58 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE. 



A BIRD OF GREAT STRENGTH. 



A bird which because of its rarity in 

 addition to its strange appearance is a 

 notable accession to the collection of the 

 New York Zoological Society, is a mag- 

 nificent ultramarine or hyacinthine ma- 

 caw. This bird is seldom seen in captiv- 

 ity alive, and when one comes into a 

 dealer's hands, it commands from one 



the huge mandibles of any other species 

 of macaw. When it really wishes to es- 

 cape from its cage, the strongest wire 

 generally gives like pack thread, and the 

 thickest hardwood perch is reduced to 

 sawdust in an incredibly short period of 

 time. But strange to say, with all this 

 mighty strength, the bird shows a quiet- 

 ness of disposition and lack of ill temper 



A STRONG BIRD— THE HYACINTHINE MACAW. 

 Courtesy of the New York Zoological Socety. 



to two hundred dollars. Little is known 

 of its habits in a wild state, but it is 

 said to lay two white eggs at the end of 

 a burrow scraped out of the side of a 

 steep bank overhanging a stream. This 

 macaw is the largest of its family and 

 is wholly of a deep blue color. At the 

 base of the bill and around the eyes are 

 small patches of brilliant yellow, and 

 the tongue is stained with the same hue. 

 The enormous b^ak is black, dwarfing 



which is unusual among its near rela- 

 tions. The hyacinthine macaw in the 

 Zoological Park enjoys being fondled 

 and caressed by its keeper, and if car- 

 ried around on the hand, never, with- 

 out provocation, attempts to fly away or 

 to nip hard. Altogether, it is a most 

 delightful inmate of the Bird House, and 

 there is ever an admiring throng about 

 its cage. It seems to enjoy this pub- 

 licity, and revolves slowly on its perch, 



