CONURES. 



155 



incubated alone, fed by the male. Peaceful 

 during incubation, almost noiseless ; the male 

 then spiteful, even bit Eclectus Parrots and others. 

 Second brood May, 1881 ; duration of incubation 24 

 days." After the last brocd the old birds became such 

 furious screamers and so malicious to other 'birds that, 

 Dr. Frenzel gave them away.'' 



NOBLE MACAW (Ara nobilis). 



Green, rather yellower below than above ; first 

 primary-coverts and first primary bluish on outer web ; 

 edge of wing from bend scarlet'; forehead and a band 

 over the eyes blue ; naked skin of the cheeks white ; 

 greater tinder wing-coverts golden olive ; remaining 

 coverts scarlet; flights and tail-feathers below golden- 

 olive, the former dusky on outer webs ; upper mandible 

 horn whitish with black tip ; lower mandible horny 

 brownish- black ; feet brownish black ; irides yellow. 

 Female slightly smaller, with shorter beak, more com- 

 pressed towards the terminal hook. Hab., " Brazil from 

 Para to Matogrcsso and the Eastern Provinces." 

 (Salvadori.) 



Burmeister says (" Systematische Uebersicht," 

 Vol. II.. p. 163): "The species inhabits the central 

 Brazils, but not in abundance." "Its manner of life 

 is the same as the preceding." 



This Macaw has been represented in our Zoological 

 Gardens, but Russ says it is rare in the trade. " Mrs. 

 von Proschek, of Vienna, had a pair for years ; it even 

 made attempts at breeding, but brought up no young ; 

 The female was tame and lovable, the male clever as a 

 speaker; had learnt 50 words as well as singing and 

 laughing. Price high, although little esteemed. 75 



HAHN'S MACAW (Ara hahnii). 



Differing from the preceding species in its inferior 

 size and entirely horn black beak. Female with broader 

 tkull and beak ; the latter shorter and narrowing more 

 just before the terminal hook. Hab., " Guiana, Trini- 

 dad, and Rio Branco." ('Salvadori.) 



I have discovered no notes respecting the wild life ; 

 but doubtless it closely corresponds with that of the 

 preceding species. 



The London Zoological Society purchased a pair of 

 this Macaw in 1872. 



Conures. 



The Conures are numerous, and many of them have 

 been imported, but as a general rule they do not com- 

 mend themselves to aviculturists, though the late Mr. 

 Cresswell, who had kept three species, was favourably 

 disposed towards them. They are very hardy, long- 

 lived, and some of them are good talkers ; but I think 

 even their most eloquent advocate cannot deny that they 

 are noisy. There is no question that they are extremely 

 destructive to woodwork, and they are reputed to 'be 

 malicious towards other birds, so that it is necessary 

 to keep them by themselves ; nevertheless, they are 

 intelligent, become remarkably tame, confiding and 

 even affectionate towards their owners; some of 'them 

 also have bred in captivity. 



In their wild state Conures feed upon seed, fruit 



and green food; in captivity Mr. Seth-Smith recom- 



is : ' Canary, hemp and millet seed, and oats," 



while green food, such as chickweed, flowering grass 



groundsel, and fruit, should be added, freely in the 



ummer and sparingly in winter. Sunflower seed is 



also appreciated by some species." (''Parrakeets," 



p. &(. ) 



SHARP-TAILED CONURE (Conurus acuticaudatus). 



Green ; flights olive on the inner webs ; lateral tail- 

 feathers brownish-red at base of inner webs ; crown, 

 lores, cheeks, and ear-ooverts dull blue ; naked orbital 

 skin white ; breast sometimes bluish ; greater under 

 wing-coverts dull olive ; flights below golden olive, 

 dusky towards tips and on outer webs ; tail below olive, 

 the 'base of inner webs golden red ; upper mandible 

 whitish with .blackish tip ; under mandible blackish ; 

 feet yellowish flesh-colour ; irides red. Female with 

 narrower beak and longer terminal hook than in the 

 male. Hab., " Bolivia, Paraguay, Northern Argentina, 

 and Uruguay." (Salvadori.) 



Hudson says ("Argentine Ornithology," Vol. II., 

 p. 42): "White obtained specimens of this Parrot 

 near Andalgala, in Catamarca, in September, 1880. He 

 tells us that it is not very abundant in that district, 

 and flies very swiftly in flocks of seven or eight, screech- 

 ing continually when on the wing." 



Mr. J. Graham Kerr (The Ibis, 1892, p. 140) says 

 that it is abundant on the Lower Pilcomayo in spring 

 and summer. 



The species is rarely imported, but a specimen was 

 exhibited at the London Zoological Gardens as long ago 

 as July, 1868. 



BLUE-CROWNED CONURE (Conurus hcemorrhous) . 



Differs from the preceding species in its brighter 

 green colouring, with only the forehead and crown 

 bluish ; the naked orbital skin whitish flesh-colour, as 

 also both mandibles ; the feet dirty flesh-colour ; irides 

 either yellowish-brown, yellow, or orange. Female pro- 

 bably differs from the male as in C. acuticaudatus. 

 Hab., " Brazil, from Bahia to Cujaba in the interior." 

 (Salvadori.) 



Burmeister says (" Systematische Uebersicht," Vol. 

 II., p. 165) : " This species inhabits the Campos region 

 in the interior of Brazil, and extends from the Amazon 

 to the River Paraguay."* 



I have found no notes on the wild life. 



Mr. Seth-Smith ("Parrakeets,". pp. 29, 30) quotes a 

 passage from Russ respecting examples in the possession 

 of Mr. Schmalz, of Vienna ; this gentleman's birds were 

 said to be gifted with great intelligence ; they became 

 wonderfully tame, and one of them said several words 

 as distinctly as a Grey Parrot. 



Though rarely imported, this bird was first exhibited 

 at the London Gardens in 1864, and altogether some- 

 thing like a dozen examples have from time to time 

 found a home there. 



GOLDEN CONURE (Conurus guarouba). 



The prevailing hue is deep lemon-yellow ; the flights 

 dark green above, golden-olive below ; beak horn yel- 

 lowish ; feet flesh-coloured ; naked skin round the eye 

 whitish ; iris varying from deep orange to brown. 

 Female paler in colouring, not so bright ; the beak 

 shorter and more curved. Young birds have the cheeks 

 and upper wing-coverts flecked with green, and when 

 still younger are nearly all green. Hab., North-eastern 

 Brazil. 



According to Burmeister this species is a native of 

 both sides of the Amazon and down to Pernambuco and 

 Bahia, but is nowhere abundant. Wallace found it 

 " very rare in the neighbourhood of Para, where it 

 appears once a year, when a particular fruit is ripe." 

 He only saw one flock in one tree, and shot four or five 

 specimens. 



An example of this Parrot was purchased by the Zoo- 



* He conifou'ndia it with C. acuticaudalus. 



