102 THE SPEAKING PARROTS. 



tbe various species. Nevertheless, from olden times even to our 

 own days, we find scientific observers as well as amateurs 

 constantly confusing the birds of this genus, especially the 

 Surinam, with other ones. The reader is, therefore, particularly 

 requested to notice carefully the marks given in the following 

 description : 



The Yellow-fronted Amazon is of a deep yellow from the 

 forehead to the middle of the head, more or less over the back 

 of the head, with a broad green stripe above the eye ; lores,, 

 sides of the head, and throat, yellowish-green ; back of the head, 

 cheeks, and neck, dark-green, each feather edged with a fine- 

 black line ; the whole of the upper part of the body is a dark 

 grass-green, without the darker edges to the feathers ; edge of 

 the wings red ; the speckles on the wings, and the beard of the- 

 quills of the outermost tail feathers, vary from reddish-yellow 

 to scarlet ; all the lower parts of the body are of a lighter green 

 than the upper ; reddish-yellow about the legs ; beak blackish- 

 brown inclining to black ; on each side of the base of the^ 

 upper beak there is a pinkish-white spot ; lower beak dark horn- 

 grey ; the cere is blackish, thickly set with little black hairs ; 

 eyes orange-red, with a thin yellow, and then a broad brown rim 

 round the pupils ; eye cere bluish-white ; feet bluish- white ; 

 claws almost pure white. 



There appear the following varieties of this species : The 

 yellow on the head may be narrower or broader, and sometimes- 

 extends over the whole front of the head, even over the eyes and 

 the under beak ; sometimes it does not appear, or is confined to- 

 a few feathers on the middle of the head and on the bridle ; the- 

 yellow feathers are often edged here and there with red ; the 

 edge of the forehead is green ; the red mark in the wing may 

 be smaller or greater ; the beak may be lighter or darker brown,, 

 with a fallow-red spot ; the iris with an inner ring of brown 

 and an outer one of red ; eye cere grey. 



The plumage of the female and of the young is not yet 

 known with certainty. The young birds which come into the 

 market have but little yellow about them, and the red marks 

 are duller. Size, about that of a raven (length, 14|in. to 16ic,; 

 wings, from 8in. to 9in.; tail, from 4lin. to 5;^in.). 



It is a native of the north of South America. We are told 

 by travellers that they are exceedingly numerous and common 

 in Surinam, Guiana, and Venezuela. It is pursued on account of 

 its flesh and feathers, but most commonly stolen from the 



