r cotton that you may furnish them."

Only the male sings, warbling nearly all day long, pushing his beak at
times into his mate's ear as though to give her the full benefit of his
song. The lady, however, does not seem to appreciate his efforts, but
generally pecks him sharply in return.

A gentleman who brought a Parrakeet from Australia to England, says
it suffered greatly from the cold and change of climate and was kept
alive by a kind-hearted weather-beaten sailor, who kept it warm and
comfortable in his bosom. It was not kept in a cage, but roamed at will
about the room, enjoying greatly at times, a ride on the cat's back. At
meals he perched upon his master's shoulder, picking the bits he liked
from a plate set before him. If the weather was cold or chilly, he would
pull himself up by his master's whiskers and warm his feet by standing
on his bald head. He always announced his master's coming by a shrill
call, and no matter what the hour of night, never failed to utter a note
of welcome, although apparently asleep with his head tucked under his
wing.

[Illustration: AUSTRALIAN GRASS PARRAKEET.]

[Illustration: COCK-OF-THE-ROCK.]

THE COCK-OF-THE-ROCK.

The Cock-of-the-Rock lives in Guiana. Its nest is found among the
rocks. T. K. Salmon says: "I once went to see the breeding place of the
Cock-of-the-Rock; and a darker or wilder place I have never been in.
Following up a mountain stream the gorge became gradually more enclosed
and more rocky, till I arrived at the mouth of a cave with high rock on
each side, and overshadowed by high trees, into which the sun never
penetrated. All was wet and dark, and the only sound heard was the
rushing of the water over the rocks. We had hardly become accustomed to
the gloom when a nest was found, a dark bird stealing away from what
seemed to be a lump of mud upon the face of the rock. This was a nest
of the Cock-of-the-Rock, containing two eggs; it was built upon a
projecting piece, the body being made of mud or clay, then a few sticks,
and on the top lined with green moss. It was about five feet from the
water. I did not see the male bird, and, indeed, I have rarely ever seen
the male and female birds together, though I have seen both sexes in
separate flocks."

The eggs are described as pale buff with various sized spots of shades
from red-brown to pale lilac.

It is a solitary and wary bird, feeding before sunrise and after sunset
and hiding through the day