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Multimedia Web Design and Development Using
Languages to Build Dynamic Web Pages 1st Edition
Theodor Richardson Digital Instant Download
Author(s): Theodor Richardson; Charles Thies
ISBN(s): 9781937585006, 193758500X
Edition: 1
File Details: PDF, 8.25 MB
Year: 2012
Language: english
MULTIMEDIA WEB DESIGN
AND DEVELOPMENT
LICENSE, DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY, AND LIMITED WARRANTY

By purchasing or using this book (the “Work”), you agree that this license grants
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the purchaser of this product.
MULTIMEDIA WEB DESIGN
AND DEVELOPMENT
Using Languages to
Build Dynamic Web Pages

Theodor Richardson
Charles Thies

Mercury Learning and Information

Dulles, Virginia
Boston, Massachusetts
New Delhi
Copyright ©2013 by MERCURY LEARNING AND INFORMATION. All rights reserved.

This publication, portions of it, or any accompanying software may not be

reproduced in any way, stored in a retrieval system of any type, or
transmitted by any means, media, electronic display or mechanical display,
including, but not limited to, photocopy, recording, Internet postings, or
scanning, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Publisher: David Pallai

MERCURY LEARNING AND INFORMATION

22841 Quicksilver Drive
Dulles, VA 20166
info@merclearning.com
www.merclearning.com
1-800-758-3756

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Theodor Richardson and Charles Thies. Multimedia Web Design and Development.
ISBN: 978-1-936420-38-4

The publisher recognizes and respects all marks used by companies, manu-
facturers, and developers as a means to distinguish their products.
All brand names and product names mentioned in this book are
trademarks or service marks of their respective companies. Any omission
or misuse (of any kind) of service marks or trademarks, etc. is not an
attempt to infringe on the property of others.

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The sole obligation of MERCURY LEARNING AND INFORMATION to the purchaser

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 I dedicate this book to Katherine; she is my muse and the love
of my life. I would be lost without you, and everything in my life
means more because you are in it.

— Theodor Richardson

To my sons, Matt and Will: Dream the impossible, learn from

your mistakes, and try again. Hard work and perseverance will
make all your dreams come true.

—Charles Thies
CONTENTS
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii

Chapter 1
WEB DESIGN BASICS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1.1 Introduction to the World Wide Web ......................................... 1

1.1.1 Web Pages and Web Browsers ..................................... 4
1.1.2 Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) ...................... 6
1.1.3 Uniform Resource Locator (URL)............................... 8
1.2 HTML Page Construction ......................................................... 10
1.2.1 The Doctype Declaration ...........................................12
1.2.2 Adding a Title .............................................................14
1.2.3 Adding Content ..........................................................15
1.2.4 Adding a Hyperlink....................................................15
1.2.5 Page Testing ...............................................................17
1.3 Principles of Web Design........................................................... 18
1.3.1 Page Layout and Real Estate ....................................19
1.3.2 Purpose and Audience Consideration .......................21
1.3.3 Typography and Font Selection ................................22
1.3.4 Color Choice................................................................25
1.3.5 Evaluating Existing Design for Tone ........................27
Chapter Summary .....................................................................28
Chapter Knowledge Check........................................................28
Chapter Projects ........................................................................30
Chapter Exercises .....................................................................31
Chapter Review Questions........................................................33

Chapter 2
SITE PLANNING AND PRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

2.1 Web Site Planning ..................................................................... 36

2.1.1 The Design and Development Process ......................36
2.1.2 Initial Client Communication ...................................38
2.1.3 Establishing Audience and Purpose .........................40
2.1.4 Emphasizing and Showcasing Content ....................41
2.1.5 Creating a Design Set ................................................42
2.2 The Case Project......................................................................... 45

Contents — vii
 2.3Professional HTML Authoring Tools ....................................... 45
2.3.1 Adobe Dreamweaver ..................................................46
2.3.2 Microsoft Expression Web .........................................48
2.3.3 Notepad++ ..................................................................49
Chapter Summary .....................................................................51
Chapter Knowledge Check........................................................51
Chapter Projects ........................................................................53
Chapter Exercises .....................................................................54
Chapter Review Questions........................................................55

Chapter 3
INTRODUCTION TO HTML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

3.1 Creating an Initial Site Layout ................................................ 57

3.1.1 Decomposing a Design ...............................................58
3.1.2 Structuring a Page .....................................................60
3.1.3 Creating Layouts in HTML .......................................60
3.2 Images ......................................................................................... 63
3.2.1 Image Formats ...........................................................63
3.2.2 Image Creation Software ...........................................65
3.2.3 Creating Site Images .................................................67
3.2.4 Inserting Images ........................................................70
Chapter Summary .....................................................................73
Chapter Knowledge Check........................................................73
Chapter Projects ........................................................................75
Chapter Exercises .....................................................................75
Chapter Review Questions........................................................77

Chapter 4
CSS3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
4.1 Introduction to Cascading Style Sheets ............................79
4.1.1 Invoking Styles in HTML ..........................................80
4.1.2 CSS Classes and Tags ................................................81
4.1.3 CSS IDs.......................................................................82
4.1.4 Pseudo-classes ............................................................83
4.1.5 Inheritance .................................................................84
4.2 Positioning and Layering ...................................................84
4.2.1 Element Position ........................................................85
4.2.2 Layers .........................................................................89
4.2.3 Height and Width.......................................................91
4.2.4 Margins and Padding.................................................94
4.3 Display Properties...................................................................... 97
4.3.1 Background Images ...................................................97

viii — Contents
 Colors ..........................................................................99
4.3.2
Borders ..................................................................... 103
4.3.3
Shadows .................................................................... 104
4.3.4
Content Alignment................................................... 105
4.3.5
Text Modification ..................................................... 106
4.3.6
4.4 Reusing CSS Styles.................................................................. 108
Chapter Summary ................................................................... 110
Chapter Knowledge Check ..................................................... 116
Chapter Projects ..................................................................... 118
Chapter Exercises ................................................................... 118
Chapter Review Questions...................................................... 120
Chapter 5
HTML5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
5.1 Branding a Site ................................................................. 124
5.1.1 Planning for Content ............................................... 124
5.1.2 Creating a Site Map ................................................. 125
5.1.3 Hyperlinks ................................................................ 126
5.1.4 Image Links/Hotspots .............................................. 127
5.1.5 Meta Tags ................................................................. 130
5.1.6 Cloning Pages ........................................................... 131
5.1.7 Adding a Site Icon .................................................... 133
5.2 Adding Content ................................................................. 135
5.2.1 Using Paragraphs and Line Breaks ........................ 135
5.2.2 Ampersand Commands ............................................ 136
5.2.3 Adding Tables........................................................... 137
5.2.4 Adding Forms ........................................................... 141
5.2.5 Audio and Video ....................................................... 145
5.2.6 Embedded Code ........................................................ 146
Chapter Summary ................................................................... 148
Chapter Knowledge Check ..................................................... 148
Chapter Projects ...................................................................... 150
Chapter Exercises ................................................................... 151
Chapter Review Questions...................................................... 152

Chapter 6
JAVASCRIPT AND JQUERY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
6.1 JavaScript Basics ........................................................................ 155
6.1.1 Variable Declarations .............................................. 158
6.1.2 Assigning Values ...................................................... 159
6.1.3 Function Calls .......................................................... 161
6.1.4 Defining Functions................................................... 163
6.1.5 Conditional Statements ........................................... 165

Contents — ix
 Looping ..................................................................... 168
6.1.6
6.2 Using JavaScript ...................................................................... 170
6.2.1 Using the alert() Function ....................................... 171
6.2.2 String Parsing and Form Validation ...................... 171
6.2.3 Dynamic Content ..................................................... 179
6.2.4 Events ....................................................................... 182
6.2.5 External JavaScript ................................................. 184
6.3 jQuery ........................................................................................ 185
6.3.1 Installing jQuery ...................................................... 186
6.3.2 jQuery Code and Use ............................................... 187
Chapter Summary .................................................................. 190
Chapter Knowledge Check...................................................... 190
Chapter Projects ...................................................................... 192
Chapter Exercises ................................................................... 193
Chapter Review Questions...................................................... 194

Chapter 7
PHP AND PERL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
7.1 Hosting a Web Site .................................................................. 197
7.2 PHP............................................................................................ 201
7.2.1 PHP Basics ............................................................... 202
7.2.2 Form Processing ....................................................... 204
7.2.3 Emailing with PHP .................................................. 208
7.3 Perl .................................................................................... 210
7.3.1 Perl Basics .................................................................. 211
7.3.2 Form Processing ......................................................... 212
7.3.3 Emailing with Perl ..................................................... 216
Chapter Summary ................................................................... 219
Chapter Knowledge Check...................................................... 219
Chapter Projects ...................................................................... 221
Chapter Exercises ................................................................... 222
Chapter Review Questions...................................................... 223

Chapter 8
MYSQL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
8.1 MySQL ...................................................................................... 227
8.1.1 MySQL Data Types .................................................. 228
8.1.2 Creating a MySQL Database .................................. 230
8.2 Structured Query Language (SQL)........................................ 234
8.2.1 Select Queries........................................................... 234

x — Contents
 Update Queries ........................................................ 235
8.2.2
Insert Queries .......................................................... 236
8.2.3
8.3 Using MySQL with PHP ......................................................... 236
8.3.1 Accessing a MySQL Database with PHP................ 237
8.3.2 Storing Data in a MySQL Database ....................... 239
8.3.3 Retrieving Data from a MySQL Database.............. 240
Chapter Summary ................................................................... 243
Chapter Knowledge Check...................................................... 243
Chapter Projects ...................................................................... 245
Chapter Exercises ................................................................... 246
Chapter Review Questions...................................................... 247

Appendix
SELECTED ANSWERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

Contents — xi
Introduction
This book is a complete guide to the concepts and practices of Web
design and development. It includes hands-on activities and profes-
sional advice for best practices in learning the procedures and prac-
tices of both design and development, allowing you to practice the
entire life cycle of a Web project. The material herein captures all of
the stages, from initial designs to back-end programming, of creating
complex Web applications. After completing this text, you will have
the ability to create dynamic, engaging Web sites with interactive
components and persistent styles. Each topic provides all of the neces-
sary instruction for getting started in that particular area.
The first five chapters of the book focus on the front-end design of a
Web site. This includes the use of HTML5 and CSS3 to create profes-
sional Web pages. This also includes guidelines for graphic design to
make the most of your pages using color, font, and style. The profes-
sional tools Adobe Dreamweaver and Microsoft Expression Web are
also introduced, with guidelines for their use in creating the case proj-
ect that continues throughout the text.
Chapter 6 focuses on the use of JavaScript for creating dynamic
elements and enabling interactions with the user. This also serves
as an introduction to the common syntax for conditional statements,
variable declarations, looping, and branching. This chapter completes
the front-end development of the Web site and transitions into con-
siderations for back-end Web application development. The jQuery
library of functions for creating complex JavaScript effects across
browsers is also introduced in this chapter, including instructions on
installing the library to a site, linking it to a page, and implementing
its functionality.
Chapter 7 introduces both PHP and Perl for developing back-end
code for Web applications. It gives an overview of both programming
languages, with the goal of focusing on common tasks needed for inter-
activity and processing user input through forms or JavaScript sub-
 missions. This chapter includes instructions for emailing from both of
these server-side languages. In order to complete the activities for this
chapter, you will need Web hosting that supports one or both of them.
Ideally, the hosting solution you choose will also support MySQL for
completing the case project in its entirety. GoDaddy.com basic hosting
is recommended for this project, as it meets all of these criteria at a
relatively low cost.
Chapter 8 introduces MySQL, the most commonly used open
source database software, for data management and storage. This
includes an introduction to databases and the SQL database language.
The PHP toolkit is used for accessing, storing, and modifying data for
use in a Web application. The case project is completed in this chapter
with the storage and retrieval of information from the interactive form
developed for the site.

Chapter Structure
Each chapter is structured so as to provide you with an overview
and best practices for one component of creating a complete Web site
from the front-end design to the back-end programming. The chapters
contain hands-on activities both in the text and as standalone chal-
lenges to help you master the material. A case project is given as an
example for you to follow and expand on. Two additional projects are
presented to reinforce the material and allow you to practice it with
different objectives. A knowledge check is provided to allow you to test
your comprehension of the chapter. Answers to select odd-numbered
questions are provided at the back of the book. Additional exercises
and discussion questions are presented to help you further explore the
concepts in each chapter.

Code Notation
Some lines of code are longer than the lines of text in this book.
Whenever you see a  symbol in the code, the line immediately follow-
ing it is a continuation that should be on the same line in your actual
code. In HTML this is not important but in formal languages it is

x i v — Introduction
necessary to keep all of the code on the same line. The code snippets
on the companion DVD contain the code in the correct lines for use.
Student Resource DVD
The textbook provides a DVD inside the back cover that includes
resources and sample video tutorials for the student. This DVD
includes all of the files needed to complete the chapter exercises within
the text. You will also find a repository of high-resolution images from
the chapters and companion Excel template documents for using com-
mon functions effectively. There are also student resources with addi-
tional project samples and videos for each chapter, as well as video
tutorials, on the companion Web site for the book(authorcloudware.
com).

Instructor Resource DVD

The instructor DVD contains the solutions for all of the exercises
and knowledge checks, along with PowerPoint presentations for each
chapter (authorcloudware.com).

Introduction — x v
Acknowledgments
Theodor Richardson:
I am very proud of the book that you now hold in your hands, and
I want to thank you for choosing it over others. Web design has been
a passion of mine and a profession for decades now, and I am pleased
to share what I have learned with you. This book is the result of the
combined creative forces of everyone who has worked to make it pos-
sible, and I want to offer my sincere thanks to them all, whether we
have met or not. I want to thank Katie Kennedy for her continued sup-
port, patience, and understanding as well as for her unprecedented
ability to make café lattes instantly as needed. I also want to thank
my grandparents, Leonard and Sylvia Ullom, and my parents, Dan
and Deborah Richardson, for giving me such a wonderful upbringing
and perpetual support and for helping me to capitalize on the oppor-
tunities that have led to my lifelong dream of seeing a book of my own
creation in print. I would like to thank my publisher, David Pallai,
and my co-author and friend, Charles Thies, for seeing another project
through to completion. Last, and certainly not least, I want to thank
you, dear reader, for your support.

Charles Thies:
I certainly have many people to thank who have made this project
possible. We have been writing now for a couple of years, and I would
like to thank my beautiful wife, Lea, and my sons, Matt and Will, for
their patience and support throughout. I would like to extend a special
thank you to my friend and co-author, Ted, for all of his guidance and
support throughout the project. A very special thank you to all of the
people we know worked to make this textbook possible but we never
met. Finally, a very special thank you to the students and professors
who have adopted this book; you are the reason we are always think-
ing about new ways to present material in the best format so that you
will be prepared in your field of study.
 CHAPTER

1
Web Design Basics
I N T HI S CHAP T E R

This chapter presents an introduction to the basic concepts

of Web design. This includes an introduction to the World
Wide Web (WWW), including a brief history and an overview
of how resources can be interlinked via a Uniform Resource
Locator (URL). You will also start to practice creating and
opening HTML files, the basis of the interconnectivity of
the World Wide Web, and explore some preliminary designs
for the two core projects of the text, as well as principles
that you can use for your own projects later. Once you have
completed this chapter, you should be able to:
● D iscuss the history of the World Wide Web
● I dentify the components of a URL and
understand interlinking of Web documents
● C onstruct a new HTML document and open it
in a Web browser
● C reate a preliminary design for your Web site

1.1 INTRODUCTION TO THE

WORLD WIDE WEB
The Internet is a vast interconnection of networks that spans the
world and allows computers to communicate from any point on the
 globe to any other point on the globe that shares a connection to this
vast complex network. The Internet of today grew from an initial inter-
connection of United States government servers under a project called
ARPANET and has expanded across the globe. From the user perspec-
tive, the Internet is most recognizable from the services that it offers;
these services prominently include e-mail and the World Wide Web.

The Internet is a global interconnection of networks made up of

hardware devices, such as personal computers and servers, which supports
communication between different computing devices using an addressing
DEFINITION
scheme known as Internet Protocol (IP).
The World Wide Web (or Web) is a service that runs on the Internet to
provide access to documents, audio, and video and allows the interconnection
of these documents through the use of hyperlinks.

The World Wide Web (commonly abbreviated as “the Web”) is

a service that runs on the Internet to allow users with an Internet
connection to access publicly available documents that are shared by
organizations and individuals. It is the most common application on
the Internet and is most likely what people have in mind when they
think of the Internet.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Tim Berners-Lee, a physicist working as
a contractor at CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nuclé-
aire, which translated from French means European Organization for
Nuclear Research), developed what is now known as the World Wide
Web through a variety of projects. Berners-Lee had a grand vision for
a system that could link information through a “web” of interconnec-
tions between documents across different computers.
These interconnections between resources were called hyperlinks
and acted as a way of managing and sharing information among
individual nodes, documents, and machines. The hyperlinked docu-

2 — Multimedia Web Design

Discovering Diverse Content Through
Random Scribd Documents
distinct from the ordinary mass of true perching birds or Passeres. It
may be remarked that the eggs of most of the Picariæ, so far as we
are acquainted with them, are glossy white, and that the majority of
them breed in the holes of trees or of rocks, and that they are as a
rule bad nest-builders. The greatest exception to the above
description of the nesting of these birds is met with in the family of
Goatsuckers (Caprimulgidæ), some of whom lay their eggs on the
ground, the eggs being beautifully marbled with streaks and spots.
 COCKATOOS.
⇒
LARGER IMAGE

Within this great Picarian order there are two large sub-orders,
called respectively the Scansorial and the Fissirostral[232] Picariæ.
The Scansorial birds are also sometimes known as the Zygodactylæ,
[233] or yoke-footed birds, because they have their toes arranged in
pairs, two in front and two behind, and their name of Scansores is
given to them because most of them are climbing birds, and run up
trees and rocks with great facility, though in different ways. Parrots,
for instance, use their bills in climbing from branch to branch, while
Woodpeckers have very powerful feet and stiffened tail-feathers,
which support them as they cling to the bark of the trees, the bill
being chiefly employed to prise off the bark in order to get at the
insects underneath. Cuckoos do not climb trees in the same manner
as the Woodpeckers, though they have true zygodactyle feet: the
present writer has, however, seen a common Cuckoo (Cuculus
canorus) cling with both feet to the trunk of a huge elm while it
picked off insects from the bark. It must not be supposed, however,
that the above are the only birds which climb trees, for among the
true Passeres, or perching birds, there occur such birds as the
Dendrocolaptidæ in South America, who have stiffened tails exactly
as the Woodpeckers, while the Tree-creepers are just as expert as
the last-named birds, and yet cannot be placed in the same order as
the Scansorial (Picariæ), for they possess a simple passerine foot,
with three toes in front and one behind.
The Fissirostres, or wide-gaping birds, are also called Gressorial
Picariæ, as their toes are more or less connected together, which
gives them a very flat sole to the foot. They generally hunt for their
food from some selected spot, ordinarily a post or a dead bough,
whence they take flights after their prey, usually returning to the
same spot to devour it. Their flight is active and swift, their gape
extremely large, and the head correspondingly big, and in many
instances clumsy and ungainly. The feet are generally small and
weak.
 SUB-ORDER I.—ZYGODACTYLÆ.

FAMILY I.—THE PARROTS (Psittaci).

Just as the Monkeys have been placed at the head of the
Mammalia on account of their high development, so the Parrots,
from their general cleverness, and especially on account of the
facility with which they can talk, have been considered the highest
order of birds, and placed at the beginning of the class. It is
impossible for some people to avoid the conclusion that these birds
think and reason, and the à propos or sometimes mal à propos way
in which they introduce speeches, coupled with the look of wisdom
which they assume while being spoken to, seems to show that the
brain is being employed in thinking. A friend in Manchester told the
writer of a parrot-show in the North of England, where the talking
powers of each bird were made the subject of a prize competition.
Several of the birds had exhibited their prowess, and at last the
cover was removed from the cage of a Grey Parrot, who at once
exclaimed, on seeing the company to which he was suddenly
introduced, “By Jove! what a lot of Parrots!” an observation which
gained him the prize at once. Instances of famous talking birds
might be multiplied by the hundred, and it is wonderful to read some
of the stories which have been related of Parrots, whose fame has
been recorded in many popular works, leaving no doubt that these
birds often possess the power of reason of a very high order; at the
same time, it must be confessed that many of the Corvine birds,
such as Ravens, Jackdaws, and Magpies, do not fall far short of their
Scansorial friends.
The Parrots are divided into two large sections, firstly the Parrots
proper (Psittaci proprii), and secondly the straight-billed Parrots
(Psittaci orthognathi[234]). These two sections together contain six
families, of which five belong to the first and one to the second. The
true Parrots have a powerful and swollen bill, especially as regards
the lower mandible, which is much inflated, curved, and flattened in
front, the cutting edges (tomium) indented just behind their tip. The
sub-family which has to be noticed first are the Camptolophinæ[235]
or Cockatoos, which are birds entirely of the Australian region, being
confined to Australia and the Molucca Islands. The bill is higher than
it is broad, with a very distinct indentation of each side of the cutting
edge of the mandible, the tip of the bill short, rather strong and
perpendicular, the head crested in all except the Pygmy Parrots
(Nasiterna). This family contains at once the largest and the smallest
of the Parrots.

THE GREAT PALM COCKATOO (Microglossus[236] aterrimus[237]).

This is one of the most powerful of all the Parrot tribe, measuring
about twenty-four inches in length, and having a bill of unusual
thickness and power. Its black plumage also renders it a conspicuous
species, the only relief to this sombre colouring being the greyish
crest and the dull crimson cheeks. Its home is New Guinea, but it is
also found in the Cape York Peninsula in Australia, where it was
discovered by John Macgillivray during the voyage of the
Rattlesnake. He writes as follows respecting it:—“This very fine bird,
which is not uncommon in the vicinity of Cape York, was usually
found in the densest scrub among the tops of the tallest trees, but
was occasionally seen in the open forest land perched on the largest
of the Eucalypti, apparently resting on its passage from one belt of
trees or patch of scrub to another. Like the Black Cockatoos, or
Calyptorhynchi, it flies slowly and usually but a short distance. In
November, 1849, the period of our last visit to Cape York, it was
always found in pairs, very shy, and difficult of approach. Its cry is
merely a low short whistle of a single note, which may be
represented by the letters ‘Hweet-Hweet.’ The stomach of the first
one killed contained a few small pieces of quartz and triturated
fragments of palm-cabbage, with which the crop of another
specimen was completely filled; and the idea immediately suggests
itself, that the powerful bill of this bird is a most fitting instrument
for stripping off the leaves near the summits of the Seaforthia
elegans and other palms to enable it to arrive at the central tender
shoot.”

THE PYGMY PARROTS (Nasiternæ).

These Parrots are represented by seven little manikins which are

found in New Guinea and the adjacent islands, each particular island
possessing its own peculiar species. Not one of these little birds
exceeds a Sparrow in size, the largest being a little over three inches
and a half in length. Owing to their small size and the resemblance
of the green colouring to the forests they inhabit, they are not easily
seen, and until recent years were very hard to procure. In the island
of Mafoor in the Bay of Geelvink, N.W., New Guinea, Baron von
Rosenberg says that he found it common near Roemsaro, and
several specimens, both alive and dead, were brought to him by the
natives. They bred there in January and February, nesting in hollow
trees and laying two eggs, the size of those of the English Bottle
Titmouse. Their food consists of fruit.

THE AMAZON PARROTS (Androglossinæ).[238]

This, the second sub-family, consists of the true Parrots, of which

the ordinary Grey Parrot (Psittacus erythacus) is the type. It also
includes all the Green Parrots of America, which are called Amazons,
as well as the Lories (Eclectus) and Love-birds (Agapornis). The
head is moderately smooth, without any highly-developed crest, as
in the Cockatoos, and the tail is short, or of only moderate length.
The tail-feathers are generally broad and obtuse, in a few widening
at the tip, or sharp at the end. In the genus Prioniturus, which
inhabits the Philippine Islands, and some of the Moluccas, the two
centre feathers have the shafts produced, and ending in a small
spatule, or racket.
THE AMAZONS (Chrysotis).[239]

AMAZON PARROT.
 These Parrots are entirely American, and are the only birds of the
New World which can compete in talking powers with the African
Grey Parrots, who, however, far surpass their American relatives.
About thirty species of Amazon are known, all of them confined
within the limits of the Neotropical region, which comprises the
whole of Central and Southern America, south of an imaginary line
drawn through Northern Mexico. The West India islands are also
included in this area, and most of them are inhabited by a species of
Amazon. The habits of all these Parrots seem to be very similar, and
a good account of the Active Amazon of Jamaica (Chrysotis agilis) is
given by Mr. Gosse[240]:—“All the Parrots are gregarious, cunning,
watchful, noisy, mischievous; and thus are like the Monkeys. This
and the Yellow-billed Parrot [Mr. Gosse’s name for C. agilis is the
Black-billed Parrot] are so much alike in manners and general
appearance, that a description of one applies nearly to the other.
Flocks varying from half a dozen to twenty or thirty fly hither and
thither over the forest, screeching as they go, and all alight together
on some tree covered with berries. Here they feast, but with caution.
On a slight alarm one screams, and the whole flock is on the wing,
vociferous if not musical, and brilliant if not beautiful, particularly
when the sun shines on their green backs and crimsoned wings.
They generally prefer lofty trees, except when, in June, the ripe
yellow plantain tempts them to descend, or when the blackberry
shines upon the pimento. Of the latter the flocks devour an immense
quantity, and the former they destroy by cutting it to pieces with
their powerful beaks, to get at the small seeds. One day in January,
when the pimento on the brow of Bluefields Mountain was about
ready for picking, being full-sized, but yet green and hard, I
observed large flocks of Black-bills, and a few Parrakeets, flying to
and fro with voluble chatter, now alighting to feed on the hot,
aromatic berry, now flying off, and wheeling round to the same
neighbourhood again. They were not at all shy, but, with unusual
carelessness of one’s proximity, scarcely moved at the report of the
gun which brought their companions to the ground. Of two which I
shot on this occasion, I found the craws stuffed with the cotyledons
of the seed alone, the most pungently aromatic part of the berry;
the fleshy part having been, as I presume, shorn off by the beak and
rejected. When alighted, as is often the case, on a dry branch, their
emerald hue is conspicuous, and affords a fair mark for the gunner;
but in a tree of full foliage, their colour proves an excellent
concealment. They seem aware of this, and their sagacity prompts
them to rely on it for security. Often we hear their voices proceeding
from a certain tree, or else have marked the descent of a flock upon
it, but on proceeding to the spot, though the eye has not wandered
from it, and we are therefore sure that they are there, we cannot
discover an individual. We go close to the tree, but all is silent, and
still as death; we institute a careful survey of every part with the
eye, to detect the slightest motion, or the form of a bird among the
leaves, but in vain; we begin to think that they have stolen off
unperceived, but on throwing a stone into the tree, a dozen throats
burst forth into cry, and as many green birds rush forth upon the
wing. The screaming of this and the following species differs from
that of the Parrakeet, so far as to be easily distinguished. That of the
latter consists of a series of harsh screeches, of comparative length;
that of the Parrots is less shrill, more broken into short and rapid
articulations, forming a series of varying length, separated by
momentary pauses. It is, in fact, much more like a hurried
chattering.”

THE GREY PARROT (Psittacus erythacus).

This familiar cage-bird is a native of Africa, and it would appear

to have been a favourite in England for a longer period than can be
traced. They were held in great estimation at the court of the “Merry
Monarch” Charles II., for his Queen Catharine of Braganza had a
parrot-keeper, at a salary of £36 per annum, while the maids of
honour received only £10 a year each, and the “mother of the
maids” £20 per annum. Therefore, the custodian of the Parrots was
better paid by £16 than the lady who held the very responsible post
of care-taker of the maids of honour.[241] A Grey Parrot which lived
for forty years with the Duchess of Richmond and Lennox, who died
in 1702, and who was a celebrated beauty at the court of Charles II.,
is preserved in Westminster Abbey along with the effigy of that lady,
having survived its mistress only a few days.
It is strange that for a bird which has so long been one of the
chief pets in Europe, so little is known of its habits in a wild state,
and at the present time not a single authentic egg of this species,
taken in its native haunts, is known to exist. Occasionally it lays in
confinement a white egg, like other Picarian birds, but it is probably
from the care with which the species selects its breeding-place that
it has been so difficult to find their nest and eggs. The only naturalist
who appears to have discovered the latter appears to be the
celebrated natural history artist, Mr. Keulemans, who spent nearly
two years in West Africa, and has written the best account of the
Grey Parrot in a state of nature,[242] as observed by him on Ilha do
Principe, or Prince’s Island, in the Bight of Biafra. Here it is very
common, and breeds in the month of December in the very thickest
forests. Only one pair breed in each tree, laying five eggs in a hole
thereof, but a large number nest in close proximity to each other,
many hundreds breeding in the same area, according to the above-
named author. Both parents take a share in the rearing of the young
birds, sitting by turns, the one who is thus relieved bringing food to
its mate and feeding it out of its crop, which method is also adopted
in the care of the young birds. The food of the Grey Parrot is stated
to consist of palm-nuts, the arocat (Laurus persea), the banana
(Musa paradisea), goyare, mango, and many other fruits of a smaller
size; but it always gives the preference to palm-nuts. On Prince’s
Island, writes Mr. Keulemans, there is “a very lofty mountain,
reaching some 1,200 feet above the level of the sea, and called by
the natives ‘Pico de Papagaio,’ or Peak of the Parrots. On the slope
of this mountain, and extending far up its side, is a magnificent
forest. The trees are of great size and height, and their trunks and
branches give support to the lianas and other climbing plants, which
hang about them in luxurious folds. The density of the forest is so
great that it is only with the greatest difficulty and toil that the
explorer can force his way through it; while to the Parrots who come
up there every night it presents no obstacle, but gives them, under
the shelter of its thick foliage, a secure and pleasant resting-place.”
Another observer in West Africa, Dr. Reichenow, found the Grey
Parrot breeding in West Africa in the low-lands along the streams
and groves of mangrove, and the great difficulty of traversing these
swamps is, according to him, the reason why their breeding habits
are not better known. They are very destructive to the crops of
Indian corn, which they visit in large flocks, wasting as much as they
consume. They proceed to roost in flocks, selecting the same route
each night; and Governor Ussher says that, whilst up the river Addo,
near Lagos, he has seen them crossing at sunset from their feeding-
grounds to their roosting-places, when they presented the
appearance of one continuous flock passing at a great distance
overhead, their screams and chattering being heard long after
darkness has set in. They are said by some travellers to be very
good eating, but by others to be only good for soup.
 GREAT MACAWS.
⇒
LARGER IMAGE

The Grey Parrot in his native haunts is an unsociable bird, and a

curious story is told by Dr. Dohrn, and confirmed by Mr. Keulemans,
respecting the species in Prince’s Island. As has already been stated,
the Parrots are extremely common there, but not a single Kite is met
with on the island. On the neighbouring island of St. Thomas there is
an abundance of Black Kites but not a single Parrot, between whom
and the Kites a constant warfare is waged, so that, should one of
the latter get driven over to Prince’s Island he is almost immediately
set upon by the Parrots and slaughtered; and the compliment is
returned if a Parrot is so unfortunate as to land uninvited on St.
Thomas’s. On the coast the chief enemy of the Parrots is the
Vulturine Sea-Eagle (Gypohierax angolensis).
 GREY PARROT.

The colouring of the Grey Parrot is simple, being of a clear

bluish-grey, with a red tail. About the face the skin is white, and
covered with a soft, velvety feathering, amongst which there is a
plentiful supply of white powder, as any one knows who scratches
the head of “Polly.” This powder is present in most of the family, but
not to the same degree as in the grey species. The young bird in the
nest is stated to have the tail dark-grey instead of red, and it is more
of a brownish-grey colour, not so clear as in the old bird, while the
iris is grey instead of yellow.
The CONURES (Conurinæ) are the third sub-family of Parrots, and
are represented largely in America, only one genus, Palæornis, being
found in India and Africa. They have the head devoid of a crest, with
a very long graduated tail, and short and weak tarsi. Amongst the
best-known species of this sub-family may be mentioned the Great
Macaw.

THE ROSE-RINGED PARRAKEET (Palæornis torquatus).

 ROSE-RINGED PARRAKEET.

This Parrot is probably the species of which we have the earliest

known record, as Onesicritus, who was admiral of the fleet of
Alexander the Great, is said to have brought from Ceylon a specimen
of a green Parrot with a red neck. Many authors have supposed that
the large Alexandrine Parrakeet (Palæornis eupatrius, or Alexandri)
was the species referred to, but the habitat of this bird is now known
to be the island of Java, and the Rose-ringed Parrakeet is more
probably the bird intended. Professor Sundevall, the great authority
on Aristotle, believes that the present bird was the only Parrot
known to the ancients, being brought into Europe probably from
Nubia. Other species were not seen in Europe before the end of the
Middle Ages, and the West African species, such as the Senegal
Parrot (P. senegalus), in 1455, and the Grey Parrot even later; the
latter not being described before Aldrovandus, about the year 1600.
American species were brought already in 1493 by Christopher
Columbus, and many Indian species after the circumnavigation of
Africa about the year 1500. The present bird is common in India and
Ceylon, and is, moreover, one of the few species of birds which are
common to the Indian Peninsula and the continent of Africa, as it is
a well-known bird in Nubia and Abyssinia, and on one occasion a
flock has been seen in the neighbourhood of Port Elizabeth in the
extreme south of the continent. According to Dr. Jerdon, it is one of
the most common and familiar birds in India, frequenting cultivated
ground and gardens, even in the barest and least wooded parts of
the country, and it is habitually found about towns and villages,
constantly perching on the house-top. It is very destructive to most
kinds of grain, as well as to fruit-gardens. Burgess says that they
carry off the ears of corn to trees to devour at leisure, and Jerdon
has observed the same sometimes. When the grains are cut and
housed it feeds on the ground in the stubble cornfields, also in
meadows, picking up what seeds it can; and now and then takes
long flights, hunting for any tree that may be in fruit, skimming close
and examining every tree; and when it has made a discovery of one
in fruit, circling round, and sailing with outspread and down-pointing
wings till it alights on the tree. It associates in flocks of various size,
sometimes in vast numbers, and generally many hundreds roost
together in some garden or grove. At Saugor all the Parrakeets,
Mynahs, Crows, Bee-eaters, &c., of the neighbourhood, for some
miles around, roost in company in a large grove of bamboos; and
the deafening noise heard there from before sunset till dark, and
from the first dawn of day till long after sunrise, gives to the listener
the idea of numberless noisy steam machines at work. Many of the
flocks of Parrots are very late in returning, and fly along quite low,
skimming the ground, and just rising over a tree, house, or any
obstacle in the way, and, for several nights in succession, several
Parrakeets flew against the wall of a house, on the top of a hill in
Saugor, and were killed. The Rose-ringed Parrakeet breeds both in
holes in trees, and very commonly in the south of India about
houses, in holes in old buildings, pagodas, tombs, &c. It lays four
white eggs. Its breeding season is from January to March. Adams
states that he has seen this Parrakeet pillage the nests of the Sand
Martin; but with what intent he does not guess at. Its ordinary flight
is rapid, with repeated strokes of the wings, somewhat wavy
laterally, or arrowy. It has a harsh cry, which it always repeats when
in flight, as well as at other times. Mr. Philipps remarks that the Kite
will sometimes swoop down on them when perched on a tree, and
carry one off in its talons; also that Owls attack these birds by night.
[243]

The length of this species is about sixteen inches and a half. It is

green with a black band extending from under the chin backwards
nearly to the nape, and having a rose-coloured collar round the hind
neck. The bill is cherry-red, the feet greyish, and the iris pale yellow.
The female does not possess the rose-coloured collar, but has
instead a narrower one of emerald green.

THE CAROLINA CONURE (Conurus carolinensis).

The Conures are inhabitants of the New World, and are very
abundant in South America, but one species, the Carolina Conure,
penetrating into the Nearctic region above the line of North Mexico.
It is a very handsome bird, but is rapidly decreasing in numbers, and
becoming restricted in its range, so much so, that in places where it
was once plentiful it is now no longer to be found at all. Even in
1842, when Audubon wrote, they were then fast diminishing, and
are now confined to the Southern and South-western States, as far
west as the Missouri river. The food of the Carolina Conure is stated
to consist chiefly of the seeds of the Cockle-burr (Xanthirum
strumarium), but it is also very partial to fruit of all kinds, and it is
owing to the way in which it has been shot down that it is now so
rare, for Mr. Audubon describes the immense damage done by a
flock of Conures to stacks of grain, which they covered in such
numbers that they presented to the eye the same effect as if a
brilliant-coloured carpet had been thrown over them. The farmers
resented the attacks on their property to such an extent that the
same naturalist states that he has seen hundreds killed in the course
of a few hours, the survivors, after each shot, flying round for a few
minutes, and then settling again in a place of most imminent danger.
Even in confinement the birds seem to develop their destructive
propensities, destroying wood, books, and, in short, everything that
comes in their way, while from their incapability of talk, and their
harsh, disagreeable voices, they are not much esteemed as pets. As
Audubon observes, the woods are the habitation best fitted for
them, and there the richness of their plumage, their beautiful mode
of flight, and even their screams, afford welcome intimation that the
darkest forests and most sequestered swamps are not destitute of
charms. According to the same observer, they deposit their eggs,
without making a nest, in the bottoms of such cavities in trees as
those to which they usually retire at night. Many females deposit
their eggs together, and he believed that the number laid by each
hen bird was two; the eggs were greenish-white, and nearly round,
and the young are at first covered with soft down, such as is seen in
nestling Owls. The colour of this Parrot is green, the head and neck
bright-yellow, and the forehead and region of the eye scarlet; the bill
is white, the feet pale flesh-colour, and the iris hazel; the length of
the bird being about fourteen inches. The female is like the male,
but the young bird has the head green instead of yellow.

THE PARRAKEETS (Platycercinæ).

 These form the fourth sub-family, and are remarkable for their
slender, smooth tarsus, which is formed as in most birds; and the
voice is more agreeable than in the other genera, the members of
which, almost without exception, have a harsh and unpleasant cry.
They are mostly inhabitants of Australia, whence come several of
them well known as cage-birds, such as the King Parrakeet
(Platycercus scapulatus), the Rosella, or Rose Parrakeet (P. eximius),
and in America they are represented by the single genus
Bolborhynchus.

ROSELLA.

THE OWL PARROT (Strigops[244] habroptilus[245]).

The genus Strigops is the sole representative of the fifth sub-

family, the Strigopinæ. It is one of the most remarkable of all the
Parrots, and is met with only in New Zealand. The face shows a disc
exactly as in the Owls, whence the name, and the wing is very short,
convex, and rounded. In its habits this bird is chiefly nocturnal, but
not entirely so; the most remarkable fact connected with it being,
perhaps, its unwillingness to fly. Thus Dr. Buller, F.R.S., in his
excellent work on the “Birds of New Zealand,” writes:—“All who have
studied the bird in its natural state agree on this point, that the
wings, although sufficiently large and strong, are perfectly useless
for purposes of flight, and that the bird merely spreads them to
break the force of its fall in descending from a higher point to a
lower, when suddenly surprised; in some instances even this use of
them is neglected, the bird falling to the ground like a stone. We are
naturally led to ask how it is that a bird possessing large and well-
formed wings should be found utterly incapable of flight. On
removing the skin from the body it is seen that the muscles by
means of which the movements of these anterior limbs are regulated
are very well developed, but are largely overlaid with fat. The bird is
known to be a ground-feeder, with a voracious appetite, and to
subsist chiefly on vegetable mosses, which, possessing but little
nutriment, require to be eaten in large quantities; and Dr. Haast
informs us that he has sometimes seen them with their crops so
distended and heavy, that the birds were scarcely able to move.
These mosses cover the ground and the roots or trunks of prostrate
trees, requiring to be sought for on foot; and the bird’s habit of
feeding at night, in a country where there are no indigenous
predatory quadrupeds, would render flight a superfluous exertion,
and a faculty of no especial advantage in the struggle for existence.
Thus it may be reasonably inferred that disuse, under the usual
operations of the laws of nature, has occasioned this disability of
wing; for there is no physiological reason why the Kakapo should not
be as good a flier as any other Parrot.”
 OWL PARROT. (After Keulemans)

The Kakapo, as it is called in New Zealand, meaning a “Night

Parrot,” is becoming rarer every year, as the places which it affects
become more and more accessible to the colonists. From the long
accounts of its habits given in Dr. Buller’s work, the following note of
Dr. Haast is selected, as it gives a good idea of the habits of this
singular species:—“So little is known of this solitary inhabitant of our
primæval forests, that the following short narrative of observations,
which I was fortunate enough to make during my recent West Coast
journey, may interest you. Although I was travelling almost
continuously for several years in the interior of these islands, it was
only during my last journey that I was enabled to study its natural
history. I was well acquainted with its call, and had often observed
its tracks in the sands of the river-beds and in the fresh-fallen snow,
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