AMAZONS. 



171 



the feathers yellowish-green ; lower neck more or less 

 greenish ; feathers of abdomen green towards the black 

 edges ; under tail-coverts greenish-yellow ; smaller 

 under wing-coverts orange varied with green ; grea.ter 

 coverts and bases of inner webs of nights below yellow ; 

 tail below orange at base, green in the middle, yellow 

 at tip ; beak pale horn-colour ; feet grey. Female with 

 a much broader beak with less arched culmen. Hab., 

 St. Vincent, West Indies. 



This is one of the most beautiful of the Amazon 

 Parrots, as may be at once seen by a reference to the 

 charming coloured plate published in The Amcultural 

 Magazine, Second Series, Vol. II., facing p. 121; it 

 was supposed that the eruptions at St. Vincent com- 

 pletely exterminated the species, and Canon Button 

 says (i.e., p. 122) : "Now everyone who possesses one 

 says, ' Mine is the last of its species.' I know of five ' last 

 of their species.' One in the Zoo, one belonging to a 

 lady, my own, and two in the island of St. Vincent. I 

 had an opportunity of buying one two or three years 

 ago, but its character was not attractive, and I let it 

 pass into the hands of Mr. Jamrach." 



Mr. Clarke, an American, obtained specimens of this 

 bird on St. Vincent in 1904 ; therefore we read in Mr. 

 M. J. Nicholl's interesting book (" Three Voyages of a 

 Naturalist," p. 140) : " On St. Vincent the fine Parrot 

 Chrysalis guildingi which is found nowhere else in 

 the world, has not get become extinct, and is still found 

 in some numbers on the high peaks." 



This species was first purchased for the Regent's Park 

 Gardens in 1874, and since that date several other speci- 

 mens have been added to the collection ; I saw one 

 there in 1906 or 1907. It is generally regarded as rather 

 a morose and stupid bird. 



AUGUST AMAZON (Chry soils augusta.) 



Upper surface mostly green, the feathers edged with 

 blackish ; front edge of wing and speculum crimson ; 

 primaries dark-brown, green at the base of the outer 

 webs ; outer secondaries dull purple, inner ones tipped 

 with dull blue ; tail above dull reddish-brown, vinous 

 at tip, the central feathers and base of the lateral ones 

 tinged with green, the outermost feather reddish-brown ; 

 head, neck, breast, and abdomen deep purplish-blue, 

 edged with black, excepting that those of the crown 

 are edged with dark shining green ; feathers of upper 

 breast and vent distinctly purple ; sides, flanks, 

 thighs, and under tail-coverts green, with blackish 

 edges to the feathers and with a more or less blue 

 tinge towards the edges ; smaller under wing-coverts 

 green, tipped with blue ; greater coverts and base of 

 inner webs of flights below dull green ; tail below 

 reddish-brown, shot with green ; upper mandible deep 

 horn-colour, marked on each side of the base with 

 whitish ; under mandible paler ; feet blackish-brown. 

 Female perhaps slightly duller in colour, the beak 

 probably differs from that of the male as in the 

 preceding species. Hab., Dominica, West Indies. 



Messrs. G. E. and A. H. Verrill (Transactions 

 Connecticut Academy VIII., page 315, 1892) say that 

 C. augusta is said to be common among the mountains 

 on the windward side of the island. " It was mainly 

 to procure these Imperial Parrots, so seldom seen in 

 collections, that our trip was made to Bass-en-ville, 

 which is a single house in the primeval forest, and only 

 to be reached by one of the worst trails ever travelled, 

 and we spent a number of months among the Sierra 

 Nevada Mountains. This trip, however, well repaid us 

 for our trouble, as it was there we took many of our 

 best birds and other specimens; but though Parrots 

 were seen nearly every day, and we were accompanied 



by Mr. Hennessey Dupigny and another hunter, our 

 united efforts secured but two of these shy birds in 

 the ten days we were there." 



According to Mr. A. Hyatt- Verrill, of Newhaven. 

 U.S.A., this species is now much less common than 

 C. bouqueti, a bird which (on the authority of Mr. 

 Clark) was supposed to be extinct (cf. The Ibis., 1907, 

 pp. 365, 367). It was first presented to the Zoological 

 Society in 1865, but it seems to be rarely imported,, 

 although Canon Button (The Avicultural Magazine 

 First Series, Vol. VIII., pp. 151, 152) describes a 

 specimen in his collection, and speaks of one in the 

 possession of Lady Thompson. He says it is the 

 largest of the Amazons, and apparently it is a good 

 talker. The article is accompanied by an excellent 

 coloured plate. 



VINACEOUS AMAZON (Chrysalis vinacea). 

 Green, the feathers edged with black ; long feathers 

 of the hind neck, with a bluish-grey band near the 

 black edges ; upper tail-coverts yellowish-green ; front 

 edge of wing and speculum at base of outer webs of 

 three first secondaries, red ; first primary black, with, 

 blue outer web ; the others with the outer webs green 

 towards base, blue towards tip; tail gradually becom- 

 ing yellowish-green towards tip, and with the lateral 

 feathers bright red at base of inner, and dull deep 

 purplish-red at base of outer webs ; frontal band, lores, 

 and chin red ; breast and the abdomen more or less 

 reddish-vinous, tinged with bluish towards the black 

 edges of the feathers ; under tail-coverts yellowish- 

 green; greater under wing-coverts and part of inner 

 webs of flights towards base verditer-green ; beak red 

 tipped with white ; feet olivaceous-griey ; jrides 

 orange. Female smaller, rather duller, the beak less 

 bright in colour, broader, but more compressed from, 

 the nostrils forward on each side of the culmen ; the 

 latter more arched. Hab., " South-Eastern Brazil, 

 Paraguay, and N. Argentina " (Salvadori). 



Herr H. von Ihering, in his "Ornithological Notes, 

 from South Brazil " (The Ibis, 1901, pp. 13, 14) de- 

 scribes the egg of this bird as follows : " This is an 

 egg of 38 by 30 mm. in dimensions, and of oval form. 

 The poles are subequal, the surface is smooth, little 

 polished, and with some scattered deep pores. The 

 nest from which it was taken was a hole situated very 

 high in a colossal murta tree. The level of the nest 

 was at 2 m. below the entrance, and to obtain the- 

 eggs it was necessary to make a second opening with 

 an axe." 



^In Sclater and Hudson's "Argentine Ornithology," 

 Vol. II., p. 47, we read : " White gives us the follow- 

 ing ^ notes on its habits : Both in Concepcion and San 

 Javier these Parrots are found in incredible numbers 

 feeding in the orange-groves which cover and enclose 

 the extensive Jesuit ruins in those parts of Misiones. 

 They seem to be very voracious, as they feed all day 

 long, and the inhabitants shoot them for food ; but 

 they are not easily scared, for on hearing a shot they 

 only fly up in clouds to descend again, meanwhile 

 making the air resound with their shrill cries. They 

 can be be taught to talk tolerably well if taken young." 



Russ gives the price of this Amazon in Germany as. 

 from 50 to 75 marks when freshly imported ; it is 

 therefore evidently a rare bird in the European market, 

 yet several examples have been exhibited in the London- 

 Zoological Gardens. 



BLUE-FACED AMAZON (Chrysotis versicolor.) 

 Green, the feathers conspicuously edged with black,, 

 especially on the upper surface ; upper tail-coverts 

 yellowish-green; front edge of wing also yellowish- 



