o makes its appearance in spots on the breast. The
third year he attains his full beauty.

Their favorite resorts are small thickets of low trees and bushes, and
when singing they select the highest branches of the bush. They are
passionately fond of flies and insects and also eat seeds and rice.

Thousands of these birds are trapped for the cage, and sold annually to
our northern people and also in Europe. They are comparatively cheap,
even in our northern bird markets, as most of them are exchanged for our
Canaries and imported birds that cannot be sent directly to the south on
account of climatic conditions.

Many a northern lady, while visiting the orange groves of Florida,
becomes enchanted with the Nonpareil in his wild state, and some shrewd
and wily negro, hearing her expressions of delight, easily procures one,
and disposes of it to her at an extravagant price.

THE AUSTRALIAN GRASS PARRAKEET.

I am a Parrakeet. I belong to the Parrot family. A man bought me and
brought me here.

It is not warm here, as it was where I came from. I almost froze coming
over here.

I am not kept in a cage. I stay in the house and go about as I please.

There is a Pussy Cat in the house. Sometimes I ride on her back. I like
that.

I used to live in the grass lands. It was very warm there. I ran among
the thick grass blades, and sat on the stems and ate seeds.

I had a wife then. Her feathers were almost like mine. We never made
nests. When we wanted a nest, we found a hole in a gum tree. I used to
sing to my wife while she sat on the nest.

I can mock other birds. Sometimes I warble and chirp at the same time.
Then it sounds like two birds singing. My tongue is short and thick, and
this helps me to talk. But I have been talking too much. My tongue is
getting tired.

I think I'll have a ride on Pussy's back. Good bye.

* * *

Parrakeets have a great fondness for the grass lands, where they may be
seen in great numbers, running amid the thick grass blades, clinging to
their stems, or feeding on their seeds.

Grass seed is their constant food in their native country. In captivity
they take well to canary seed, and what is remarkable, never pick food
with their feet, as do other species of parrots, but always use their
beaks. "They do not build a nest, but must be given a piece of wood
with a rough hole in the middle, which they will fill to their liking,
rejecting all soft lining of wool o