194 THE SPEAKING PARROTS. 



CHAP. LXXVIL — THE SMALL OR BEOWN-FEONTED 

 MACAW. 



Psittacus severus, L. 



Green Macaw (Ger., Anahan, Rothhug-Arara, Zwergarara, 

 Arara mit rothem Handgelenk ; Fr., Ara vert, Ara a front 

 chatain ; Dut., Roodhaiid Ara) — DescriiJtion — Life in Cap- 

 tivity — Imitative Powers. 



The Green Macaw, as it is usually called in the trade, was 

 described by Markgraf in 1648, and afterwards by Brisson ; it 

 was named by Linne. It is coloured in the following manner : 

 The narrow band on the forehead, the stripe on the cheeks, and 

 the stripe on the upper part of the throat near the lower 

 mandible, are reddish-brown ; the head and back of the neck 

 dark grass-green, each feather having a broad blue edge ; the 

 quills a dull blue ; the inner web and tips blackish ; the 

 secondaries edged with green, all copper-red on the reverse 

 side ; the greater coverts dull blue ; the coverts along the 

 bastard wing form a broad scarlet border ; the tail feathers 

 reddish-brown, about one-third from the tip, dull blue, and 

 coppery-red on the reverse side ; all the rest of the upper 

 part of the body dark grass-green ; all the lower part of the 

 body dull green ; the beak black, with a lighter horn-grey 

 point ; the cere and featherless cheeks a yellowish flesh-colour, 

 set in front of and below the eye, and as far as the ear, with 

 rows of little black feathers ; the eyes yellowish-white, inclining 

 to yellow ; feet blackish-brown ; claws black. In very old 

 birds the edges of the wings, and the small and central under 

 •coverts, are scarlet ; the greater coverts coppery-red ; and there 

 are some red feathers about the thigh. In size, it is some- 

 what larger than a pigeon (length, 20-^in. ; wings, 8fin. to 

 lO^in. ; tail, 8 Jin. to 9fin.). 



This macaw is a native of a large district of southerly Brazil, 

 and extends as far as Panama ; it has also been shot at the upper 

 course of the Amazon. 



Buffon wrote much of its life in captivity. He praised the 

 Small Macaw, not only as a beautiful and rare bird, but also on 

 account of its gentle and endearing ways ; it is able to imitate 

 the human voice, as well as the cries and whistling of other 

 birds, but learns the former more easily, and does it more 



