Ron, Without a trip to the garage packing boxes for my parrot book, I can't be specific - but from memory - There was one parakeet native to this country and was called (I think) the North Carolina parakeet. It was as stated in the letter, a flock bird but it was hunted to extinction because of the popularity of brightly colored feathers for women's hats. It didn't take long and they were gone. Gail Mynatt Zeigler Ron's post read, in part: <<.............." Now for the most interesting part of a very interesting letter, he continues "WE HAD THOUSANDS OF PARAKEETS HERE FOR A FEW YEARS, BUT THEY SOON LEFT AFTER THE COUNTRY BEGAN TO SETTLE UP. The parakeet was a peculiar bird, going in droves. They belonged probably to the parrot family, having a gay plumage. The had crooked bills, and they would hook their bills over a limb to roost. The could be tamed, and when caught and petted, at roosting time, they would hook their bills over the back of a chair and hang there all night. Pigeons were here by the millions. Indian houses were all over the country. The Indians traveled like geese, one behind the other, and their trails were about two feet deep and were all over the country." Quite a story eh! Hope you enjoyed it. I'm still numb to the allegation of "parakeets" in north Mississippi in the 1740s. Do any of our readers know anything about the presence of tropical birds in an area where there are regular freezes and snow fall? This has me puzzled!!! Ron (Rowland, Garrett, Bobo, Ragsdale, Burleson et al) Hughes on the Mississippi Gulf coast >>