WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA 155 



quite round the back of his head from jaw to jaw. 

 The fore-part of his head is white ; his back, tail, 

 and wings, green ; and his breast and belly tartan. 



Superior in size and beauty to every parrot of 

 South America, the Ara will force you to take 

 3"our eyes from the rest of animated nature, and 

 gaze at him : his commanding strength, the flaming 

 scarlet of his body, the lovely variety of red, yel- 

 low, blue and green in his wings, the extraordi- 

 nary length of his scarlet and blue tail, seem all to 

 join and demand for him the title of ''emperor of 

 all the parrots." He is scarce in Demerara till 

 3^ou reach the confines of the Macoushi country; 

 there he is in vast abundance ; he mostly feeds on 

 trees of the palm species. Wlien the coucourite- 

 trees have ripe fruit on them, they are covered 

 with this magnificent parrot: he is not shy or 

 wary ; you may take your blow-pipe and quiver of 

 poisoned arrows, and kill more than you are able 

 to carry back to your hut. They are very vocifer- 

 ous, and like the common parrots, rise up in bodies 

 towards sunset, and fly two and two to their place 

 of rest. It is a grand sight in ornithology to see 

 thousands of aras flying over your head, low 

 enough to let you have a full view of their flaming 

 mantle. The Indians find their flesh very good, 

 and the feathers serve for ornaments in their 

 head-dresses. They breed in the holes of trees, 

 are easily reared and tamed, and learn to speak 

 pretty distinctly. 



Another species frequents the low lands of Dem- 

 erara. He is nearly the size of the scarlet ara, but 

 much inferior in plumage. Blue and yellow are 

 his predominant colours. 



