44 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



He was fifteen inches in length, with twenty-six 

 spread of wing, bright green and yellow as to his 

 plumage, and a very robust and handsome bird. I 

 found, upon later investigation, that this species breeds 

 in April and May, making the nest in a cavity in the 

 broken shaft of a tall palm, and returning every year, 

 digging it deeper and deeper. Here two round white 

 eggs are laid, and two young are reared. If caught 

 very young the birds are easily taught to speak, and 

 even the old ones ; but there is as much difference in 

 parrots as in individuals. They feed on the seeds 

 of the milk wood, soap wood, wild cashew, clammy 

 cherry, pigeon peas, pomme de lianiie^ etc., according 

 to the season. 



Depositing my belligerent bird in a safe place, 

 securely bound, I carefully searched the woods for 

 other captures, bringing them to me by a call the 

 Caribs had taught me years before. I have found 

 that in deep woods it is better to call the birds to 

 you, than to go out hunting blindly for them. Sit- 

 ting down upon a rock I endeavored to attract what- 

 ever of bird life the woods contained within reach of 

 my voice. The first to respond were the manakins 

 and thrushes, who seemed quite indignant that I paid 

 no attention to them, and almost flirted their tails in 

 my face, in their attempts to convince me that they 

 were there. 



At last I heard a subdued whistle, a muffled cry, 

 that told me of the presence of trogons. I whistled 

 in reply, and soon had the satisfaction of hearing 

 another ; but it ceased, and I had given it up when, 



