i882 



THE PARROT TRIBE 



amount of bluish tints on the wings. The iris of the eye is orange, while the 

 beak and feet are lead color. These parrots are met with in large flocks, which 

 may number hundreds or thousands of individuals, and keep up an incessant 

 screaming. For a part of the year they inhabit the forests, but from October 

 to April they make their appearance in the cultivated districts of Valdivia, 

 for the purpose of feeding on the crops. At this season they appear every 



GRAY-BREASTED PARRAQUET. 



(Two-fifths natural size.) 



morning in large flocks flying from the northward, and returning in the evening. 

 With their long beaks they extract the grains of maize and wheat from the 

 growing crops, and also dig up roots of grass, which form their staple food. Indeed, 

 they are more terrestrial than arboreal in their general habits, although they nest 

 in hollow trees. It is but seldom that these parrots are brought alive to Europe. 



