116 THE SPEAKING PARROTS. 



tlie great Ornis Exliibition, in Berlin, amongst tlie collection of 

 Amazons wliicli I liave already mentioned several times. The 

 tliird Amazon of this species was received by Mr. K. Petermann, 

 in Eostock, through the bird dealer, A. Schiiifer, in Hamburg. 

 This Amazon is said to become exceedingly tame, and so gentle 

 that one may do all sorts of things to it without its biting. It 

 is not credited with any special talent for speech ; yet it does not 

 utter the harsh, ugly cry. 



CHAP. XXX.— THE VINACEOUS AMAZON. 



Psittacus vinaceus, Pr. Wd. 



Vinaceous Amazon (Ger., Weinrothe Amazone, Tanhenhals- 

 Amazone, rothschnclheliger Kurzfiucjelpapagei ; Fr., Perroqiiet 

 Amazone a couleur de vin, Amazone d bee coideur de sang; Dut., 

 Roodhek Amazone Papegaai) — Natural History — Capacity as 

 Talkers. 



Although this species was known to Brisson (1760), yet it was 

 first described with exactness by Prince Max von Neuwied (1820). 

 The Vinaceous Amazon, as this bird is usually called in the trade, 

 is very beautiful in plumage. The edge of the forehead and 

 lores are blood-red ; the forehead is dark-green ; the cheeks 

 yellowish olive-green ; the head and upper part of the back 

 dark grass-green, each feather with a narrow blackish border : 

 the back of the neck bluish-lilac, each feather tipped with 

 black ; the central spot of the wing scarlet (the primaries are 

 broad, and red on both webs) ; the outer feathers of the tail 

 scarlet on both webs ; the whole of the upper part of the body 

 dark grass-green ; the throat is marked with a scarlet spot 

 (which, however, is sometimes wanting) ; the breast and belly 

 are of a dark wine-red (sometimes this extends even over the 

 hinder parts of the body) ; the thigh and lower coverts of the 

 tail yellowish-green ; the beak either a light or a deep blood- 

 red, the point greyish-white ; the lower mandible reddish-grey ; 

 the cere greenish or brownish-grey ; the eyes brown, inclining 

 to orange-red : eye cere greenish or brownish-grey ; feet bluish- 

 white ; claws horn-grey. About the size of a crow (length, 



