John Gould

“ The young vary so much, that to give an accurate description is almost impossible; one now before me has the crown of the head, sides of the neck, centre of the breast, abdomen, rump, upper and under tail-coverts deep crimson-red; the upper surface and a broad band across the breast deep grass-green; the cheeks, wings and tail similar to those parts in the adult, but much less brilliant. ”

“ The whole of one species frequently leave the tree simultaneously, rushing off with amazing quickness in search of other trees laden with newly-expanded flowers, among which they dash and commence feeding with the utmost eagerness, clinging and creeping among the branches in every possible attitude. As this tribe of birds depends solely for its subsistence upon the flowers of the gum-trees, their presence in any locality would be vainly sought for at any season when those trees are not in blossom. ”

“ The chasteness of its colouring, the extreme elegance of its form, and the graceful crest which flows backwards from its occiput, all tend to render this Pigeon one of the most lovely of its tribe inhabiting Australia, and in fact I consider it is not surpassed in beauty by any other from any part of the world. It is to be regretted, that owing to its being exclusively an inhabitant of the plains of the interior, it can never become an object of general observation ”

“ It is beyond the power of my pen to describe or give a just idea of the extreme beauty of the appearance of the Red-winged Lory when seen among the silvery branches of the Acacia, particularly when the flocks comprise a large number of adult males, the gorgeous scarlet of whose shoulders offers so striking a contrast to the surrounding objects. ”

“ On arriving at Brezi, to the north of Liverpool Plains, in the beginning of December, I found myself surrounded by numbers, breeding in all the hollow spouts of the large Eucalypti bordering the Mokai; and on crossing the plains between that river and the Peel, in the direction of the Turi Mountain, I saw them in flocks of many hundreds feeding upon the grass-seeds that were there abundant. So numerous were they, that I determined to encamp on the spot, in order to observe their habits and procure specimens. ”

“ The Bauer’s Parrakeet, although nearly allied to the Platycercus semitorquatus possesses several characters by which it may be distinguished from that species; in the first place it is much less in size, and in the next it has a brighter and more contrasted style of plumage, the green of the under surface of which is relieved by a gorgeous band of bright yellow across the abdomen; the rich band of scarlet which ornaments the front of the P. semitorquatus, is also wanting in the present bird, or if not entirely, the slightest indication of it and that only in the finest old males is to be seen. ”

“ The sexes are alike in plumage, and the young assume the bright colouring from the nest; the birds of the year, although they may have attained their full size, are not so brilliant as the adult, and may always be distinguished by the bill and nostrils being of a delicate gamboge-yellow. ”

“ From the little that is known of the history of this species it would appear that its range is very limited, the colony of Swan River in Western Australia being the only locality in which it has as yet been seen in a state of nature; there, however, it is one of the most common birds of the country, and, except in the breeding-season, may always be seen in large flocks, which approach so near to the houses of the settlers as frequently to visit their gardens and ploughed lands. It generally feeds on the ground, on the seeds of various kinds of grasses and the scattered grain of the farmer ”

“ After the breeding-season is over it congregates in immense flocks before taking its departure. I have seen the ground quite covered by them while engaged in procuring food, and it was not an unusual circumstance to see hundreds together on the dead branches of the gum-trees in the neighbourhood of water, a plentiful supply of which would appear to be essential to its existence; hence we may reasonably suppose that the interior of the country is not so sterile and inhospitable as is ordinarily imagined, and that it yet may be made available for the uses of man. ”

“ It is strictly gregarious, often traversing the forests in flocks of many hundreds in search of those trees most laden with its favourite fruit; upon discovering which the entire flock alight simultaneously with a rushing noise, clinging to and bearing down the smaller twigs and branches with their weight, for grasping which their broad, hand-like feet seem peculiarly fitted. It is a bird of very powerful flight, and usually flies at a considerable elevation in flocks closely packed together. ”

“ As I regard the Long-billed White Cockatoos from Western Australia and New South Wales as distinct, the habitat of the present species, so far as is yet known, is confined to the districts of Port Philip and South Australia, where it inhabits the interior rather than the neighbourhood of the coast. Like the common Cacatua galerita, it assembles in large flocks and spends much of its time on the ground, where it grubs up the roots of Orchids and other bulbous plants upon which it mainly subsists, and hence the necessity for its singularly-formed bill. ”

“ It is a noisy species, and with its screeching note keeps up a perpetual din around the trees in which it is located. During its search for honey it creeps among the leaves and smaller branches in the most extraordinary manner, hanging and clinging about them in every possible variety of position. ”

“ The colouring of the sexes when fully adult is alike, but much variation exists between youth and maturity; during the first autumn the young birds are clothed in a plumage of a nearly uniform green; to this succeeds a parti-coloured livery of scarlet, blue and green, which colouring is continually changing until the full plumage of maturity is assumed; and hence has arisen no little confusion respecting this species in the writings of the older ornithologists, and it is not to be wondered at that its synonyms are so numerous. ”

“ Most of my readers are doubtless aware that Parrots are frequently eaten by man, but few of them are, perhaps, prepared to hear that many species of the family constitute at certain seasons a staple portion of the food of the settlers: soon after the establishment of the colonies of Van Diemen’s Land, pies made of the bird here represented were commonly eaten at every table, and even at the present time are not of unfrequent occurrence. ”

“ The Bronze-winged Pigeon is so generally distributed over all parts of Australia, that, without a single exception, the colonists of every settlement have found the surrounding country inhabited by this fine bird. Specimens from Port Essington, Swan River, Van Diemen’s Land and New South Wales differ so little from each other, either in their size or markings, that they must all be regarded as one and the same species, the slight differences that do occur being too trivial to be considered as other than mere local variations. ”

“ Their movements on the ground are characterized by much grace and activity, and although assembled in one great mass running over the ground like Plovers, they are generally mated in pairs,—a fact easily ascertained by the difference in the colouring of the sexes; the rich red mark on the rump of the male appearing, as the bright sun shines upon it, like a spot of fire.
In the manner of its flocking and the situations it frequents, this bird is directly intermediate between the members of the genera Euphema and Platycercus ”

“ In a state of nature they feed exclusively upon grass-seeds, with which their crops are always found crammed: in confinement they thrive equally well upon canary-seed.
The sexes are precisely alike in the colouring and marking of their plumage, and gain their full livery in about eight months, or at the second moult from the time of leaving the breeding-place.
The young are distinguished from the adults by the crown of the head, which is yellow in the adult, being crossed by numerous fine bars of brown, by the absence of the deep blue spots on the throat, and by the irides being brownish grey. ”

“ This beautiful Platycercus is a native of South Australia, and from the circumstance of my having procured some of my finest specimens in the very streets of that embryo city, I have been induced to give it the specific name of Adelaidiæ. In all probability the bird may in a few years be looked for in vain in the suburbs of this rapidly increasing settlement, as it is too large a species and possesses too many attractions to remain unmolested; indeed it is even now much persecuted and destroyed by the newly-arrived emigrants, who kill it either for mere sport or for the table ”

“ They approach close to the windows, and are even frequently to be seen on the gum-trees bordering the streets, and within a few feet of the heads of the passing inhabitants, being so intent upon gathering the honey from the fresh-blown flowers which daily expand, as almost entirely to disregard the presence of the spectator. The tree to which they are so eagerly attracted, and a branch of which is figured in the accompanying Plate, is the Eucalyptus gibbosus, young or cultivated specimens of which appear to have finer blossoms than those in their native forests. ”

“ I allude particularly to the decided mark of white at the base of the primaries and secondaries, and to the white mark on the under-coverts of the wing: it is true that in the youthful state of most of the other Platycerci the same parts have a faint mark of white, but it is thrown off as the bird approaches maturity, and is never so distinct as in the specimen here figured. As I have mentioned above, only one specimen has yet been seen; future research will doubtless lead to the discovery of others, until when its specific value must remain a matter of uncertainty. ”

“ It not unfrequently makes inroads to the newly-sown fields of corn, where it is the most destructive bird imaginable. It passes over the ground in a succession of hops, much more quickly than the Cacatua galerita; its powers of flight also exceed those of that bird, not perhaps in duration, but in the rapidity with which it passes through the air. I noticed this particularly when a flock passed me in the interior of South Australia. I have seen many individuals of this species in captivity, both in New South Wales and in this country ”

“ The eggs are hatched by the heat of the sun’s rays, the vegetable lining of the hillock retaining sufficient warmth during the night: the eggs are deposited in layers, no two eggs being suffered to lie without a division. They are about the size of a fowl’s egg, and are white, very slightly tinged with red. The natives are exceedingly fond of them, and rob the mounds two or three times in a season; they judge of the probable number of eggs in the heap by the quantity of feathers lying around. If these are abundant, they know the hillock is full, when they immediately open it and take the whole ”

“ As an article of food it is by no means to be despised, being, I should say, even preferable to the Common Bronze-wing, to which species it offers a nearer alliance in colour than in form. On a comparison of the structure of the two birds they will be found to differ materially, the wings of the present species being shorter, and the tail comprising a smaller number of feathers than that of the other.
The sexes differ so little in the colouring of their plumage that dissection is requisite to distinguish them. ”

“ The Van Diemen’s Land bird is the largest in every respect, and has the bill, particularly the upper mandible, less abruptly curved, exhibiting a tendency to the form of that organ in the genus Licmetis: the bill of the New Guinea bird is much rounder, and is, in fact, fitted to perform a totally different office from that of the White Cockatoo of Van Diemen’s Land, which I have ascertained, by dissection, subsists principally on the small bulbs of the terrestrial Orchidaceæ, for procuring which its lengthened upper mandible is admirably adapted ”

“ It is rather a dull and inactive species compared with the members of the restricted genus Platycercus; it flies much more heavily, and is very different in its disposition, for although it soon becomes habituated to confinement, it is less easily tamed and much less confiding and familiar; the great beauty of the male, however, somewhat compensates for this unpleasant trait, and consequently it is highly prized as a cage-bird.
I was never so fortunate as to find the nest of this species, neither could I gather any information respecting this part of the bird’s economy ”

“ Like the other members of the family, it is mostly observed in small flocks, and occasionally in pairs, feeding upon the seeds of the various grasses abounding on the plains. It is only when the bird after a short flight alights on the branches, that the splendid scarlet of the belly, relieved by the yellow of the sides, is seen to advantage; when thus seen, however, it is a truly beautiful object, and is scarcely excelled by any other species of the group. ”

“ Small flocks of from four to twenty in number are also frequently to be seen passing over the town, chasing each other with the quickness of thought, and uttering at the same time a shrill screaming noise, like the Swift of Europe, whence in all probability has arisen its colonial name. ”

“ Its flesh is excellent, being much more delicate in flavour than that of the snipe, and equalling, if not surpassing, that of the quail. Its white eggs, the number of which I could not ascertain, are deposited on the bare ground. I possess examples of the young of all ages, from the egg to maturity, some killed in Van Diemen’s Land, and others from various parts of Australia; I also procured both adults and young on Flinders’ Island, where I found them breeding on the grassy plains which cover the greater portion of that island. ”

“ Its natural food being the seeds of grasses and leguminous plants, it is observed more frequently on the ground than among the trees; I sometimes met with it in small flocks, but more often in pairs or singly. It runs over the ground with a short bobbing motion of the tail, and while feeding is so remarkably tame as almost to admit of its being taken by the hand, and if forced to take wing it merely flies to the nearest trees, and there remains motionless among the branches until it again descends to the ground. ”

“ The present beautiful bird ranks among the earliest of the natural productions of Australia that were sent to Europe, but no information having hitherto been published respecting its habits and economy, few persons are aware that it is exclusively confined to New South Wales and Tasmania, its occurrence even in South Australia being utterly unknown: in the more distant colonies of Swan River and Port Essington it certainly does not occur; but in each of those colonies it is represented by a nearly allied species, whose habits and general economy are as similar as possible. ”

“ It is a ground bird, never taking to a tree except when closely hunted; when pursued it will frequently run its head into a bush, and is then easily taken. In its actions and manners it is very like the domestic fowl. Its food generally consists of seeds and berries. It has a mournful note, very like that of a pigeon, but with a more inward tone. The eggs are deposited in a mound of sand, the formation of which is the work of both sexes: the natives say they scratch up the sand for many yards around, forming a mound of about three feet in height ”

“ Why living examples of the members of this genus have not as yet reached Europe, is not easily to be accounted for. I found no difficulty in keeping a winged bird alive for a short time, and I doubt not that were the attempt made, it might be easily introduced to our aviaries; the real cause probably is the extreme difficulty of procuring young individuals, the breeding-place selected by the bird being holes in the highest trees situated in the most remote parts of the forests, where none but the Aborigines are likely to discover or able to procure them. ”

“ The breeding-season extends over the months of October, November and December. The hollow dead branch of a gum- or mahogany-tree is the place usually chosen by the female for the reception of her eggs, which are milk-white and from seven to nine in number, about an inch and an eighth long by seven-eighths of an inch broad. The young during the first year of their existence are of nearly uniform green; at the same time, the hues which characterize the adult are perceptible at almost any age.
The females are never so finely marked as the males, neither are they so large or so gracefully formed. ”

“ If we regard the White Cockatoo of Van Diemen’s Land, that of the continent of Australia, and that of New Guinea as mere varieties of each other, this species has a more extensive range than most other birds. ”