THE WEDGE-TAILED PARRAKEETS. 223 



greenish-yellow ; the breast and sides of the belly yellow ; the 

 hinder part of the body a reddish orange-yellow, inclining to a 

 bright orange-red ; the beak blackish-grey ; the cere white ; the 

 feet flesh-colour ; the claws black. Size, same as the preceding. 

 It inhabits the same districts as the Yellow-cheeked Conure. 



The Cactus Conure is olive-brown on the forehead and front 

 of the head, with a brownish-grey shade through it ; the 

 head grass-green ; the wings dark green, the tips greenish-blue, 

 the inner webs blackish, the reverse side all greyish-black ; 

 the small under coverts of the wing grass-green, with some 

 yellowish feathers ; the tail greenish-blue, and the tip a dull 

 greyish orange-yellow on the reverse side ; all the rest of the 

 upper part of the body grass-green ; the lores, the cheeks, 

 and round the ear light green ; the lower part of the cheeks, 

 the throat, and upper part of the breast olive-greenish ochre- 

 brown ; the breast, sides, belly, and hinder part of the body 

 deep orange-yellow ; the thigh and under coverts of the tail 

 light green ; beak a pinkish grey- white ; the skin on the nose 

 white ; the eyes yellowish-grey or orange-yellow ; the broad 

 bare circle round the qjq^ whitish-grey ; the feet dark flesh- 

 colour ; claws black. Size, same as the two preceding. Home, 

 the east of Brazil. 



According to the accounts of the travellers, Schomburgk, 

 Natterer, and Burmeister, which are unfortunately very brief, we 

 only know of these parrakeets that they have the same habits as 

 those I spoke of in the lengthier description of the Conures. 



The two first-mentioned — the Yellow-cheeked Conure and 

 the Brown-throated Conure — were described by Brisson, 1760, 

 and named by Linne ; the Cactus Conure, however, was first dis- 

 covered and described by Prince Max von Wied in 1820. Bech- 

 stein depicts them both according to Buffon's description, and 

 adds that they are usually kept in couples in brass wire cages, 

 and fed with Vienna bread moistened in milk, and nuts, and 

 that they are much admired on account of their beautiful colours, 

 affection, and mutual tenderness — " but they hardly learn to 

 speak at all, and make a constant disagreeable noise." 



At present all three species appear frequently and numerously 

 in the market, so that they are amongst the commonest birds in 

 the trade ; but the Cactus Conure is somewhat more rare than 

 the others. The dealers and the amateurs do not, as a rule, make 

 any distinction between these species, and only for breeders are 

 they offered according to the different varieties ; but as yet, un- 



