AMAZONS. 



183 



RED-VENTED PARROT (Pionus menstruua). 



Green ; upper wing-coverts with a golden brownish- 

 olive sheen ; outer web of first primary edged with 

 greenish-blue ; lateral tail-feathers with the outer webs 

 (blue towards the tips or wholly blue ; head and neck 

 /blue ; a black patch on the ear-coverts ; a more or less 

 concealed rosy red patch on the throat ; feather's of 

 upper breast more or lees tinged with olivaceous-brown 

 and edged with blue ; under tail<;overts rose-red tipped 

 with green more or less washed with blue ; greater 

 under wing-coverts and inner webs of flights below 

 grass-green ; beak blackish, with a red patch at 'base 

 of upper mandible; cere greyish; feet grey; irides 

 brown. Female with a smaller and narrower beak, with 

 longer terminal hook. (Hab., "From Costa Rica to 

 Colombia, Trinidad, Guiana, Amazon Valley, Ecuador, 

 Peru," and perhaps Bolivia, (cf. Salvadori Cat.) 



T. K. 'Salmon (" Proceedings of the Zoological 

 Society," 1879. p. 538) says that this bird " builds m 

 the holes of decayed palm trees, and lays four white 

 eggs." 



Burmeister (" Systematische Uebersicht," Vol. II., p. 

 190) states that this " bird is the commonest species 

 among the short-tailed Parrots of medium size in the 

 forest-region of the coasts, and is everywhere called 

 IMaitacca." 



Sdhomburgh (Reise III., p. 723) met with it equally 

 abundantly in Guiana, where it especially sought for 

 the ripe guava-fruits>. 



Mr. Walter Goodfellow, writing on the birds of 

 Colombia and Ecuador (The Ibis, 1902, ip. 219), says 

 that this species is " common om the Napo, but most 

 plentiful on the lower parts." 



The Hon. and Rev. Canon Button says of this Parrot 

 (Greene's "Parrots in Captivity," Vol. III., p. 109) : 

 " Mine took a strong dislike to one man, but the rest 

 of the world could do 'what they ipleased with it. It 

 was very quiet, never screamed, but never learnt any- 

 thing ; it was a stupid bird." 



Russ says: "Known in the trade, but not com- 

 monly ; easily tameable, that ie if -taken out of the nest 

 when young ; learns to speak single words. When adult 

 a hateful screamer. Price 30-50 marks for a pair ; tame 

 and talking, 60-70 marks for a specimen." 



The first two specimens exhibited at the London 

 Zoological 'Society's Gardens were purchased in 1868, 

 and a fair number has since been acquired. 



SORDID PARROT (Pionus sordidus). 



Above olive-green ; first primary edged with blue on 

 outer web ; lateral tail-feathers with blue outer webs, 

 red towards 'base of inner webs ; feathers of head with 

 dark blue edges, those of cheeks tipped with blue ; 

 dhin and a tend across the throat blue ; breast and 

 abdomen dull olivaceous ; under tail-coverts red ; 

 greater under wing-coverts and inner webs of flights 

 below malachite-green ; tail 'below green, with the 

 lateral feathers red at base ; 'beak red, the base of 

 culmen dusky and a yellowish tinge at base of upper 

 mandible, near the tomium ; feet dusky. Female pro- 

 Ibably smaller, with a rather broader beak. BLab., 

 Venezuela. 



I have found no notes on the wild life of this bird. 

 Russ says of it " Fairly quiet, is easily tamed, but 

 when excited screams a good deal and by no means 

 agreeably." 



Two specimens were purchased by the London 

 Zoological Society in 1873 and one in 1883. 



CORAL-BILLED. PARROT (Pionus corallinus). 



Dull green ; feathers of interscapular- region with 

 dusky bluish edges and a greyish subterminal shade ; 

 lateral tail-leathers with blue outer webs, the inner 

 webs red towards the base ; feathers of head with 

 bluish edges ; chin, and a band across the upper breast, 

 blue ; under tail -coverts red, with dark shafts ; greater 

 under wing-coverts and inner webs of flights below 

 malachite-green ; beak coral-red ; feet 'grey ; irides 

 brown. Female not differentiated. Hab., Ecuador and 

 Colombia. 



Walter Goodfellow (The Ibis, 1902, p. 219) says: 

 " A male from Guanacillo, Western Ecuador. Beak 

 coral-red, white at the tip." 



I have found no notes on the wild life in works in my 

 library. Russ says : " So far as I know, on one occa- 

 sion, for the first time, offered lor sale fey Miss 

 Hagenbeck." 



MAXIMILIAN'S PARROT (Pionus maximiliani) . 



Green ; feathers of hind neck with whitish shaft- 

 streaks ; feathers of back, rump, and wing-coverts with 

 dusky edges with olivaceous brown sheen ; outer web 

 of first primary edged with greenish-blue ; lateral tail- 

 feathers with the outer webs mostly blue and the 

 inner webs more or less red ; feathers of the head with 

 dark grey edges ; forehead and lores 'nearly black ; 

 feathers of cheeks with bluish-grey edges ; chin and a 

 band across lower throat dull purplish-blue ; feathers 

 of breast and abdomen with dusky edges ; under tail- 

 coverts red, sometimes washed with purple, the longest 

 with narrow yellowish-green edges ; greater under 

 wing-coverte and inner webs of flights below grass- 

 green ; tail below with the base of the inner webs of 

 the lateral feathers more or less red ; beak horn- 

 yellowish, dusky at base of upper mandible ; feet dueky. 

 Female with smaller and slightly stouter beak. Hab., 

 South-eastern Brazil and Paraguay. 



Mr. E. W. White, writing on the " Birds of the 

 Argentine Republic" ("Proceedings of the Zoological 

 Society," 1882, p. 622), says of this Parrot :" Only 

 one specimen seen, perching on one of the tqpmost 

 branches of a high tree in the dense forest on the banks 

 of the Vermejo." 



That is the only field-note I have come across, and 

 it tells us practically nothing respecting the wild life 

 of the species."* 



Russ says: "Rare in the market. According to 

 von Schlechtendal, at first distrustful, cry piercing, oon 

 became tame." 



First purchased by the Zoological .Society in 1862; 

 others have been acquired more recently. 



WHITE-HEADED PARROT (Pionus senilis) 

 Olive-green ; lesser and median upper wing-coverts 

 olive-brown with a golden sheen ; front edge of wing 

 white ; bastard-wing, primary -coverts, and primaries 

 deep blue, edged with green on outer webs ; central 

 tail-feathers blue towards tips, lateral feathers blue, 

 red at base of inner webs ; the inner ones green towards 

 base of outer webs ; crown white ; rest of head gree'n, 

 with blue edges to the feathers ; a white patch on 

 chin and middle of throat; breast olive-brown, with 

 purplish-blue edges to the feathers, becoming greener 

 towards the abdomen ; under tail-coverts red, bluish 

 towards tips and with green shafts, the longer ones 

 with yellowish-green edges; under wing-coverts green, 

 washed with blue towards tips, the greater ones and 



* A fleldnnote by Sohomtmrg'h is believed not to refer 

 species. (See " Foreign BirdrKecping-," Part II., p. 53). 



to this 



