Some Colnti] Birds. 225 



tained its " patter " till the day before its death. " Cocky 

 Bennett " was a (great traveller, and is said to have journeyed 

 seven times round the world. Mr. Wag-schall had the re- 

 mains of this liistoric parrot preserved by a taxidermist and 

 the result is seen in the illustration. 



Some ColOiiy Birds. 



Repiinted from "TIMEHRI " (The Journal of the Royal Agricultural 

 and Commercial Society of British Guiana), May, 1915; with com- 

 pliments and thanks to the Author and Editors. — Ed. " B.N." 



{Concluded from page 210). 



Amazons. Most of the parrots kept as pets in the 

 Colony belong to one of the several species of Amazons in- 

 digenous to the country. But it would be unfair to judge of 

 th^ tribe from most of the specimens one sees; ill-caged, 

 wrongly-fed, ill-kept, teased and scolded, with feathers be- 

 (Vaggled and voices harsh, they are often neither beautiful, 

 njr desirable as familiars. 



Ab they are all green and all, more or less, the same 

 size, they may easily be mistaken one fnr the other by those 

 not skilled in bird-lore. 



The commonest of all bears the unenviable local name 

 of ■■ Scrccch.er," {Animona. or Clirysotis amizon'ca). When 

 properly cared for, the bird is not the obje(':i()na;)k' jiarty 

 Lis name w )uld suggest. All parrots screech to some extent, 

 as the name, Ps.i ci:\ gi\cn to the whole order testilies. For 

 the word is derived from a Greek verb which means, to call, 

 or cry, and truly amoi^g the feathered multitudes there is no 

 tribe or family that can express its feelings and sentiments so 

 eloquently as parrots, nor do they hesitate to do so. 



In size the amazons vary in individuals but speaking 

 generally they are more or less the size of the African grey, 

 being from twelve to fifteen inches in length. The feathers 

 of these birds, when they are In good condition are hard and 

 each one distinct, so that we might imagine them as clad in 

 scalej armour. I suppose that a Darwinian would assure us 

 that feathers are merely scales, as of reptiles, frayed out. 



