112 THE SPEAKING PARROTS. 



Size, fully that of a jackdaw (length, 12}in. to IS^in. ; wings, 

 GJin. to 7fin. ; tail, 4|-in. to 4|in.). 



It is a native of the Island of Cuba. Dr. Gundlach has given 

 some interesting particulars concerning its habits in freedom, 

 and I may also refer the reader to the remarks on Amazons 

 on page 94 : " The young birds in their native place are 

 frequently stolen from the nest and brought up by hand ; they 

 are esteemed because they learn easily to repeat words and 

 sentences, become very tame and affectionate, and have pleasing 

 habits and beautiful plumage." 



Fanciers among us also praise it as teachable, good-tempered, 

 and easily tamed. " It chatters willingly and continuously," 

 says Mr. K. Petermann, of Eostock, " but mostly incompre- 

 hensibly, and though it possesses remarkable power of distinction 

 and an excellent memory, yet it is in every material respect far 

 behind the Grey Parrot, and the most noteworthy of the 

 Amazons." This opinion is decidedly just. The above-named 

 gentleman has a Cuban Parrot of this breed which has never 

 been ill during twenty-two years. 



CHAP. XXVII.— THE RED-THEOATED AMAZON. 

 Pcittacua coUarius, L. 



Red-throated Amazon (Ger., WeissJcopJige Amazone, Jamaika- 

 Amazone, Jamaika- Amazonenpapagei, weisskopfirjer Kurz- 

 Jtilgelpapagei ; Fr., Perroquet Amazone a gorge rouge, Perro- 

 quet Amazone de la Martinique; Dut., Witkop Amazone 

 Papegaai) — Description . 



The Eed-throated Amazon Parrot has long been familiar to us ; 

 it was described by Brisson (1760), and named by Linne ; yet it 

 was formerly often confused with, or mistaken for, the White- 

 fronted Amazon, to which, indeed, it bears a strong resem- 

 blance. 



It is of pure white on] the forehead and lores ; the top of 

 the head is bluish-green, inclining to pure blue ; the sides of 

 the head, and the upper part of the throat, also, as a rule, the 

 back of the neck, are ruby or wine-coloured ; a spot under 



