds charm to our almost perfectly level great inland plains.

The delicately-colored and friendly c.o.c.katoo Parrot, with its immovable crest, takes a sub-family to itself. It migrates from the North, and, in a dry year, may even reach the South Coast. In 1908 some of these birds reached Colac, in Southern Victoria. They are favorite aviary birds, and thousands have been exported.

In the true Parrot family, Australia is strongly represented by many beautiful birds. The first is the Barraband Parrakeet of Gould, and the Green Leek of some ornithologists. As the name Green Leek is practically in universal use for the Musk Lorikeet (Green Keet) of the ornithologist, it seems desirable to sink an inappropriate name into a synonym, and use the earlier name, Superb Parrot, for it is a beautiful bird. Sad to say, it has become exceedingly rare, though Mr.

A. W. Milligan informed me, a few days ago, that he saw six fly into some pines at Black Rock one day this month (January, 1911).

The Rock Pebble, or Smoker, of the country dweller, formally called the Black-tailed Parrot, is a fine bird. His tail, however, is not really black, but is strongly iridescent. He nested in numbers, at the beginning of the nineties, in the dead box-trees in Lake Corrong.

After an early tea, we frequently went over to the lake and watched the birds feeding their young. No longer do they inhabit that district, which has been completely cleared and placed under cultivation.

The big King Parrot is a "showy, n.o.ble species," and is still common in parts, especially the moist forest districts.

The members of the next group form a sub-family--the Broad-tails--confined to Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. Judging by their names, they must be amongst the most beautiful of birds. The best known is the common Rosella, often quoted in European books as one of the most beautiful of birds.

Its scientific name is eximius, which means excellent. Indeed, the scientific names of Australian parrots give a good indication of their place amongst the glories of the bird world. The cousin of the Rosella--the large blue-winged and blue-cheeked Crimson Parrot--is well named elegans; a gra.s.s parrot is also elegans, then follow splendidus, splendida, and pulch.e.l.la, while that great ornithologist, Gould, has conferred the honor of pulcherrimus on another Australian parrot. These names, given by scientists, will show Australians in what high esteem these birds, so common with us, are held by observers from other lands.

The Crimson Parrot, previously mentioned, is, I think, becoming common, for I have lately seen it flying about in towns, notably in the Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, the Zoological Gardens, Melbourne, and the school yard at w.a.n.garatta.

The Yellow Parrakeet, with its blue cheeks, is a "harmony in blue and canary yellow, and is an exceedingly lovely bird." It is unfortunately rare.

The next bird is one of our well-known cage pets--the beautiful Ringneck--the Mallee Parrot. It flies ahead of one along the half-chain strip of scrub left on mallee roads, and is a feature of interest.

The next group contains some inland parrots. The "Bulloak," or "Blue Bonnet," is a beautiful bird, and is common on inland plains. It has a brownish-olive back and a gray chest. The bright, blue cheeks, forehead, and shoulder, red abdomen, and light yellow base to tail present a striking appearance. Its vernacular name--Yellow-vented Parrakeet--has now been altered to Blue Bonnet Parrot.

The Many-colored Parrot, with its large yellow shoulder patch, is a glory. It is, indeed, difficult to imagine a more beautiful bird as it flies about in the bright Mallee sunshine. The Red-backed Parrot is the common "Gra.s.s Parrot" of country dwellers. Large flocks of these birds are to be seen on the inland plains. The female is much plainer than her gaudy mate. This is unusual amongst parrots; for, as the work of sitting on the eggs is done in a hollow tree under good shelter, there is apparently no reason why the female should be plainer than the male, and in most parrots she is equally pretty.

The brownish female offers a strong contrast to her more brightly coloured mate, which is immediately distinguished by the large red patch on the back. (The Many-colored Parrot has a much smaller red patch on the back, near the base of the tail.)

The seven small Gra.s.s-Parrots (_Neophemas_) are amongst the most beautiful of parrots. These birds have become so rare that the South Australian Government has wisely placed them on the totally-protected list. Bird trappers formerly exported numbers to Europe each year.

These rare Parrots are said to be worth about 7 each as cage birds.

We found the rare Rock Parrot nesting in the edges and hollows of a tiny travertine-limestone island (Goat Island) in an inlet at the eastern end of the Great Australian Bight. The eggs were laid on the bare earth, often within two or three feet of high-tide mark. The whole island was less than an acre in extent, and at no point was ten feet above high-tide level. Many similar islands on the Australian coast have not yet been explored ornithologically, so we do not know what matters of interest are awaiting us.

The next bird, the Swift-flying Lorikeet, is a honey feeder, like the first four Parrots (Lorikeets) mentioned. It is often found with them, and was common all the winter, and is common now in a clump of flowering gums outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It has given scientists much trouble as to its correct name and position. It can be distinguished from the "Green Keets" by having scarlet under the wings.

The beautiful and affectionate little Budgerigar (Warbling Gra.s.s Parrot), or Love Bird, has many names. It is migratory, and sometimes appears in thousands, though it may not be seen again for years. It is a favorite cage bird, and breeds as freely as caged canaries, so it is well-known in Europe.

The last two Parrots are ground birds, which never perch or climb.

It was feared that the Ground Parrot was extinct, but it is seen occasionally in the National Park at Wilson's Promontory. The Night Parrot is better called the Western Ground Parrot. It is found amongst the Spinifex (_Triodia_) scrub of the interior.

Though Parrots are essentially "climbers," having the suitable arrangement of two toes in front and two behind, it is interesting to learn of these two Australian Parrots which cannot perch or climb. The Parrot's foot is of interest, further, in so far as it is used as a hand, and the food is held in it while being eaten. The powerful bill not only serves to reduce its food to powder, but also a.s.sists in climbing. It is sometimes amusing to note the "absurd caution," and great deliberation with which a parrot climbs down in his cage to pick up some dainty.

Possessing no less than 76 kinds of Parrots and c.o.c.katoos, Australians should be alive to their privileges as contrasted with the dwellers of northern lands, where Parrots do not live. They should insist on the proper protection of these beautiful and wonderful birds.

[Page 88]

[Ill.u.s.tration: [184] [185] [186] [187] [188]]

ORDER XVII.--PSITTACIFORMES.

F. 72. _Nestoridae_, Nestor, Kaka, Kea, 4 sp. A. (N.Z.).

F. 73. LORIIDAE (9), BRUSH-TONGUED PARROTS, LORIES, LORIKEETS, 87 sp. A.

3 16

=184* Blue Mountain Lorikeet= (-Parrot), Rainbow Lory, Blue--bellied (Swainson) Lorikeet, _Trichoglossus novae-hollandiae_, N.A., E.A., S.A., T.

Nom. flocks c. _eucalypts_ 14

Head, throat, abdomen blue; chest blood-red tinged yellow; back green; bill blood-red; f., sim. Honey. Screech.