260 THE REASOIv ^ I1Y 



" Words learn'd by rot<^ a parrot may rehearse, 

 But talking 1 is not always to converse; 

 Not more distinct from harmony divine, 

 The constant creaking of a country sign." COWPEK. 



shorter, and tL? feathers more firm and scaly. Parrots of this last description 

 inhabit regions which are more perennially fertile than those inhabited by the 

 former, whose more produced flying feathers and lighter bodies, and, generally 

 spnaking, also their more vigorous make, fit them better for ranging into a new 

 locality when food fails them in the old one ; and also for making daily excursions 

 of considerable length over the fields in the vicinity of those trees wherein they 

 roost during the night.* 



806. Wliy are the macaws so named ? 



The name is derived from macro and cercus, the latter having 

 reference to the large naked space on the cheek and around 

 the eye. 



807. Why are parrots, in their natural distribution, limited 

 to tropical climates ? 



Because they are almost exclusively vegetable feeders, the 

 kernels of fruits, and the buds and flowers of trees, being the 

 chief sources on which they depend for their nourishment. They 

 are therefore unfitted for a locality where the woods are for 

 several months of the year fruitless, flowerless, and leafless. 



808. Why do parrots suffer less from confinement than birds 

 in general? 



Because birds of flight, when brought within the narrow limits 

 of a cage, lose their necessary exercise. But parrots, being 

 climbing birds, are able to a great extent to keep up the 

 movements of the natural condition. 



809. Why do parrots gnaw and chip pieces of wood? 



The propensity which the whole of the parrot tribe have for 

 biting wood, and throwing the bits away, suggests that they 

 perform a very useful function in the scheme of nature. 



In their distribution they are limited to tropical climates, 

 Partington's " Cyclopaedia. * 



