199 



scapular region tinged with orange ; cheeks and throat 

 bluish. The female is like the male. 



The true Parrots, which I have so far been describ- 

 ing, have heads which are large in proportion to the size 

 of their bodies, and short square tails. The Parrakeets, 

 which we are now about to consider, have heads which 

 are smaller in proportion to the size of the bird, and long 

 tails which are in most cases more or less pointed. The 

 distinction, therefore, between Parrots and Parrakeets is 

 not one of size, as is sometimes supposed, and, as a 

 matter of fact, the smallest members of the famil}- 

 Psiitnci avQ found among the tiny short-tailed Parrots of 

 the East Indian Islands, while some of the largest mem- 

 bers are found among the Macaws, which have long and 

 pointed tails. 



THii Macaws [Am) are found in Central and vSouth 

 America, one species being found in Cuba and one in 

 Trinidad. The}' are mostly birds of great size and 

 gorgeous plumage, but there are several species not 

 larger than the Alexandrine Parrakeet. They live in 

 pairs during the breeding season, each pair occupying a 

 hollow tree in which the hen lays two white eggs. At 

 other times they fly about in flocks, doing great damage 

 to the crops. The birds which are imported are almost 

 always specimens that have been taken from the nest 

 and reared by hand, and are, therefore, tame and tract- 

 able. They are hard}', easily fed, and live to a great age 

 in captivity. They learn to speak, usually in a harsh 

 guttural voice, but are not particularly intelligent or 

 affectionate. They may be fed on various kinds of grain, 

 oats, maize, and hemp, with nuts and fruit. The}' are 

 usually kept singly, chained by the leg to a stand, but a 

 very large cage in which they can get more exercise is 

 preferable. The largest of the Macaws, and probabh' of 

 all the Parrots, is the gigantic Hyacinthine IMacaw, which 

 measures no less than three feet in length, and is of a 

 cobalt blue colour, with the exception of the naked skin 

 round the eye and at the base of the lower mandible, 

 which is 3'ellow. Unlike the other Macaws, which nest 



