THE PARROTS. 143 



other birds, which we regret to say does not appear 

 to be an unjust charge; in other respects he certainly 

 bears a good character as a quiet and harmless bird, 

 rendering good service to the farmer by the daily 

 destruction of a great amount of noxious vermin. 

 He often visits the orchard and garden, where he 

 sometimes builds his nest. Being strictly a summer 

 bird, he leaves the Northern and Middle States early 

 in the Autumn, for a warmer climate, many passing 

 the Winter in Florida. 



The next and last division of the Scansores which 

 we have to notice is the Parrots, well known for their 

 peculiar form, their singular habits, and the brilliant 

 coloring of their plumage. Although many species 

 of this group are found in various parts of the globe, 

 yet the Equatorial Regions must be considered as the 

 favorite resort for by far the greatest number. Here, 

 among the wild and majestic forests of towering palms, 

 or in the deep and tangled thickets of mimosa, where 

 the face of Nature is clothed in perennial verdure, 

 these gay-feathered birds make the air resound with 

 their loud discordant cries. Each country seems to 

 be possessed of varieties or subdivisions of the group 

 somewhat peculiar to itself. Thus, from the interior 

 of South America we have the splendid Macaws, 

 which are generally large birds, over three feet in 

 length, of which the tail makes up twenty-four inches, 

 and decked in the most glaring hues of scarlet, green, 

 blue, and yellow. From India and the adjacent isl- 

 ands come the superb Lories, arrayed in their coats 

 of fiery red ; while from Australia we welcome the 



