Psittacus aurantius. Synonym: Euphema aurantia, Gld.

THIS charming bird, which a recent writer considers to be a creation of the late John Gould's imagination, is, nevertheless, a very real Parrot, or rather Parrakeet, exceedingly abundant in Van Diemen's Land, and the islands in Bass's Straits, during the summer months, and seldom to be met with on the Australian mainland except during the winter.

ORANGE BELLIED PARRAKEET.

Few importations of any consequence take place from the beautiful island, now called Tasmania, after its discoverer, who gave it the discarded appellation by which it was long and unfavourably known, in honour of the father of his betrothed wife, an appellation that fell into disrepute, owing to the island having been used for many years as a penal settlement, but which the inhabitants got rid of as soon as the government of the colony was placed in their own hands.

Van Diemen's Land, now, more euphoniously, Tasmania, is a lovely and fertile island, blessed with an almost perfect climate, but little known to the overcrowded populations of the mother country, with which it has fewer and less important relations than any of her colonies; to which fact it is no doubt owing that so few of the many charming and eminently hardy birds that abound in her forests, find their way into our aviaries, and are practically unknown, not only to dealers and importers of foreign birds, but even to many English and continental naturalists of repute.

The subject of the present notice, the Gang-gang Cockatoo, or Parrot, (Psittacus galeatus, but not the Psittacus galeatus of Russ,) and the Ground Parrot (Pezophorus formosus, Gld.,) for instance, are cases in point: the dealers know them not, and even, some of them, try to persuade an enquirer that they have no existence: but Tasmania has been "looking up" of late, and we hope that ere long the delightful bird under consideration will cease to be a desideratum with us over here.

At first sight the Orange-bellied Grass Parrakeet boars a strong resemblance to the Blue-banded, but a careful comparison reveals a considerable difference between them. The blue forehead band is not so conspicuous as in the case of the latter bird, while the orange tinting of the under surface is deeper, and more concentrated, forming a well-defined patch of a deep yellow, or rather orange colour between the thighs.

Gould found these birds existing in considerable numbers on the small islands at the entrance of Entrecasteaux's Channel, where he thought, though without having found any, that they laid their eggs on the ground, or among the stones on the shore, for there are no trees on the islands; but it is more likely that these Parrakeets go elsewhere to breed, as they are very strong on the wing, and able to fly a considerable distance without taking rest.

Their note is singular, resembling a sharp snapping sound, and forms a marked contrast to the more melodious call of the Elegant.

Though frequenting Tasmania and the adjacent islets, the Orange-bellied Parrakeet is also found on the mainland, especially in the low swampy grounds existing between the port of Adelaide and Holdfast Bay; and specimens collected in summer and in winter, and in different places, presented no appreciable difference in their plumage.

The female is generally like her mate, but the orange spot on her belly is fainter and not quite so large as his.

This bird is not found in New South Wales or Western Australia, and appears to be a winter visitant only to the colony of South Australia.

A strong family likeness runs through all the family of the Grass Parrakeets; the Blue-banded (Euphema chrysostoma), the Orange-bellied (Euphema aurantia), the Elegant (Euphema elegans), the Bock Grass Parrakeet (Euphema petrophila), the Turquoisine (Euphema pulchella), and even the Splendid Grass Parrakeet (Euphema splendida), might all be taken for varieties of the same species, but there is little or no doubt that they are all different; the Blue-banded, however, and the Orange-bellied often fly in company, and might be considered identical, but for the points of difference we have pointed out, and which we consider sufficient to constitute them two distinct species.

Like all the Grass Parrakeets, the Orange-belly has the tarsi rather long, and runs with swiftness on the ground; its flight, too, is powerful, and well sustained.

The breeding season extends from September to January in their native country, or from Spring to Midsummer, corresponding to our March and July.

These birds are not often caged by the colonists, and the few specimens that are, now and then, to be met with in this country have been brought over privately by sailors or colonists returning "home", as the latter are wont, fondly, to designate the mother country, which, perhaps, they have never even seen, having been born and brought up upon the Island - the Island, as Tasmania is familiarly designated by the residents on the Australian mainland.

The Orange-bellied Parrakeet should, in captivity, be fed and treated exactly as we have recommended in the case of the Turquoisine, than which it will be found not less hardy and desirable.

As a rule, all the birds that are indigenous to Tasmania are well suited to cage life, and may be looked upon as capable of being acclimatised, at least in our southern counties, if not in the far north of England, or in Scotland, for the Tasmania climate bears a great resemblance to that of Devon and Cornwall, and all our fruits and flowers thrive to perfection there, where the subtropical productions of the mainland are out of place.

The farmers of course are not very fond of the Orange-bellied one and its congeners, for these birds find it more convenient to dine off the well-tilled fields, or to pick up the newly-sown corn to foraging for native grass-seeds in the bush; but, on the other hand, they destroy a good many noxious grubs, for, especially during the breeding season, they are partially insectivorous in their habits, although in captivity they will thrive perfectly well without any insect food. They are fond of thistle-seeds too, and thistles, since the day when a luckless Scotchman introduced his national emblem, have been a plague to the Australian farmers and settlers generally; but their good deeds are forgotten, or overlooked, and their partiality for oats and corn alone remembered; so that these beautiful birds are ruthlessly destroyed, wherever found, and, in time, the race will become extinct, unless perpetuated in captivity.

Let amateurs then who are possessed of aviaries speak to the dealers from whom they get their birds, and ask for Orange-bellied Parrots from Tasmania, and the demand will promptly create a supply, not only of these, but of other beautiful denizens of the Tasmanian woods, of which the Ground Parrot, and the Gang-Gang Cockatoo (Psittaeus galeatus), are, as we have already said, two of the most desirable: the latter bird especially has been known to naturalists ever since Cook and Dr. Banks explored the coasts of Australia and the adjacent islands: it is about the size of the ordinary Grey Parrot, and resembles it rather closely in form and appearance, with the exception that it has a red crest, some two inches in length, which is permanently displayed like that of the Cockatiel; the female has a grey crest; it was described by Latham under the name of Psittacus galeatus, by Wagler under that of Corydon galeatus, and by Viellot under that of Gacatua galeata, albeit it is not a Cockatoo, but more nearly related to the Platycerci.

It is a great pity that the ornithological treasures of Tasmania are not more frequently imported, for, in consequence of the geographical position of that island, and the temperate climate it enjoys, its fauna is peculiarly adapted for acclimatisation in this country of ours: and English productions, whether animal or vegetable, that have been introduced into Tasmania, have all flourished there exceedingly, some even to an undesirable extent, for instance the rabbit and the thistle: it is a fruitful and charming isle, but no better at present than a "Sleepy Hollow"; its time will come, however, and perhaps before long: even now it is a sanatorium for the inhabitants of the mainland, exhausted by the heat of the Australian summer, and the fierce struggle for wealth that is always raging in the cities and towns of the young - old - island continent on the opposite side of Bass's Straits, where people make haste to get rich, in order to, with as little delay as possible, go "home", in nine cases out of ten, to die.