Psittacus Goffini, Russ. Synonym: Cacatua Gojffini.

German: Goffin's Kakadu.

THIS altogether charming and comparatively rare bird, is stated in the Catalogue of the London Zoological Society to be a native of Queensland, but Dr. Karl Buss, the well-known ornithologist of Berlin, describes it as coming from the Solomon Islands, (von den Salomons Inseln), and from our knowledge of both authorities we give a decided preference to the latter.

GOFFIN'S COCKATOO.

Goffin is about the size of a large African Grey (Psittacus erithacus), and is very commonly called by the English dealers "The Crested White Parrot"; why, it would be difficult to say, for he is unmistake-ably a Cockatoo. The general colour of the plumage is white, but the under surface of the wings and tail is pale straw-colour, the two front feathers of the crest are also white, but the rest are salmon-coloured from the base up to about two thirds of their length: the bird is covered with a white powder that comes off on the hands when it is touched, but which imparts a gloss, or finish to its toilet, such as one sees upon the Java Sparrow and several other kinds of birds. The beak is white, and the legs and feet whitish lead colour.

The female differs from her mate in several respects: in the first place, she is perceptibly smaller, and of slimmer build, her crest is not nearly so well developed, the straw or primrose tint on the under surface of the wings and tail is scarcely apparent, she is a very quiet, noiseless personage, rarely opening her mouth, except to appropriate the various good things in the shape of food with which her owner has supplied her, and - this is the surest differentiating mark, - the irides in her case are chesnut brown, while those of her lord and master are jet-black.

Goffin, as we have said, is comparatively a rare bird, so that few people have had the pleasure of possessing a specimen: let those who are so fortunate as to include one in their collection, take care of him, for he is teachable and lovable, making one of the most charming pets that can be imagined. There seems no limit to the capacity for acquiring knowledge of the human language possessed by this intelligent bird, which often picks up, not only words, but long sentences, which have been pronounced in its presence but on a single occasion; while as for domestic sounds of all kinds, from the whimpering of an infant to the crowing of cocks, and even the song of a canary bird, he readily acquires, and with wonderful fidelity to nature reproduces them all.

The female, as we have said, is a silent bird; one that we had in our possession for some time, though mated with a most loquacious husband, never succeeded in mastering his acquired language, beyond repeating in a low and timid voice the two words "Well" and "Martha" - the latter her own name.

The male has one great drawback, however, he is an inveterate and ear-piercing screamer, not at all times be it understood, but when he is "put out", or hungry, or wants to be let out of his cage for a ramble round the room, or is feeling dull, or, perhaps, poor thing! when his liver is out of order: but we have never heard the female scream, not even when teased and provoked in every possible way; hers really seems to be an imperturbable temper, and oh! what a blessed possession that is to be sure, for bird or man!

Although natives of an intertropical region, the Goffins are by no means delicate, but on the contrary hardy to the extent of being wintered safely out of doors in a partially covered aviary, where, if provided with suitable nesting arrangements they will also breed.

Like all the Parrot tribe, with one or two doubtful exceptions, the nesting-place of Goffin's Cockatoos is in. the hollow of some dead branch of one of the larger trees that flourish in their native wilds: beyond smoothing out, and carefully freeing from all extraneous matter, the cavity they have selected for their dwelling place, these birds make no nest, properly so called, but lay their eggs on the smooth wood; three or four in number, and about the same size as those of the Collared Dove (Columba risorius) but somewhat rounder, the eggs are pure white, hatched in twenty-one days, and there are usually two broods in the season, which extends, in this country, from May to September. Young ones hatched in the latter month, however, will not be reared unless removed indoors along with their parents, for the first cold night after they quitted the nest would be surely fatal to them.

Goffins grow very slowly, taking quite three years to attain maturity, so that they are long-lived birds, enduring, with ordinary care, for a long time in the house: this accounts for the fact that dealers, who really know little or nothing about these birds, try to persuade intending purchasers that the large birds are males, and the small ones females: as we have said the female is smaller, but size is not an infallible guide to the differentiation of the sexes, but the colour of the iris is, and the aviarist will do well to rely upon no other.

There are stories of flesh-eating Parrots current, but requiring confirmation: many of these birds, however are partially insectivorous, and of the latter Goffin is undoubtedly one; at the same time, in captivity, he will do extremely well without animal food, which, unless he is mated, or rearing a young family, is of far too stimulating a nature to be given except at rarest intervals. Oats, maize, canary and hemp-seed, boiled potatoes, a crust of bread or a captain's biscuit, are all good for him; the seeds as his ordinary diet, and the other comestibles mentioned as an occasional bonne bouche. It may be as well, here, to caution the intending purchaser - and we flatter ourselves that every reader of this article will, sooner or later, be one - that it is unwise to keep Master Goffin in the dining-room, at least while meals are being partaken of, for he will become so clamorous for potato, and other dainties that his owners will know no peace: let him be helped as freely as possible, he will just take one tiny bite from the morsel he holds in his handy foot, drop it, literally like a hot potato, to the bottom of his cage, and incontinently shout for "more"; which becomes monotonous after a while and decidedly unpleasant. It is of no use to cover him over, he only screams the louder, and even if banished to a distant part of the house, his shrill shrieks will permeate every portion of it, until his owners wish him back upon his native islands.

Once a bad habit has taken hold of one of these birds, it is simply impossible to break him off it, so that the obvious course is not to permit him to contract one: keep him out of the room at meal-times, feed him at stated intervals, and all will go well; but let him see you eating - what more natural than that he should want his share? - and there will be no peace while he remains upon the premises.

Green food is indispensable, groundsel in flower, dandelions, chicory, lettuce that has been a day or two out of the ground, a slice of carrot, too, raw or cooked, are excellent for keeping him in health, and should, of course, be more sparingly afforded in winter than in summer, when the supply may be practically unlimited.

If there are young ones to be provided for in the nest, soaked bread must be added to the bill of fare - soaked in water, mark you, never in milk, and the maize and oats may be advantageously boiled for a couple of hours, strained and let become quite cold, before being placed in the seed-pans. These and the drinking-vessels should preferably be of delf-ware, rather than of tin or wood; indeed the latter would not be of more than a day's use, for Goffin is an inveterate "whittler", the former are not easily cleaned, and nothing foul should be tolerated for a moment in the aviary.

Here let us remark that a pair of Goffins will require a dwelling-place all to themselves, for they are not to be trusted with other birds; the smaller they would kill, and very probably partially devour, and the larger they would persecute until the lives of the intruders became a burden to themselves, or they turned round upon their assailants and gave them "tit for tat", and in either case there would not be the faintest chance of any young Goffins making their appearance upon the scene.

Grasshoppers, where the aviarist lives in the country, ants1 eggs, that is to say the pupae of the ants in their cocoons, should be supplied, though rather sparingly, when there are young ones in the nest to be fed: and in towns, crickets and blackbeetles, or even mealworms will answer the same purpose. Cockchaffers, and daddy-long-legs (Tipuloe) will be relished, but insect food of some kind is indispensable if Goffin is to breed.

We are aware that the above directions will be looked upon by some as heterodox and objectionable to the last degree: taut pis, messieurs, we speak from experience, and as the French say "rien n' est plus brutal qu 'un fait."

We cannot conclude our observations, necessarily limited in extent, seeing that we have already said so much about the Goffin elsewhere, without adverting to the ancient, horrible and most persistent superstition that Parrots (including Cockatoos) do not require water!

That none of the family are great drinkers we admit; still they do drink, and many of them cannot and will not survive for any length of time in captivity without a sufficient supply - of rain water where practicable - but water of some kind. Milk, so generally forced upon Parrots, is no substitute, and sopped bread is simply an abomination. Parrots, as a rule, are small eaters, as well as moderate drinkers, but in their wild state they live on unripe, or at least soft seeds, and consequently do not require so very much fluid to aid their digestion: but in the house it is vastly different, for there their chief food is absolutely dry, so that the Parrot, or Cockatoo, that, when wild, would have been amply satisfied with the amount of moisture he could lick off the leaves and grass, wet with the heavy dews of intertropical regions, must have water to drink, or he will soon get out of health; so that to deprive him of water, and force him, under such circumstances, to eat a quantity of "sop" for the sake of the fluid it contains, is to ruin his digestion, upset his liver and his temper, and turn an amiable bird into a spiteful and screeching dyspeptic. No, Parrots must have water, and plenty of it, and we regret to have to record the fact that the authorities at the "Zoo" are not yet disabused of the contrary notion, which no doubt, in great measure, accounts for the recent dates prefixed to most of the cages in the Parrot House.

Eheu! poor Paul Goffin, presented to the Gardens in a moment of irritation induced by your too loudly and incessantly repeated demands for " Potato!", when the bottom of your cage was littered with that valuable tuber, we have no doubt that deprivation of your accustomed potations was the cause of your untimely death, in less than two years after your reception in that Institution, to which, if we had only known, you never should have gone.

Parrots, as a rule, do not care to bathe, that is to "tub"; but they love to stand out in a warm summer shower, and stretch out each limb alternately to catch the genial drops as they gently fall from heaven; and nothing gives them greater pleasure than to roll and tumble, to swim so to speak, in long grass that has just been soaked by a passing shower. Failing, however, these natural modes of taking a bath, Master Goffin, and Mistress Goffin, too, for that matter, will take water in their beaks, now and then, from their drinking troughs and sprinkling it on their backs, clinging the while to the bars of their cage with outstretched wings and tail, and every feather ruffled out, making a most consummate fuss, quite incommensurate with the importance of the occasion. Should a warm summer shower be falling at any time, Goffin will enjoy being placed outside to receive it on his back; but should the weather be hot and dry, and no prospect of rain apparent, a bath from the fine rose of a watering-pot, will be equally appreciated.

So much for Goffin's Cockatoo which, it will doubtless be gathered from the above remarks, is one of our greatest favourites, and most deservedly so, for we know no member of the Psittacidoe that combines the possession of so many admirable qualities with a paucity of bad ones as the charming bird to which the late Mr. Goffin lent, or rather gave his name.

Goffins being, as we have said, comparatively rare birds, are conse.