MONKEYS IN FEATHERS. 



193 



the eye. First the bill how odd and awkward it ap- 

 pears ! But it does nice work. The under jaw is a 

 stumpy, stubby affair, but presses, up, and cuts and 

 cracks with great power. The upper jaw turning down 

 like a long curved hook, moves up and down on a 

 kind of loose hinge. 



The birds of prey make quite a hand of the claw. 

 The parrot's claw is still more of a hand. The hawk 

 throws three toes 

 forward for fingers, 

 and one backward 

 for a thumb; the 

 parrot extends two 

 before, and two be- 

 hind for thumbs. 



The little green 

 Carolina parrot, or 

 parakeet, is the on- 

 ly member of the 

 order which is na- 

 tive to our country. 

 It is a genuine par- 

 rot. Its color is 

 green, with a yellow 

 head, and it is about twelve inches long. In former 

 times, say seventy years ago, it was abundant as far 

 north as the Ohio River, and was seen even at Albany, 

 New York. 



The ring parrot, which is also present in the garden, 

 is from India and Africa. It was the only one known 

 to the ancients. Aristotle, the Greek naturalist, refers 

 to it as the " Indian bird which is said to have a tongue 



L.C.-is. 



Carolina Parrot. 



