THE AMAZON PARROTS. 105 



gentle and lovable ; but, unfortunately, it is also one of the 

 worst screamers, and even when trained and perfectly tamed 

 never ceases from time to time to utter the most ear-piercing 

 cries. 



The Mealy Amazon is yellowish-green on the forehead and 

 cheeks ; the centre of the head is yellow, sometimes with fine 

 red spots ; each feather on the top of the head is edged with 

 violet ; all the upper part of the body is of a dark grass-green ; 

 on the back of the head and neck each feather has a blackish 

 tip ; the central spot on the wing is scarlet ; tail feathers 

 green without red ; all the lower body light yellowish-green; 

 lower coverts of the tail greenish-yellow ; beak whitish horn- 

 grey ; at the base of both upper and lower beak an orange- 

 yellow spot ; the skin on the nose blackish ; eyes dark-brown, 

 inclining to red-brown ; the iris has a cherry-coloured ring ; 

 the eye cere white ; feet dark-brown ; claws black. The differ- 

 ence of sex, and the plumage when young, are as yet unknown. 

 Special indications : The feathers appear as if powdered with 

 flour, and, therefore, the upper part of the body looks grey- 

 green ; when sitting still the whole bird looks uniformly grey- 

 green ; moreover, though it has the red spots on the wing, 

 there are no red marks in the tail, and its feathers are mixed 

 with more down than those of any other parrot. In this species 

 also varieties occur — many have no yellow on the top of the 

 head ; in others it extends over the whole top of the head ; 

 sometimes one is found without down. Size, about that of a 

 raven or larger (length, iS^in. to 19^in. ; wings, 8|in. to lOin. ; 

 tail, 4^in. to 5|in.). It is, therefore, one of the largest of the 

 Amazon Parrots. 



It is a native of South America (Central Brazil, Guiana, 

 Ecuador, Bolivia, and Panama), and is said to be especially 

 numerous in Guiana. Its mode of life resembles, on the whole, 

 that of the other Amazons. It is much hunted, is easily tamed 

 and trained, and learns to speak well ; nevertheless, on account 

 of its screaming, it is not so highly esteemed as its fellows 

 previously described. 



