popular JBittiamrQ at ^mmateXf $atur*. 493 



the commencement of the red collar, has 

 a slight bluish tinge, and the edges of the 

 I tail-feathers are often of a similar cast : the 

 | bill is of a bright orange-red ; the legs ash- 

 coloured ; and the under surface of the tail, 

 which is strongly and regularly cuneated, 

 is of a yellowish hue. 



The GRASS PARRAKEET. [See EUPBE- 

 MIA.] 



PARR A. A genus of Grallatorial birds, 

 the species of which have very long toes,which 

 enable them to support themselves on aqua- 

 tic plants. They are often named JACANAS, 

 and are found chiefly in the warm parts of 

 America, Africa, and Asia. We may par- 

 ticula_rize PARRA GALLINACEA, a species in- 

 habiting Australia, one of the most typical 

 members of this genus ; its hind toe and claw 

 being so largely developed as to expressly 

 adapt it for traversing those floating leaves 

 and herbage that merelyrise to the level of the 

 water. Mr. Gould thus describes it : Back 

 of the head, line down the back of the neck, 

 tips of the shoulders, under surface of the 

 wing, flanks, and a broad band crossing the 

 chest and abdomen, deep bluish-black ; chin 

 and throat white ; orbits, ear-coverts, sides 

 of the neck and breast, pale glossy orange, 

 the white and the orange gradually blending 

 into each other; back and scapularies bronzy 

 olive-green, becoming nearly black at the 

 base of the neck and on the rump ; wing- 

 coverts olive-brown ; the remainder of the 

 wing and tail greenish black ; vent and 

 under tail-coverts buffy white ; irides light 

 sulphur yellow ; eyelash light ash-gray ; bill 

 greenish-gray at the extreme tip, then black 

 to near the nostrils ; the basal portion of the 

 upper mandible and the helmet aurora-red ; 

 base of the lower mandible light primrose- 

 yellow-; fore-part of the tibia red, with a 

 mixture in patches of yellow and greenish- 

 gray ; hinder part of the tibia, tarsi, and 

 toes dark greenish-gray. Their powers of 

 diving and of remaining under water are 

 very great indeed, but their powers of flight 

 are inconsiderable. At the slightest alarm 

 they dive down at once or take to flight. 



PARROTS. (Psittacidce.) The Parrot 

 family is a very numerous and splendid one ; 

 and is subdivided, chiefly according to the 

 form of the bill and tail, into several groups ; 

 as the Macaws, Cockatoos, Lories, Paroquets, 

 &c., which are each inserted in their alpha- 

 betical order. Under the word PSITTACID.E 

 will be found a few general observations 

 relating to the distinguishing characters of 

 i the genus, &c The True Parrots, which we 

 ' are now to consider, have the upper mandi- 

 ble toothed, and longer than it is high ; and 

 ; the tail is short, or even and rounded at the 

 i end. They unite great beauty with great 

 ! docility ; and their faculty of imitating the 

 human voice is superior to that of any other 

 bird. The luxuriant tracts of the torrid zone 

 seem to be the favourite residence of these 

 richly-plumaged tribes : they are not, how- 

 ever, confined to that zone, as Buffon ima- 

 gined, but are found in latitudes as far as 

 forty or forty-five degrees on each side the 

 equator. The tongue is fleshy, obtuse, and 



entire : their feet are formed for climbing, 

 in which they assist themselves with their 

 bill: they feed on the seeds and fruits of 

 various plants ; and often attain to a very 

 great age. 



The GREY PARROT. (Psittacus erithacus.) 

 This species is remarkable for its loquacity, 

 docility, and distinctness of articulation ; 

 and appears to have been one of the earliest 

 imported species from Africa, in many parts 

 of which it is common. It is about the size 

 of a small pigeon, and in length about twelve 

 inches. Its colour is an elegant ash-gray, 

 deeper on the upper parts, and more inclin- 

 ing to white beneath ; the whole, though of 

 a sober colour, having a very elegant appear- 

 ance, from the deeper and lighter undula- 

 tions formed by the edges of the feathers, as 

 well as from a kind of efflorescence resem- 

 bling fine powder, which, in a healthy state, 

 is perpetually diffused over the plumage. 

 The whole tail Is of the brightest crimson ; 

 the temples or orbits of the eyes bare and 

 white ; the bill black, and the legs cinereous. 

 It is extremely long-lived ; there are well- 

 recorded instances of their having attained 

 the age of seventy years ; and some authors 

 speak positively of individuals living to the 

 age of 100. The surprising facility with 

 which they repeat sentences has been often 

 noticed ; sometimes too ludicrously apposite, 

 we should imagine, to obtain perfect cre- 

 dence. It was one of this species to which 

 the memorable anecdote, first related by 

 Gesner, and often referred to by succeeding 

 writers, refers : "A Parrot belonging to King 

 Henry VIII., who then resided at West- 

 minster, in his palace by the river Thames, 

 had picked up many words from hearing the 

 passengers talk as they happened to take 

 water. One day, sporting on its perch, the 

 poor bird fell into the river ; and then very 

 seasonably remembering the words it had 

 often heard some, whether in danger or in 

 jest, use, cried out amain, ' A boat I a boat I 

 twenty pound for a boat 1 ' A waterman, 

 who happened to be near, hearing the cry, 

 made to the place where the Parrot was 

 floating, and knowing to whom it belonged, 

 restored it to its royal master, in the full 

 expectation, as the bird was a great favourite, 

 of receiving the promised reward. The king, 

 however, preferred appealing to the Parrot 

 himself to determine the sum, which being 

 consented to by the boatman, the bird im- 

 mediately cried out, 'Give the knave a 

 groat 1 ' >r 



The BRAZILIAN GREEN PARROT. (Psitta- 

 cus raziliensui.) This beautiful bird is 

 rather larger than the Common Gray Parrot. 

 Its plumage is fine grass-green, rather paler 

 beneath ; the feathers edged with purplish- 

 brown : the front, all round the base of the 

 bill, is bright red ; the cheeks deep blue, and 

 the top of the head yellow : the edge of the 

 wing, at some distance beyond the shoulders, 

 is red ; all the wing-coverts and the shorter 

 quill feathers deep or dusky blue ; the out- 

 side feather on each side the tail deep blue, 

 tipped with yellow ; the next feather red, 

 with a similar yellow tip, and all the remain- 



