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Sydney Porter—The Cuban Conure



some member who knows the bird in life in its native state can settle this

point. Mrs. Burgess has recently included a Queen Alexandra Parrakeet

and a King Parrakeet in the collection, and I understand is negotiating

for a Lesser Bird of Paradise. Her main object in keeping birds is not

so much their breeding as to have the opportunity of enjoying their

glorious colour and attractiveness of outline and demeanour.



THE CUBAN CONURE (CONURUS EUOPS)


By Sydney Porter


Although I have searched through quite a lot of ornithological

literature I find very little, if anything, about the subject of my notes,

namely, the Cuban Conure ( Conurus euops). These birds have never

been very common in the English bird market, judging from the

sparse references made to them. In the Avicultural Magazine they are

only mentioned once, and that was by Lord Rothschild, who was

comparing them with some newly discovered Conure. I can find

practically nothing about their wild life, and if any reader could give

me any information on the subject I should be greatly indebted to him.


These Conures have not been in my possession very long, but quite

long enough for me to be charmed by their engaging ways and unique

colouring, which, by the way, is the usual Conure green, with scarlet

feathers scattered indiscriminately all over the body except the wings

and tail, the red feathers being denser on the head. In one of the

Conures the head is quite red, which goes to show that the red colour

varies individually. The chief beauty lies in the under-wing feathers,

which are rich scarlet and can only be seen when the birds are in flight,

and then they look much redder than when at rest.


It seems rather a strange thing that such bright colouring should be

hidden under the wing, but one finds examples of this in several of

the Psittacidae. Perhaps this colouring is used in the display of the

bird, but Parrots, I think, don’t usually indulge in displays; they do

their courting as we humans do, by kissing and fussing round.


Is Conurus euops in a transitional state of evolution, either assuming

certain areas of red plumage or losing them ? It seems so strange that



