100 THE SPEAKING PARROTS. 



CHAP. XXL— THE GOLDEN-NAPED AMAZON. 



Psittacus auripalliatus, Ls3. 



Golden-naped Amazon (Grer., Gelhnacken oder Gelbnacke- 

 . Amazone, GelhnacJciger Papagei, Goldnackea-Amazone oder 



Amazonenpapagei, bios Goldnachen und gelhnaclciger Kurz- 

 Jliigelpapagei ; Fr., Perroquet Amazone a collier d'or; Dut., 



Goudneh Amazone Papegaai) — Distinguishing Characteristics. 



Though nearly related to the preceding, this kind is easily- 

 distinguished by the connoisseur. It is pale grass-green on the 

 forehead, top of the head, and cheeks ; crown of the head 

 cerulean blue, and more or less (sometimes not at all) yellow ; 

 round the eyes blue, each feather edged with black ; nape of the 

 neck lemon-colour ; the edge of the wing sometimes red, some- 

 times with single red feathers, sometimes with large red marks 

 on the shoulder ; central spot in wing red ; a third from the 

 base of the tail feathers, on the inner side, red ; all the upper 

 part of the body grass-green ; on the back and the sides of 

 the neck each feather has a blackish tip ; lower parts of body 

 greenish-yellow ; beak dark horn-grey, with a yellow spot at 

 the base ; cere blackish, with small, black, bristly feathers ; 

 eyes brown or reddish-yellow, whitish eye cere ; feet a brownish 

 horn-grey ; claws black. The plumage of the young birds is 

 said by Hagenbeck to be without the yellow feathers on the 

 neck. Special indications : The cerulean colour on the crown 

 of the head and round the eyes, the yellow neck, and the 

 black, bristly feathers on the skin of the nose. Otherwise it 

 bears a strong resemblance to the Surinam Amazon. Size, 

 nearly that of a raven (length, 14iin. to lofin.; wings, 7Mn. 

 to 8iin. ; tail, 4|in. to 4|in.). It is a native of Central 

 America as far as Nicaragua. According to the account 

 of the traveller, Dr. von Frantzius, it is much esteemed in 

 Costa Eica as a cage bird, and valued as learning to speak 

 easily. It appears in our markets less frequently than others 

 of the same family, yet it is certainly among the best-known 

 parrots. 



