PAiiRors. 365 



the uiipor lialf of which may be citlior smooth or c^roovod, its cuttiii2; edges l)oing 

 toothed. Tlie cere is large and even in width aeross the base of the bill, and is cither 

 naked or feathered. The taj)ering and long tail readily separates these birds from the 

 other New World forms, while from the Platycercidiu of the eastern hemisphere 

 they may be distiiiguislied by having the two median tail feathers longer than the 

 othei's. 



First in the order comes the genus Sittacc which embraces the macaws. These 

 are the largest of the j)arrots, brilliantly plumaged birds l)ut with the colors laid on in 

 utter defiance of human ideas of beauty ; shades of red and blue which do not harmon- 

 ize are j)laced side by side, while the contrasts between these and the greens and 

 yellows which also occur is far from jileasing. In short, many a]i])ear like night- 

 mares of color. They are separable from others of the f.amily by having the orbital 

 region and cheeks naked or clothed with small feathers; and the second and third 

 fe.athers of the wing long, the first shorter. 



Of the eighteen species only two or three can be mentioned. First comes the 

 hyacinth macaw, S. hijacinthina, of Brazil which reaches a length of three feet. Its 

 general color is cobalt blue, with yellow chin and orbital region. Of equal size is the 

 great scarlet macaw, S. coccv'«ert, but it is more abmidanl and more widely distributed, 

 extending from Mexico to northern Brazil. The ])revailing color is red, but this is 

 varied on wings, tail, and back willi blue and yellow. The green macaw, S. inilitariK, 

 with the same distribution as the last, is somewhat smaller, having a total length of 

 about two feet and a half. 



The macaws ari' noisy birds with harsh and un])leasant voices. They do not talk 

 well, and only with difficulty can they be; taught a few words. They make their nests 

 in hollow trees, lay but two eggs at a time, and raise two broods in a season. 

 They are far from timorous birds, and the hunters have no difficulty in bagging large 

 numbers of them. Their harsh voices make them unpleasant as pets. 



Of the genus Cotuirus, a single sj)ecies enters the United States, but further south 

 the species are more numerous, some thirty being known, one extending its range to 

 the Strait of Magelhaen. Some are large, others small ; the prevailing colors are 

 green. The larger ones ai-e poor talkers, or cannot articulate at all, but some of the 

 smaller species acquire considerable ]>roficiency in this direction. The only species 

 needing mention is the Carolina parakeet, Conurus carolinensis. 



The Carolina parrot, the only species of the order which enters the territory of the 

 United States, is a|>]>arently doomed to early extinction. At the time when Wilson 

 wrote (ISll), it extended north to the Ohio and even beyond, while Barton states 

 that in January, 1780, a large flock w.as observed twenty-five miles north of ^Vlbany, 

 N. Y. To-<lay the distribution is much restricted. They still occur in cousider.able 

 numbers in Florida and some of the southern states west of the Mississipjii river. In 

 color the Carolina parakeet is generally greenish, inclining to yellow below, and with 

 the head and neck yellow, the forehead brick red. Though an inh.ibit.ant of our own 

 country, it has not yet been settled whether the adults of both sexes agree in color. 

 Females have been killed with the head and neck green like those of young birds, but 

 it is not known whether this is the color of the adult female or merely characteristic 

 of birds of the second year. 



In regard to breeding habits a somewhat similar uncertainty exists. All agree 

 that it makes its nest in hollow trees, and that the oval eggs equally curved at each 

 end are of a uniform dull white, or greenish white, but the nests are so rarely seen by 



