THE WEDGE-TAILED PARBAKEETS. 213 



CHAP. LXXXIX.— THE CAEOLINA CONUEE. 



Psittacua carolinensis, L. 



Carolina ParraJceet (Ger., Nor darner ikanisclier Keilschicanzsitticli, 

 Keilschwanzsittich von Karolina, Karolinensittich ; Fr., Per- 

 rucJie de la Caroline, Perruche a tete jaune ; Dat., Zon 

 Parkiet of Carolina Parkiei) — Description — Hahitat — As a 

 Cage Bird. 



This, tlie only species indigenous to North America, is one of 

 the commonest in the market, and, at the same time, one of the 

 most beautiful and brilliant. It might, therefore, rejoice in 

 universal admiration if it had not attributes which render it 

 altogether unbearable. It was described by Catesby, 1731 ; 

 scientifically named by Linne, 1766 ; spoken of by Buff on as a 

 cage bird ; and delineated by Buffon and others. 



The Carolina Parrakeet, as it is mostly called, is of orange- 

 vermilion on the forehead and front of the head, as far as the 

 eyes, and on the cheeks down to the base of the beak ; the 

 crown, back, and sides of the head, the region of the ear, and 

 the upper part of the throat, a pure sulphur-yellow ; the quills 

 dark green, bluish on the outer web, and black en the inner; 

 the covert feathers of the primaries bluish-green ; the small 

 coverts on the bend of the wing and the spurious wing lemon- 

 yellow, a few edged with orange-red ; the tail dark grass-green, the 

 tip bluish-green, the outer web on the reverse side blackish, the 

 inner web greyish-yellow ; all the rest of the upper parts of the 

 body dark grass-green ; the hinder part of the back somewhat 

 lighter ; all the under part of the body a light yellowish-green ; 

 the hinder part orange-yellow ; the beak horn-grey white ; eyes 

 brownish-grey; feet greyish flesh-colour; claws black. In the 

 old male bird the orange-yellow colouring on the bend of the 

 wing is very broad ; in the female it is sometimes totally absent. 

 In size it is equal to the jackdaw, but slimmer, with a much 

 longer tail (length, 12 Jin. ; wings, 6|-in. to 7f in. ; longest feather 

 in the tail, 5|in. to 6^in ; outer tail feathers, 3in. to o^^in.). 



Its home is in the south of North America, and is said to 

 extend from the north-east of Maryland and north-west of Mis- 

 souri, as far as Upper Arkansas, South-west Texas, and south of 

 Florida. Although this parrakeet has been observed by the 

 most eminent of American explorers — Wilson, Audubon, Prince 

 "Wied, Coues, and others — yet there are many gaps in our know- 



