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In June, last year, I had a telegram from Plymouth to say

the steamer with two parrots for me would be at Southampton

that night. I packed up, and started at once, but was rather

dismayed, on boarding the ship, at the huge size of the cage.

However, there was augustci, and there, no less certainly,

bouqueti: though boziqzieti did not look very cheerful. However,

by the aid of two men, the cage was safely landed, and taken to

the S. W. Hotel. There it had to stay in the hall all night, for

the ship had berthed too late for me to catch the last train home.

Early next morning I left, having ordered a special cart to meet

my cage at Cirencester, and got home without mishap.


It seemed rather a formidable task to get them out of their

cage. Augusta is the biggest of all Amazons, and, if it were

vicious, it would not be a very easy task to abstract it. The cage

was too big to get into the house; however, I had the door

broken off in the coach house, and then made a dash for their

legs. They did not seem to be vicious, and, with a few squalls

and a little fluttering, were soon safe in the cage in which they

were to live.


Augusta was in fine plumage, and never gave me a

moment’s anxiety. But I cannot say the same for bouqueti. It

never sat in a right attitude, and always seemed dull. Although

it was June, I kept a fire going all day in the small room in

which they were ; but I confess I left in July for my “ kur ” at

Tarasp, with some misgiving. But I had good accounts of the

bird, and when I returned home it seemed fairly well. Eater, in

the autumn, it again looked out of sgrts, and rapidly became so

ill that it could no longer sit on the perch and would not eat. I

gave up all hope of its recovery ; but by one of those chances

which happen once in a thousand times, the bird did not die,

and after one or two relapses got well enough for me to sell it to

the Zoological Gardens. In fact it got better than it had ever

been.


The bird struck me as being the Dominican variety of the

Blue-fronted. It was of the same size ; had the same shape,

carriage, and tail ; while the colouring does not differ more than

might be easily accounted for by its complete isolation for

centuries. My bird was tame enough to let me scratch its head,

but beyond that had nothing to recommend it. It was not

affectionate, it never said a word, and uttered ceaselessly a cry,

which, although unlike that of any other Amazon, was not the

less wearisome on that account. I parted with it without a

shadow of regret, and felt its proper place was the Zoo, where it



