228 FEATHERED FRIENDS. 



point. The breast is of a deep vinous-red with a 

 purple subtint running through the red, and every 

 feather is edged with blue. The same arrangement 

 prevails with regard to the long nuchal feathers which 

 the Hawk-head has the power of raising at will into a 

 kind of Elizabethan ruff round its neck. The back, 

 wings and under tail-coverts are an exceedingly rich 

 and brilliant green, but the flights are black, as are 

 also the side feathers of the tail and the whole of its 

 under surface. The prominent naked space round the 

 eye is lead colour, but the iris is brown, and a merry- 

 looking, twinkling, intelligent eye it isl The legs and 

 feet are dark grey, and the nails black. 



To give a complete history of these remarkable 

 birds (for I have been fortunate enough to possess two 

 of them at the same time) would simply mean to give 

 them a whole volume to themselves, and just at present 

 I have many pressing claims upon the space at my 

 disposal, not to speak of the time requisite for such 

 an undertaking. I may, however, remark here that the 

 females of the Hawk-headed Parrots have none of the 

 creamy white on their heads, but are covered or capped 

 with grey, the feathers being extremely short and 

 inserted closely together into the scalp: in other 

 respects the sexes are outwardly indistinguishable. 



These birds, which really have a very accipitrine 

 appearance, are extremely gentle, playful, amusing and 

 lovable, but they have an innate sense of fun and 



