Psittacus Alexandri, Russ. Synonyms: Psittacus fasciatus, Mll.; Psittacus Javanicus, Osb.;

JAVAN PARAKEET.

Psittacus pondicericmiis, Gml.; Psittacus Osbeckii, Lth.;

Psittacus mistaceus, Shw.; Palceornis pondicerianus, Vgbs.; Palceornis Javanicus, Gr.; Palceornis Vibrisca et Alexandri, Fnsch.

German: Der Alexandersittich von Java.

IT is to be regretted, as productive of confusion, that the name of the Macedonian conqueror of India should have been bestowed upon no less than five distinct species of Parrots, and still more so that to two of these should have been added the specific designation "Javan": but so it is, and nothing now remains to be done beyond attempting to clear up the uncertainty that exists, by restricting, as far as possible, the names to the one species only, which Dr. Russ has done in the present instance, and, as it appears to us, most appropriately.

The true Javan Parrot, Psittacus Alexandri, is found, as its name implies, in the Island of Java; and, as it also occurs in Borneo, Sumatra, and especially in the Malaccan peninsula, there seems to us no adequate reason why it should not have been one of the several species carried back with them, on their return to Europe, by the followers of Alexander the Great, to grace the triumph of their master, on his arrival in his native land, at the conclusion of his hazardous but gloriously successful expedition, and we are of opinion that the doctor has made out his case, so that in future, when we speak of the Javan Parrakeet, we are to be understood as meaning none other than the bird of which we are now treating.

The general colour of this Parrakeet is dark grass green on the upper half of the body, whilst the under portions are yellowish green; the head and cheeks are greyish yellow; the nape and back of the neck bright green; the chin black; the throat and breast are vinous red; the wing coverts flecked with large olive spots; the beak is red; the long tail is yellow on its under surface, and gives a graceful finish to the bird, which is of extremely elegant proportions.

In the female the forehead, throat, and sides of the head and neck are pale orange; an oval black streak descends from the corners of the beak towards the throat; the nape, the top of the neck, the shoulders, back, rump, and upper part of the tail, are grass green. The breast and belly are bright green.

It is about fourteen inches in length, of which the tail measures rather more than half: it is not of frequent occurrence in the dealers' shops, the few specimens that are to be occasionally met with having been brought over by private hands, rather than in the usual course of trade.

When acclimatised it is a fairly hardy bird, and requires to be treated as already recommended for other members of the sub-family to which it belongs.

The other species upon which authors have imposed the name of Javan, is the Psittacus Lathami of Russ, the Paloeornis Lathami of Finsch, with a number of aliases which it mostly shares with the species just described, to which it bears a close resemblance, and with which it is very frequently confounded. As it does not occur in Java, but is common on the Indian mainland, extending into Cochin China, it has certainly no claim to be called "Javan", whatever right it may have to the name of Alexander, which, however, has been elsewhere bestowed.

The head and face of this species are bluish grey, the throat and breast are vinous red, with a bluish reflection in certain lights, the under surface is bluish green; a black streak extends from the insertion of the mandibles on each side, nearly meeting at the back of the neck; the upper mandible of the beak is red, and the under mandible black; it is found in large flocks throughout India, and in the vicinity of Calcutta is one of the commonest birds.

The German name of this species is Der rosenbrustige Alexandersittich: it is described by Bechstein under the name of Der Zuwyfleckige Sittich (Psittacus bimaculatus), and appears to have been generally confounded with the preceding species: but the old German author was certainly in error when he assigned "Botany Bay" to it as a habitat. "It is very docile, amiable and talkative", he says. "Its mildness is pleasing, and it is extremely affectionate and caressing."

We have not found it "talkative", but, on the contrary, dull in the acquisition of articulate speech.

As there is not much difference in the outward appearance of the Javan Parrakeet, properly so called, and its Indian congener, so the two species bear a close resemblance to each other in their mental capacities: they are certainly docile, and not very noisy, but not particularly susceptible of education. If they do not make themselves as disagreeable as some of their relatives by their harsh outcries, neither do they recommend themselves to the notice of amateurs by their powers of speech; an odd specimen, here and there, with much painstaking teaching, will learn a few words, but, as a rule, they cannot be classed with the "Talking Parrots", at least in our opinion, although Dr. Russ has given instances in which some of these birds have evinced considerable powers of imitation.

This, however, is not to be wondered at, nor should it be taken as an indication, or a proof, that our estimation of the Javan Parrakeet and its near relative is wrong, for in every race, in every species, will be found individuals who in intelligence and docility leave the mass of their fellows immeasurably behind them, and push themselves forward, by sheer force of individual merit, to the foremost ranks, whether of birds or men; and this no doubt was the case with the birds spoken of by the eminent ornithologist of Berlin.

So far as we are aware these birds have not yet been bred in Europe, although, in our opinion, from their quiet habits, and susceptibility of being perfectly tamed, there should be no difficulty in the way of their reproduction: but probably the attempt to breed them has never been seriously made.

Should it be desired to see these birds nest and bring up their young in captivity, we are of opinion that a pair of young individuals, fairly tamed and thoroughly acclimatised, should be turned, about May, into a good-sized garden aviary, or even a bird-room, appropriately furnished with hollow logs, or boxes, in the bottom of which half a cocoa-nut husk should be firmly cemented, well supplied with food and water, and, in case of their being placed in a room, an abundance of light and air, but a thorough immunity from draughts; they should not be too frequently disturbed, but should, nevertheless, be paid a visit every day, for the double purpose of replenishing their supplies of food and water, and of preventing their getting wild again, which they would be very apt to do, if left entirely to themselves.

Should eggs be laid and young ones hatched, it would be advisable to furnish the parents, in addition to their ordinary diet, with soaked seeds of several kinds, especially oats, and, when practicable, with rice in the husk, not forgetting a piece of bread a day old, part of which may be given dry, and the remainder slightly moistened with cold water.

ELEGANT PARRAKEET.

Logs, trees even, will be a great boon to the inhabitants, affording them not only snug retreats in which to deposit their eggs, and hatch and bring up their young, but also an infinite fund of amusement, not to say delight, and exercise to boot, for nearly all the Parrots are born "whittlers", and if they have not a handy log 'convenient', as an Irishman would say, on which to exercise their powerful mandibles, they will find some other and more objectionable mode of whiling away the time, by quarrelling among themselves, or even turning to and plucking out their own feathers by the roots, until they leave themselves quite bare.

As soon as the young of one brood can feed themselves, it is desirable to remove them to other quarters, lest they interfere with the domestic arrangement of their parents, and prejudice the production of another brood. Of course overcrowding must be carefully avoided, and if a separate aviary can be given to each species, so much the better; but this is not absolutely, not even imperatively necessary, as most of these birds, the Javan Parrakeets especially, are fond of company, and thrive better in the society of their fellows than when kept alone by themselves.

The Hon. And Rev. F. G. Dutton's Account Of The Javan Parrakeet (Palaeornis Javanicus)

This bird is "the Whiskered Parrot", "P. bimaculatus", of Bechstein. He gives it a better character for speaking than I can endorse; but I only kept two specimens. Those both had the same character. They were very tame and gentle, not so noisy as the Bengal Parrakeet, though still gifted with a power of making one jump every now and then. They were not good talkers: one never got beyond " Pretty Polly," nor the other beyond a few words of Hindustani. Perhaps if their education had been regularly attended to, they might have developed further powers of speech; as far as tameness went, they left nothing to be desired.

Unlike the Bengal Parrakeet, neither of them seemed to care about washing. They feed, like the Bengal, on canary, hemp and millet seed. I find sopped bread is a question of education with all the Paloeornis tribe. Some like bread and milk, some like bread and water, and others will have nothing but plain water. It depends upon how they have been brought up. Perhaps the same might be said of every Parrot.