Those who are familiar with modern works on ornithology will have
observed that it is usual to commence the history of the feathered
tribes by a description of the vultures--the most disagreeable and
least intelligent of the race. Some writers, however, consider the
singing birds as entitled to the first place, the remaining members of
the heterogeneous multitude being arranged according to the pleasure
of individual naturalists more or less acquainted with their subject.
For our own part, we recognise in the parrots the qualifications most
fitted to entitle them to take the precedence, and it is, consequently,
with these that we shall commence our history. Ornithologists, moreover,
differ widely among themselves as regards the relation that exists
between the parrots and other members of the class to which they belong,
either placing them in a group by themselves, in a manner never intended
by Nature, or associating them with toucans, woodpeckers, and cuckoos,
with which they possess but few characteristics in common. Under these
circumstances, we have considered ourselves at liberty to adopt our
own views upon the subject, and have, accordingly, constituted for the
parrots a distinct order, under the quaint but expressive name of
CRACKERS (_Enucleatores_),
in allusion to the facility with which, owing to the construction of
their beaks, they are enabled to crack nuts, and other hard seeds, that
form the usual staple of their food.
The order that we have thus thought it advisable to establish is,
however, by no means limited to the parrots; it includes various
other seed-eating birds, chiefly belonging to the passerine tribes,
the resemblance of which to parrots has been in some cases generally
acknowledged in selecting the names ordinarily conferred upon them. Thus,
the Cross-bills have long been known in Germany as the FIR-TREE PARROTS,
and, on the other hand, the epithet of SPARROW-PARROTS, applied to some
races of climbing-birds, clearly shows the relationship that exists
between these generally dissevered groups.
The birds thus associated will be found to present many features in
common. They live chiefly upon vegetable substances, and their strong
beaks enable them to break up hard kinds of food, such as nuts, seeds,
and grain. They will also eat fruit and leaf-buds, or the tender shoots
of plants; many will devour insects; and a few do not altogether reject
the flesh of other animals. They are all clever, lively, and active,
much attached to the society of birds of their own species, though they
do not often cultivate acquaintance with those belonging to a different
family. Their great intelligence enables them to live comfortably even
under disadvantageous circumstances, and their temperament allows them
to fight the "battle of life" very cheerfully. Owing to the diversity of
their habits, they are necessarily widely distributed, and some of them
are to be met with in every climate; the parrots only are restricted
to the torrid zones, the remaining members of the order being citizens
of the world. As to the localities they frequent, much depends upon
the absence or presence of the trees to which they usually resort, by
far the greater number being strictly arboreal, passing their whole
lives in flying from tree to tree, and confining their excursions to
a very limited district. Only such as live in cold countries migrate;
indeed, regular migrations--that is to say, such as take place at stated
periods--or journeys to any considerable distance, are quite exceptional
among them. They are, in general, very affectionate and docile; the male
has frequently but one mate during his whole life, and nearly all of them
brood more than once in the year.
The nests of this order of birds are of very various construction, and
the number of eggs never large. The task of incubation usually devolves
upon the female, who is cheered and tended by her mate during the
period of her seclusion, but he also occasionally shares her labours,
and both parents co-operate in feeding and taking care of their young.
Many species are considered inimical to mankind, on account of their
marauding attacks upon property; and yet the benefits they confer far
outweigh any injuries of which they may be guilty. They clear away the
seeds of noxious weeds, free the plants from insects; and their lively
and cheering presence in the woods, their beauty, their song, and the
ease with which they are tamed, together with other good qualities, fully
entitle them to our admiration and regard. The flesh of most of them
affords an appetising and healthy food, and the plumage of some species
forms a beautiful and admired decoration.
PARROTS (_Psittacini_).
If it is ever permissible to compare animals of one class with those of
another, we would state our opinion that the parrots hold among birds
much the same position as that occupied by monkeys among quadrupeds.
The truth of this remark will become obvious as we proceed with their
history. Most systematists have considered parrots as entitled to take
but an inferior place in the zoological series, founding this opinion
upon a single characteristic which they share with many other birds
of far humbler endowments; we allude to the prehensile structure of
the foot. Parrots, Woodpeckers, Pepper-eaters, Curacus, Barbets, and
Jacamars, are all climbing birds; that is to say, they all have two toes
placed in front and two directed backwards; and, immaterial as this
structure of the foot may appear, it has been deemed a sufficient reason
for forming an order embracing several races of most dissimilar form,
which present only this one feature in common. Little stress should,
in reality, be laid upon this disposition of the toes, from whatever
point of view it is regarded, seeing that Woodpeckers, Tree-creepers,
and a great number of others that do not possess the scansorial foot,
vie with the so-called climbing birds in the facility with which they
climb. The three-toed Woodpecker is not inferior in the dexterity with
which it can use its claws to any four-toed scansorial species; and we
shall, we believe, be giving this climbing foot its proper appreciation
if we compare it to and rank it with the flexible tail of some mammalia,
the possession of which is not confined to any particular race, but
bestowed alike upon arboreal species of the most various kinds. A foot of
this description is by no means of such uniform structure as is usually
supposed, and, in truth, is scarcely less varied than are the birds
themselves; the foot of the parrot, in particular, differs essentially
from the pair-toed foot of other Scansores, in the development of the
central part, which renders it in its functions comparable to a hand. The
parrots, in fact, constitute a distinct and very clearly defined race,
their most distinguishing characteristic being found in the structure
of their beak, which can never be mistaken for that of any other bird.
At the first glance, indeed, the beak of the parrot would appear to
resemble that of the birds of prey; but it is, in reality, much thicker
and stronger, and also comparatively higher and more symmetrical in
its form. The legs are thick, strong, and fleshy, but never long; the
tarsus much shorter than the middle toe, and always covered with small
scaly plates; the toes are moderately long, and have a thick sole, but
this exists only on certain peculiar ball-like elevations; upon their
upper surface the feet are covered with minute scales, resembling those
of the tarsus; and these scales, as they approach the ends of the toes,
become gradually larger, and project beyond the base of the claw upon
the terminal joint in the shape of short tubular or band-like plates;
the claws are not long, but much bent and tolerably sharp, never very
powerful. The structure of the wings is in exact correspondence with that
of the feet; the bones are of moderate length, but strong; the pinion
feathers tolerably numerous--twenty to twenty-four. The compactly formed
primary quills are seldom long, but so disposed that the outspread wing
is generally pointed; the tail-feathers vary considerably in different
species, both as regards length and shape. The general plumage is
remarkable on account of its compactness; it consists of few feathers,
but these are usually of large size, with the exception of those covering
the head, which are small. The eye is in many instances surrounded by
a naked patch of skin, which during life is usually powdered over with
white dust. The body feathers are each furnished on the under side with
a large downy appendage. The coloration of the plumage, notwithstanding
its great diversity, will require notice, as presenting a feature very
distinctive of the different races of parrots. The prevailing tint is
a more or less vivid leaf-green; but we also meet with hyacinth, blue,
purple, red, golden yellow, and at times darker hues; their distribution
is also characteristic, more especially the frequent occurrence of
complementary colours upon the upper and under sides of the same
feather--blue-violet, dark blue, light blue or green above, with light
yellow, orange-yellow, cinnabar red, or purple underneath. Not less
peculiar is the frequent concealment of glowing tints among others which
are less conspicuous, as, for example, in the case of some Cockatoos in
which we meet with feathers having their lower portion and their downy
roots of a deep cinnabar red or brilliant yellow, and yet this portion
is seldom visible, on account of the length of the white feathers among
which it is hidden.
The extraordinary intelligence exhibited by some parrots is particularly
remarkable; it is, indeed, their sensible behaviour, not their form, that
makes us regard these creatures as representatives of the Quadrumana.
The parrot has, superadded to the form of a bird, all the qualifications
and troublesome propensities of the monkey--humoursome and fickle at
one moment, gentle and agreeable at the next; it is intelligent, active
and circumspect, provident and crafty, very quick in discernment, and
possessed of an excellent memory; on this account it is eminently
susceptible of instruction, and may be taught almost anything. On
the other hand, it is choleric, malicious, spiteful, and deceitful;
it forgets injuries as little as it does kindnesses; it is cruel and
inconsiderate to creatures weaker than itself, tyrannically ill-treating
the helpless and unfortunate, as does the monkey. It has been the
fashion to rank parrots as inferior to many other birds, because they
do not exhibit such conspicuous capabilities of locomotion; they are,
nevertheless, very well endowed, even in this respect. The larger species
fly with apparent heaviness, but with considerable rapidity; the smaller,
wonderfully well--so well, indeed, that we have been almost consoled for
the loss of a favourite bird whilst watching the beauty of its flight.
Very many appear to be quite out of their element when upon the ground,
they seem to hobble rather than to walk, but there are some Ground
Parrots that run swiftly and with much facility; and Gould makes mention
of a Grass Parrot that he saw running upon the ground like a plover.
The capability of hopping from bough to bough is an accomplishment in
which parrots are deficient, nevertheless they have their own mode of
progression among the branches; any considerable space they fly over,
but smaller distances they pass by climbing, and that with considerable
rapidity, unwieldy as some of them appear; helping themselves along
by means of their beak, as well as their feet, while other birds use
their feet only. Parrots are unable to swim, and are quite incapable of
diving. The bill is far more movable than that of any other bird, and
is useful for many purposes. Their voice is harsh and screaming, but
yet not entirely destitute of an agreeable sound when heard in their
native haunts. Some species will learn to whistle tunes with remarkable
clearness and accuracy; the faculty which they possess of imitating the
human voice and speech is well known--their performance, indeed, is
wonderful; they do not babble, they speak, and seem to know the meaning
of the words they use.
With the exception of Europe, parrots are to be met with in all parts
of the world, more especially in tropical regions; one American species
ranges as far north as 42°, and another is found in the southern
hemisphere, as far as the inhospitable wastes of Tierra del Fuego, in
53° south latitude. Cockatoos are known to inhabit New Zealand and
Macquarrie's island, 52° south. In Asia and Africa, the parrots are
principally confined to the limits of the torrid zone; in China, they
rarely pass 27° north latitude, and in India, at furthest, only extend
to the foot of the Himalaya mountains. In Western Africa, they rarely go
beyond 16° north, and in Eastern Africa, according to our information,
not further than 15°; but towards the southern hemisphere they probably
are to be met with at a greater distance from the equator.
Generally speaking, the woods are their favourite haunts; but this is by
no means universally the case. There are certain species, for example,
which only frequent treeless plains or wide steppes; in the Andes some
are to be found living far beyond the region of trees, even at an
altitude of 11,000 feet above the level of the sea.
In the north-east of Africa, according to our own experience, they
almost exclusively reside in places frequented by monkeys, insomuch
that apes and monkeys seem to be their inseparable companions. The more
extensive the forests--that is, the richer they are in vegetation--the
more these birds abound; indeed, in the tropical forests, they constitute
a large--we might almost say, the largest--proportion of the feathered
inhabitants. The same remark applies to Australia, as well as to many
localities in India, and in part also to Africa; in these countries
parrots are as numerous as crows are in Europe, and as common as sparrows.
They would seem to understand how to make themselves conspicuous; and
while they deafen the ear with their discordant cries, enliven the dark
shades of tropical forests with their lavishly-coloured plumage. "It
is impossible," says Gould, "to describe the enchanting scene afforded
by certain parrots, more especially by those adorned with feathers of
glowing red, as they wheel their varied flight among the silver-leaved
gum-trees of Australia, their gorgeous plumage standing out amid the
surrounding scenery with wonderful effect."
"Morning and evening," writes Schomburgk, "countless multitudes may
be seen at a considerable height, making an insufferable noise; one
afternoon I saw such a prodigious flight descend upon the trees by the
river-side, that the branches bent low under the weight of the birds."
"It is necessary to have lived in these countries, more especially in the
hot valleys of the Andes," says Humboldt, "to believe it possible that
the shrieking of the parrots actually drowns the roar of the mountain
torrents as the waters leap from rock to rock. What would those wondrous
tropical forests be without parrots? Lifeless gardens of enchantment,
a wilderness of silence, a solitary desert; by these birds they are
awakened and kept alive, for the parrots know equally well how to find
occupation both for the ear and eye of the traveller."
Except in the breeding season, parrots live in society, or, we might
rather say, in great flocks; they select a locality in the forest as
their settlement, and thence make daily excursions to considerable
distances. Early in the morning they simultaneously quit their
roosting-place, to invade the same tree or the same field in search of
food, stationing sentinels, whose duty it is to protect the community
from a sudden surprise. They pay instant attention to any voice of
warning, and when alarmed, immediately take flight, either all together
or shortly after each other.
"At the first glimmering of the clear morning sun of the tropics,"
says the Prince von Wied, "the parrots rouse themselves from their
sleeping-places, dry their wings, which have become wetted with the dews
of night, and playfully call aloud to each other; then, after describing
many sweeping circles above the high woods, they quickly depart in search
of the morning's meal. In the evening they invariably come back again to
their usual roost."
Le Vaillant tells us that in south-eastern Africa the native parrots
fly in little flocks in search of food, bathe about noon, and hide
themselves among the foliage during the overpowering heat of the sun.
Towards evening they disperse themselves, after which they again bathe,
and then fly back to the same roosting-place from which they had departed
in the morning. These roosting-places are very various--sometimes the
thickly-leaved top of a tree, sometimes a rock full of holes, often a
hollow tree trunk; the situation last mentioned seems to be especially
sought after. "Their sleeping-place," says Audubon, speaking of the
American parrakeets, "is a hollow tree, or the hole chiselled out in
some tree's trunk, to be the nestling-place of the larger woodpeckers,
that is, in case these are not occupied by their true owners. In the
gloaming large flocks of parrots assemble around old hollow sycamores,
or other trees of similar character; and may be seen immediately in
front of the entrance clinging to the bark, until one after another they
disappear through the hole that leads into the interior, in order to
pass the night. When a hollow of this description is not sufficiently
large to accommodate the numbers that are assembled, those that come last
are content to suspend themselves by their bill and claws from the bark
before the entrance.
"We have ourselves, in the primitive forests around the Blue River,
in Africa, repeatedly watched the parrots at twilight, slipping one
after another into their hole, and have observed them ranged with
great regularity around the many perforations in the trunk of some old
Adansonia.
"In India, the Collared Parrot, as Layard informs us, sleeps among the
thickets of bamboos. "All Parrots, Bee-eaters, Grakles, and Crows from
districts extending for many miles around, pass the night in flocks among
the great bamboo plantations, where the dull rushing sound caused by
their flutterings, constantly heard from sundown till dark, and from the
first grey dawning in the east until long after sunrise, might almost
be supposed by the observer to proceed from numerous steam-engines in
full work. Many of these flocks returning late in the evening from
their excursions, fly so near to the ground that they scarcely clear
the obstacles to their course; indeed, they do not always succeed in
doing so; for, several nights together, we have picked up parrots which
had flown against walls or similar obstructions, and had been killed in
consequence."
Layard gives a very lively account of the behaviour and doings of the
Alexander parrot (a species commonly met with in Ceylon), at one of their
sleeping-places.
In Chilau, he relates, that he has seen such massive flights of these
birds winging their way to their roosting-places among the cocoa-nut
trees that overshadow the market-place, that their cries completely
drowned the Babel-like confusion of tongues heard among the buyers and
sellers in the streets. He had previously been told of the flocks which
thus pay their nightly visits, and placed himself, accordingly, towards
evening, upon one of the neighbouring bridges, in order to form a
calculation of the numbers that might make their appearance in a certain
given direction. At about four o'clock in the afternoon they began to
arrive; scattered swarms were seen wending their way homewards, to these
there succeeded others still more numerous, and in the course of half an
hour the homeward stream was apparently in full flow. He very soon found
that it was impossible even to count the flocks, which seemed gradually
to unite into one great living, roaring torrent. Some flew high in the
air, until they were immediately over their roosting-place, and then
suddenly plunged down, wheeling round and round towards the tree-tops,
of which they were in search. Others crowded onwards, flying close to
the ground--indeed, so closely that some of them nearly grazed his face.
They swept along with the rapidity of thought, and their dazzling plumage
seemed to be lit up with gorgeous brilliancy, as it glanced in the rays
of the sun. He waited at his post of observation until the evening closed
in, and he could see no longer, but even then the flight of the birds as
they made towards their nests was audible. When he fired off a gun, they
rose with a sound like that of a furiously rushing wind; soon, however,
they again settled down, and commenced an indescribable hubbub. The
shrill screams of the birds, the noise caused by the fluttering of their
wings, and the rattling of the leaves of the palm-trees was so deafening,
that he was heartily glad when he escaped from such a turmoil, and took
refuge in his own house.
[Illustration: COCKATOOS (_Cacatua_).]
Next to a safe sleeping-place, the presence of trees thickly crowned
with foliage is an essential requisite for the comfortable lodgment of
parrots; this they require, not so much as a protection against the
weather, as for a secure hiding-place. Of all things they like warmth,
nevertheless they do not absolutely avoid a cool temperature, and still
less are they afraid of wet, at least for a time.
[Illustration: COLLARED PARROT (_Palæornis torquatus_).]
"During the heavy tropical rain-storms that sometimes darken the air,"
says the Prince von Wied, "it is not uncommon to see parrots sitting
motionless upon the dead branches at the very top of a tree, uttering
cheerful screams, as the water streams off from their plumage; there may
be dense foliage, and thick boughs immediately beneath, under which they
might easily find shelter, but they prefer the warm shower, and seem to
enjoy the wetting. No sooner, however, has the rain ceased, than they
appear equally desirous to dry themselves, and to rid their plumage of
the moisture."
In fine weather it is quite otherwise; they then decidedly prefer the
shelter of the thickest trees, either as a protection from the burning
heat of the sun, or for the purpose of concealment, and hasten to them at
once on the slightest alarm. They know what an excellent protection to
them, clothed as they are in leafy green, the verdant bower offers; and,
truly, when thus ensconced, they are tolerably secure from observation;
a man may know that there are fifty of them in a tree, and not see
one. In playing their game of hide and seek, both the colour of their
feathers, and the cunning so peculiar to all parrots, contribute to their
safety;--they do not want to be seen. One of their company has just at
the right time observed the approach of an enemy; he gives a sign, they
are all at once silent, and withdraw themselves towards the centre of the
tree; noiselessly, they climb to that side of the summit opposite to the
spot where the enemy has appeared, they then fly off, and it is only when
they are a hundred yards away that they seem to recover their voice, and
scream to their hearts' content, apparently rather out of bravado, after
having thus outwitted their pursuers, than for the sake of calling upon
their companions. This clever game they play more especially when they
have settled on some tree for the purpose of enjoying the fruit, as it is
then that their thievish design is carried out with the greatest cunning.
"Whilst on the wing," says Pöppig, "the large golden green Araras of the
Andes will arrest their flight to come down upon the scarlet Coral trees
(_Erythrinæ_) and the yellow _Tachiæ_, the heads of which they eagerly
devour. Their cry is positively fearful; nevertheless, they are quite
clever enough to understand that it would be dangerous to give utterance
to it when they are just about to plunder some ripening field of Indian
corn. At such a time, every one of them will repress its inclination
to make a noise, giving utterance to no sound except a sort of murmur,
with which it accompanies its proceedings, as it prosecutes its work
of destruction with surprising quickness. The sportsman, or even the
exasperated Indian, finds it by no means an easy task to surprise the
thieves, seeing that two of the oldest birds are always set as watchmen
upon the highest trees in the neighbourhood. The first note of alarm is
immediately answered by a general, half-uttered cry from the assembled
pilferers; the second is responded to by deafening screams, raised by
the whole flock as they fly away, and it is only when their enemy has
departed that they begin anew their destructive raid."
The presence of a numerous flock of parrots is generally only betrayed by
the empty husks that rattle as they fall against the broad leaves of the
bushes, producing a sound that can be heard from some distance.
Le Vaillant has noticed the silence of these birds at the approach of a
suspicious-looking visitor, on the occasion of their mid-day assemblages.
They will keep themselves so still that not the slightest sound can
be heard to proceed from among them, even though thousands should be
congregated together. On the discharge of a gun, the whole multitude will
immediately take wing, and rise into the air with deafening cries, as
though rendered furious by the interruption.
Far different is their conduct when they have become aware that the
good-nature of man leaves them unmolested. In India, as Jerdan informs
us, they not only come boldly into the towns, but will settle down,
without the slightest shyness, upon the tops of the houses, and from this
elevation descend to plunder the gardens and fields in the neighbourhood.
Incredibly great, and justifying the most efficient means of defence on
the part of man, is the destruction caused by parrots; nothing is safe
that is not constantly guarded. Like the monkeys, they waste a great deal
more than they eat.
The multitudes which assemble upon the fields or fruit trees devour all
they can upon the spot, bite off still more, and carry a few ears of
corn up into the trees, in order peaceably to fill their much craving
stomachs. When they make their appearance in the orchard, they search
every tree that is in fruit, and pluck such as may be ripe; bite a bit
off, and if it does not exactly suit their very refined taste, throw
it down upon the ground and take another instead. While feeding they
generally climb the branches from below upwards, and as soon as they get
to the top fly away to another tree, sweeping over the ground without
ever moving their wings. Arrived at this second tree they recommence the
work of destruction just as before.
In North America and in Chili they attack the fruit before it is ripe, in
search of the as yet milky pippins, and we may imagine the damage thus
caused. According to Audubon, the cornstacks in the fields are sometimes
the objects of their attack; they will hang upon them, and draw the ears
out of the sheaves, thus sparing the owner the trouble of threshing.
Some prefer one kind of seed and some another; but all agree in spoiling
everything that man sows or plants for his own use; and on this account
anything like friendship between the farmer and the parrots is quite out
of the question.
After having satisfied their hunger in this manner they go in search of
water to drink; and, according to Audubon and Schomburgk, do not refuse
salt, or at any rate brackish water. Besides occasional rain-baths, they
will bathe in lakes, washing themselves, Le Vaillant tells us, until they
are soaked through, as with a heavy rain. We also learn from Audubon that
they enjoy playing in the sand like fowls, covering their plumage with
dust, and will creep into king-fishers' holes, in order to find it. They
are fond of salt ground, and are always to be found near the saltworks in
the forests.
The incubation of these birds takes place during the months that
correspond in their native lands to our spring. The larger kinds
appear to lay but once in the year, and then only two eggs; though the
Australian Grass Parrot and some others are exceptions to this rule,
inasmuch as they will lay regularly from three to four eggs, and in
some cases from six to nine, twice or even three times during the year.
The eggs are always white, smooth, and round. Holes in trees are the
favourite nesting-places of these birds, but not exclusively so; some
American kinds will lay in holes in the rocks, and the Indian parrots in
crevices in old buildings, pagodas, monuments, or houses.
Audubon assures us that several females will lay in one hole; but we
consider this as very doubtful, though it is true that parrots prefer
breeding in society, sometimes even associated in immense flocks.
Molina speaks of a large settlement of these breeding birds in Chili,
and Pöppig of another, probably of the same species. "These several
settlements," says the last-mentioned naturalist, "must be very
astonishing to those to whom they are new. Fancy yourself, about mid-day,
wearily approaching a precipice, believing yourself to be perfectly
alone, that deep silence reigning around you that always indicates noon
in these tropical regions, when all animals seek repose in sleep; a kind
of growling strikes your ear, but you look in vain for any creature
that could produce it; suddenly you hear the parrots' cry of warning,
answered by many others, and before you are awake to your true position,
are surrounded by swarms of these quarrelsome birds, flying about in a
close circle, and in evident anger, threatening to strike you. From all
the innumerable holes upon the face of the rocks little round heads are
protruding, looking comical enough; and those that do not come out unite
their screams to the general uproar. Every opening indicates a breeding
hole, that has been excavated by its owner in the clay met with between
the strata of the rocks. At times many hundreds may be counted."
These colonies are always so cunningly situated, that it is impossible
for a beast of prey to approach them. Such settlements could not be made
in the woods, as the trees would not afford a foundation strong enough to
sustain their weight.
In general, it is in old trees that parrots make their nests; in Central
Africa the Adansonia is preferred, more especially should it grow on the
outskirts of a forest. We once saw a group of monkey-bread trees in the
Kordofanian steppes inhabited in this manner, although not yet covered
with their leaves.
As it is not always possible to find a trunk whose interior has been
hollowed by some friendly woodpecker, the parrots are often forced to
excavate their own nesting-places, and then it is that they show what
an available instrument their beak can be. It is the female who almost,
but not exclusively, makes the hole; at this work she shows herself most
skilful; she hangs, like a woodpecker, from the bark, and gnaws, rather
than cuts away, one shred after another, until the dwelling is completed;
this labour often occupies several weeks, but with patience the end is at
length attained. The hole is the principal matter, the nest does not need
much making; a few chips picked from the ground are all that is required
as a bed on which to deposit the eggs; even a hole that leaves much to
be desired in the way of convenience will content these very easily
satisfied parents. "From the white stem of a Trimi-palm," says Pöppig,
"I once saw a brilliant light blue tail depending; it betrayed the
Yellow Arara, who was busy with her strong beak enlarging a woodpecker's
hole, out of which her ell-long tail hangs whilst brooding." The female
generally sits alone, and is fed and entertained by her mate during the
whole time of incubation.
Among the smaller kinds of these birds, the brooding season lasts
from eighteen to twenty, and with others nineteen, twenty-three, or
twenty-five days.
The young are perfectly helpless when they leave the egg, but their
growth and development is rapid. At first they are very imperfectly
fledged, but in from five to six days the feathers begin to sprout,
and they open their eyes within eight or ten days of their birth. The
warbling Grass Parrakeet leaves the nest thirty-three days after being
hatched, and may be seen flying about two days later. Both parents feed
the young and tend them for some time after they have left the nest.
The food, if corn, is softened in the parent's crop before it is put into
the beak of the young bird. Schomburgk tells us that a pair of parrots
which had settled near his encampment in the wood, only fed their young
twice in the day, once at eleven in the forenoon and again about five
in the evening. As soon as they arrived they perched upon a branch near
the hole, and if they fancied themselves watched would sit quite still,
until they thought that a favourable opportunity occurred for stealing in
unobserved.
The parents are by no means deficient in tender care for their progeny,
and will shield their offspring from danger with most self-sacrificing
courage. Some species will attach themselves with great tenderness to
deserted birds; not merely to those of their own family, but to any
helpless orphan, even although belonging to another species.
Cunningham tells us that the surgeon of the _Triton_--a ship plying
between England and Australia--had a Blue Mountain Parrot, and a very
beautiful smaller one, that he had taken from its nest so young that
it was unable to feed itself. Under these circumstances the elder bird
undertook to give it food, and watched over it with the greatest anxiety.
The mutual friendship of these creatures seemed to increase as time
went on; most part of the day was spent in caresses; they trimmed each
other's feathers, and the old bird would spread her wings over her little
charge with every indication of solicitude. Indeed, their affectionate
demonstrations soon became so noisy that they had to be separated, in
order that the passengers might not be annoyed, and the young one was
placed in a cabin with several others.
After a two months' separation the elder parrot succeeded in escaping,
and was guided to the cabin by the voice of its young protégé, to
whose cage it clung. From this time the friends were not parted, but a
fortnight later the young one died, in consequence of a wound caused by a
fall. Its friend was silent from that hour, and did not long survive its
little charge.
Parrots attain their full beauty of plumage, and commence laying by the
time they are two years old; some of the smaller kinds breed within the
first twelve months, but, notwithstanding this, live for many years, and
have been known to long survive the family in which they passed their
youth.
In countries where parrots abound they are destroyed with unrelenting
perseverance, and this simply for the protection of property. "People
must not imagine," says Audubon, "that all the injuries they are guilty
of meet with no reprisals; on the contrary, these birds are slaughtered
in great numbers during their predatory visits to the farmers. Armed
with his loaded gun, the exasperated proprietor creeps amongst them, and
brings down eight or ten at the first shot; the survivors rise screaming
into the air, fly about in circles for three or four minutes, but return,
and surround the bodies of their fallen companions, uttering loud cries,
and this is repeated again and again, until so few remain that the farmer
does not think it worth while to waste his powder and shot upon them.
Hundreds are thus destroyed in the course of a few hours, and baskets
filled with the spoils."
Various are the expedients adopted for their destruction in different
parts of the world. The Chilians rush out with all speed when they see
the parrots settling, and attack them with sticks. The Australians rouse
them from their sleeping-place, and then throw their boomerangs amongst
the retreating flock. Adventurous men let themselves down the rocks in
which the South American species breed, to draw the young out of their
holes with hooks; or shooting parties and hunters endeavour to steal upon
them unawares. When it is found impossible to climb the trees on which
they breed, these are cut down, and nets and limed twigs placed around
to catch the young. The flesh of the slaughtered birds is often eaten,
although hard and tough, or is made into excellent soup.
Very frequently they are sought for on account of their splendid plumage.
"There is nothing more natural," says the Prince von Wied, "than this
most simple and pleasing decoration, to the use of which savages are
much addicted; and very beautiful are the articles made from feathers by
entirely untaught tribes; many of the aborigines of Brazil particularly
excelled in this kind of work." The love for parrot feathers is very
ancient. "In long forgotten times," says Pöppig, "the inhabitants of the
tropical forests brought arara feathers as tribute to the Incas, for the
decoration of their palaces, and early historians inform us that these
feathers and the 'Koka' were the only produce which led to the peopling
and cultivation of the formidably hot districts in which they abound."
It is said that Alexander the Great brought tame parrots from India, and
in later times these birds were taken in great numbers to Rome, where the
favour in which they were held was carried to such excess that it was
often reproved in the open forum. "Oh, unhappy Rome!" cried that severe
censor Marcus Portius Cato; "have we lived to see the day when our women
nurse dogs upon their laps, and our men go about with parrots on their
hands?" The Romans kept them in cages made of silver, tortoise-shell,
and ivory, and had tutors who particularly taught them to utter the word
Cæsar; in those days the price of a parrot that could speak exceeded that
of a slave. Ovid did not consider it beneath him to sing their praises,
and Heliogabalus thought he could not set anything more delicate than
parrots' heads before his guests. In Nero's reign, it would seem, only
Indian species were known; but probably at a later period African parrots
were introduced.
During the Crusades these birds adorned the houses of the rich, and
the first discoverers of America found tame parrots in the huts of the
natives. Von Schomburghk tells us, that in their native lands, when tame,
they are allowed to fly about, without having their wings clipped. "I
saw many," he writes, "which joined the flocks that were living over the
village during the day, and returned to their master's hut at night."
In comparison with such a life as this the parrots brought to Europe have
a sad fate; but they suffer most before their destination is reached.
The Indians inhabiting the primitive forests capture them in order to
exchange them for European articles, and hand them over to some sailor
in the nearest harbour, who knows nothing either of the necessary food
or of the care they require; not more than half the number that are
shipped survive the long sea voyage, and many of those that reach Europe
in safety perish in the dark, dirty, pestiferous shops of the dealers.
It is only when the bird receives especial attention that its fate is
ameliorated; but by that time it has often become distrustful, violent,
and ill-behaved, and only loses these rude ways after long care and kind
treatment; it is, however, very quick, soon learns to adapt itself to its
altered position, and becomes accustomed to all kinds of diet. At first
hemp or canary seed is acceptable, but after a time the parrot grows more
dainty, and if supplied with sweets becomes such an epicure that any less
delicate food is distasteful; it is easily habituated to almost anything
that man enjoys, even to tea, coffee, wine, or beer, and will quite
intoxicate itself with strong drink. These remarks do not apply to the
little Australian Ground parrot, which refuses everything except grass
seeds and the leaves of plants. Most of the larger kinds enjoy hemp-seed,
hard-boiled rice, ants, maize, lettuce, cabbage, fruit, small kinds of
millet, canary-seed, and the leaves of plants; such food as this keeps
them well and thriving. Bitter almonds and parsley, according to Küle,
are poisonous to these birds.
Many degrees of intelligence are observable among the members of the
Parrot tribe, and the same species often contains individuals of very
varied capabilities; but the memory of all is generally excellent. As
regards teaching them to speak, the most important point to be attended
to is that they should at first be kept closely confined and constantly
instructed; any extent of freedom may, however, be accorded when their
education is nearly completed. On the contrary, should the owner desire
the parrot to breed, a certain amount of liberty is needful. For this
purpose the first requisites are space, quiet, and a suitable tree for
the nest. A tolerably roomy chamber in which they may live throughout
the year, and the trunk of a hollow tree with convenient holes, the wood
being of a soft kind, afford all that is necessary in these respects.
The classification of parrots is particularly difficult, on account of
the great number of species, and it is almost impossible to indicate
distinct boundaries between the different families. It will, however,
answer our present purpose to arrange them under the general titles
of TRUE PARROTS (_Psittacinæ_), MACAWS (_Arainæ_), LORIES (_Lorinæ_),
COCKATOOS (_Cacatuinæ_), and GROUND PARROTS (_Pezoporinæ_), all of which
differ from each other more or less in their habits and modes of life.