Psittacus roseicapillus, Russ. Synonyms: Cacatua roseicapilla, Plictolophus roseicapillus, Eolophus roseus, etc. German : Der rosenrothe Kakadu.

ROSE-BREASTED COCKATOO.

THIS handsome but common bird is a native of the greater part of the Australian continent, and is, perhaps, one of the best known of its species in this country, where it has been imported in considerable numbers for many years past: the London Zoological Society having added an example to their collection as far back as the year 1843.

With the exception of the Leadbeater it is, unquestionably, the most beautiful member of the sub-family of the Cockatoos, and it is much to be regretted that it has few qualifications, beyond its delicate lavender grey coat, its rosy-red waistcoat, and its white head-dress just tinged with pink, to recommend it to the notice of amateurs.

The Cockatoos, as a rule, are not gifted with sweet voices, quite the contrary: but for an ear-piercing shriek, enough, after a few repetitions, to drive a sensitive person almost crazy, commend us to the Rosy Cockatoo.

Our experience of these birds has not been felicitous; but we are, nevertheless, unwilling to condemn the whole race for the shortcomings of a few individuals, and very possibly, nay very probably, or they would not command the ready sale they do, we have been unfortunate with our Rosy Cockatoos; still we must speak of them as we have found them, and with us they have not proved themselves teachable, or endearing in any way: one or two short words might be learned, but as to speaking, they never accomplished it; some of them have no doubt been tamed, but ours utterly repudiated the notion of reconciliation with their natural enemy man, and remained the most utter savages to the very last.

Mr. Wiener has also found this bird "stupid and uninteresting", and thinks its "screeching propensities will be less if kept in pairs"; which is, actually, the case; bat even then, the capacity for noise possessed by these Cockatoos renders them, in our opinion, very far from being accounted a desirable acquisition in the aviary.

The long, broad tail, and hawk-like wings of the Rosy Cockatoo, seem to point to its true position with the Platycerci, but as it has the power of elevating at will the short round head feathers, it is usually classed with the Cockatoos.

There is no difference in either size or colour between the sexes, but the female can always be distinguished at a glance from her mate by her eye, which is chesnut brown, the iris of the male being jet black: a peculiarity to which we have already alluded in speaking of other members of the sub-family, and to which we believe we have been the first to direct attention.

In their wild state these birds, like all their congeners, nest in the hollow branches of the gum-trees in the vast forests where they live, and the female lays two or three white eggs, rather round in shape, and hatches them in about twenty-one days. With the exception of a pair belonging to Mr. Gedney, we are not aware that these birds have ever reproduced their species in this country, or on the continent of Europe: but that gentleman's account of his experience is so graphically told, that we must reproduce it in his own words; any attempt at condensation would utterly fail to do him justice.

"I was once compelled to act the part of 'wet-nurse' to a pair of baby Cockatoos of this species, whose mother had died, and whose father was so stricken with grief that he neglected the poor little fellows. They certainly were about as uninviting as anything in the baby line that I had ever seen, and even after chewing a cud of maize and shelled oats, it required a considerable amount of consideration before I could summon up sufficient enthusiasm to go through the process of feeding, yet it was a case of life or death, and - but no matter - I will spare my sensitive readers these unsavoury details. I fed the birds and my gentle little bantam hen, who happened to be broody at the time, performed the part of foster-mother to perfection. It is true that she resented the loss of her own eggs at the outset, and that her first look of intense horror and disgust when she saw the big-headed baby Cockatoos, sent me into a fit of ungovernable laughter, still their evident delight at the cheerful warmth of her body, and the ready manner in which they nestled, overcame her first feelings of compunction, and she adopted them as if they were her own. Of course I had to do the feeding, and as the youngsters required their meals at least once an hour at the outset, the bantam hen and her adopted children were kept in a hamper and placed within easy reach, whilst my pockets contained a neat assortment of suitable food, which at regular intervals underwent the process of mastication, preparatory to being equally shared between my two baby Cockatoos. The trouble was certainly great, but the results were perfectly satisfactory."

"My young Cockatoos were very slow of growth, and required assistance in feeding until quite three months old, for although they would pick up stray bits of food, yet they greatly preferred to have it from the fingers of their owner. The absurdity of the performance between their foster-mother and themselves was highly amusing, for the bantam, who nursed them tenderly, would excite their hunger by picking up morsels of food and calling loudly to her adopted children, they immediately endeavoured to thrust their large beaks into her mouth, at which proceeding she would appear greatly astonished, and looking inquiringly, first at one and then at the other big-headed baby, she would take up the fallen scrap and go through the performance again with similar results. The little black hen eventually abandoned all attempts to feed her strange children, but she was very much attached to them, and a quaint trio they looked when basking together in the sunshine, the hen dusting herself, and the youngsters climbing about her body, in the vain endeavour to escape a shower of grit with which they were every now and then assailed. The early plumage of these birds was less brilliant than that of the adult, and the breast was, moreover, largely mottled with grey, but at twelve months old there was nothing by which to distinguish them from birds four times their age."

To the foregoing interesting account we can only add that it seems to us a pity that so much care and attention, both on the part of the human foster-father, and the bantam hen foster-mother, were wasted upon such unworthy subjects; had they been Goffins, indeed, or even Leadbeaters, but Rosy Cockatoos! We candidly confess we should not have taken the trouble.

The food of this species is identical with that recommended for the other members of this sub-family of the Psittacidoe already described in these pages, namely: hemp, oats, maize, bread-crumb (dry), biscuit, and green food of all kinds, excepting fresh lettuce and parsley; water, too, must not be forgotten; in fact, we can never too often reiterate the necessity of an abundant and pure supply of this essential element for Parrots of every kind; while milk and meat must be rigorously withheld, unless it be wished to see the poor birds pluck out their own feathers.

A stand seems to us preferable to a cage for any of the larger Parrots, Macaws, and Cockatoos; they have more liberty and a greater range on the former than in the latter, unless the cage be of such dimensions as fairly to deserve the name of aviary, which is so often misapplied by fanciers: Mr. Wiener's recommendation, too, of keeping these birds in pairs, is worthy of consideration, and if their abode is of sufficient extent, and appropriately furnished with hollow logs, it is more than likely that Mr. Gedney's success in rearing Rosy Cockatoos in captivity will soon cease to be, as it is to-day, unique.

We shall not make the attempt, however, for we have not sufficient liking for the birds, but trust that our prejudice against them, ill-founded as it very possibly is, will not deter other aviarists from trying what they can do in this respect.

The Rosy Cockatoo is rather smaller than the Leadbeater, but looks less still in consequence of its head not being ornamented with a crest, which, when erect, adds very considerably to the height and appearance of the true Cockatoos, and gives them a bold and saucy air that is nevertheless very becoming, and causes the crestless Parrots to look comparatively insignificant by their side.

It is a thousand pities, a million rather, that this otherwise charming bird should rival even the peacock in hideous noisiness: but so it is, for "handsome is that handsome does", is, unfortunately for amateurs who look for beauty in their pets, and perhaps fortunately for the rosy one himself, not a proverb that in this instance can be applied with any degree of appositeness, for he is certainly handsome, but his conversation is most decidedly objectionable to the last degree; in fact, judging from the venom he throws into his shrieks, the stunned auditor can but conclude that the bird is cursing his jailor with all his might and main.

In his own native land though, among the aromatic gum-trees, the feathery foliaged acacias, the stiff grass-like forms of the native "she-oaks," and the huge ferns, which it is no misnomer to call trees, the Rosy Cockatoo is in his element, his sole appropriate place; cage him, and he is the square peg in the round hole, or, vice versa, as the reader pleases.

Yes, a flock of Rosy Cockatoos playing among the branches, or seeking their food among the long "kangaroo-grass" of some untilled plain, or disporting themselves by the margin of a pond or creek, afford one of the prettiest sights it is possible to imagine; their noisy outcries are not so noticeable then, but mingle rather harmoniously as the altos in the great concert of nature, in which the cicalas, or locusts, take the treble parts; but the hours speed on their way, noon draws near, the birds retire to their camping trees, and almost every sound is hushed, only the cicalas continue to call to another from the gum-trees, and the White Cockatoos to scream from the cloudless depths of ether, where they wheel round and round in untiring gyrations, safe from the attacks of every foe.

Capture the Rosy Cockatoo, however, take him from the maternal nest, even, in his babyhood, and bring him np by hand, what: then? Well, he is out of place in your cage, or in your aviary, and he knows and feels it, and even when most tame, the mal du pays takes strong hold of it at times, and he his apt to bite, and to scream his loudest and most implacable scream as a protest against his thraldom: the chains may be gilded, it is true, but are they not chains all the same? and is it not cruel, not only to deprive him of his freedom, but to take him, by main force, and carry him away captive into a cold and sunless land, where gum-trees languish, and mimosas fade, and the tree-ferns droop their feathery fronds and die?

The Rosy Cockatoos are gregarious birds, assembling in small flocks, however, compared to those formed by their relations, the Great White-crested fellows that love to soar, far beyond the reach of unaided human sight, in the broad expanse of ethereal blue, bathed in the light of an Australian noon, when the air quivers as one may see it do over the mouth of a furnace, and the fiery rays of the sun pour down un-dimmed by a single fleecy cloud; then the rosy one seeks the shade of the forest, and dozes among the tops of the trees, apparently fearful lest the strong heat and vivid sunshine should fade the glory of his rosy vest, or may be blanch his lavender-coloured coat; for he is a great dandy, and never weary of preening and dressing his plumes, which in a cage look so often rough and untidy, as if the poor bird, with liberty, had lost heart, and personal pride, and cared only to pour forth the story of his woes and wrongs in the most ear-piercing strains.

With the exception of the Leadbeater there is no bird with which we are acquainted that "plays" so earnestly, or so gracefully as the Rosy Cockatoo; he is quite a gymnast too, and the way in which he swings himself round and round on his perch, with expanded wings and tail, is no less amusing than interesting: the love-making again of a pair of Roseicapilli is a sight to be seen: what a series of bows and capers, what tender, self-contained warbling! to hear him "coo" to his lady-love, you would never suppose him to be the pink fiend, whose piercing shrieks but just now drove you from his presence with your fingers in your ears: but he is: when he is teased he screams, when he is angry he screams, when he is hungry or thirsty he shrieks, but when he is jealous he yells like a demon - or as demons are sup-posed to yell - -but when he has got what he wants, and is in a good humour, his "warbling", if loud, is not at all disagreeable, but that is so seldom, that, taught by experience, we prefer, on the whole, his room to his company, and are content to leave the Rosy Cockatoo to sport in his native wilds, or, if imported, to add variety and charm to the aviaries of the Zoological Gardens.

The Hon. And Rev. F. G. Duttotn's Account Of The Rose-Breasted Cockatoo

The Rose-breasted Cockatoo is perhaps the tamest of all the Cockatoos. It is the size of a Wood Pigeon, grey on the back, has a rather longer tail than most of the White Cockatoos, of a still darker grey. The breast is a pale rose colour, and the crest, which is not seen when the bird is not excited, is white.

Its bill, which is white, is smaller in proportion to its size than that of any other Cockatoo; but it is not to be despised as a weapon of offence, as the Rose-breasted Cockatoo can give a very nasty bite, if it is so disposed; and with anybody but its owner it very often is so disposed. All Cockatoos, as far as my experience goes, are not only inclined to be uncertain in temper, even turning round at times suddenly upon those they are fondest of, but are fond of mischief, liking to swoop down suddenly on people when flying at large (of course I only speak of pet birds let loose in England). Bat on the whole it is a gentle bird, and though it has the peculiarly disagreeable smell belonging to' all the Cockatoo tribe, its lovely and graceful antics would make it one of the most charming of pets, were it not for its intolerable noisiness. All the Cockatoos I have known have been noisy; it is only a question of more or less, but with the Rose-breasted it is a case of more, not to say of most. It must be owing to this, quite as much as its hardiness, which makes its price so low. So charming a bird would always obtain a good price, were it not that one Rose-breasted Cockatoo is enough to supply not only a street but a district. Its screams have been described as like "a little pig being killed." Its claws, too, are cuttingly sharp, so that if one takes it on one's hand, one has to wear gloves. It has a strong bold flight, owing to the immense length of its wings, and is rather apt to wander when given its liberty. In this respect it follows the habits of the genus Paloeornis more than that of Cacatua.

It is a. very hardy bird, and may be kept on hemp, canary, millet, and maize. It is very destructive, soon destroying its perch, and should always have a piece of loose wood, such as an old cotton reel, to play with.