ELEVEN WEEKS IN NORTH-EASTERN BRAZIL. 273 



by the natives at Garanhuns, who called it simply " Perriquito." I have 

 already noticed the abundance of large Cacti in the sandy districts around 

 Garanhuns, and on these, no doubt, these Parrakeets largely subsist. 

 I never succeeded in identifying the bird in a wild state, though I every 

 day saw or heard flocks of a Conurus flying high in the air around 

 Garanhuns. Prince Maximilian also met with it in the Sertoes of Bahia 

 (cf. Burmeister, Thiere Bras. ii. p. 170). 



88. CHETSOTIS ESTIVA. 



This was the only species of Clirysotis I saw at all in the districts I 

 traversed. Of it, however, one sees many dozens for sale in all the shops 

 where live birds &c. are sold in Recife, and nearly every hut in the 

 country has also its " Papagaio." In the wild state I only met with it 

 in the forests near Parahyba, where we several times saw it, usually 

 flying high over the trees in small flocks, and, like other Parrots, voci- 

 ferating vigorously whilst on the wing. With the aid of my " Ca9ador," 

 Antonio, we succeeded, after a long hunt, in finding a lofty forest tree 

 where the Parrots were feeding, as evidenced by the heaps of its " shelled " 

 fruit that lay on the ground below, or came patteriDg down from above 

 as we stood beneath the trees. Hoping to get a good view of some 

 Parrots " at home," I proceeded to lie down on my back beneath the 

 trees, in order -to have a good look at the birds above through my glasses. 

 However, they saw us before we could " spot " them, hidden as they 

 were by the thick canopy of leaves, and flew screaming off to some less 

 disturbed spot, no doubt to resume their meal on some other tree. 



The Brazilians call Ckrysotis cestiua the " Papagaio " par excellence. 

 Artificially produced varieties, with more or fewer yellow feathers, are Ibis ^l, 

 called " contrafeitos," and are considered to be both more beautiful and 

 more valuable than those that have not been thus tampered with. 



89. PSITTACULA PASSEEINA. 



I first saw the South- American " Love-bird " on the road between 

 Iguarassu and Olinda, and subsequently in nearly every place I stayed 

 at. In the interior it is very abundant, flying about in large flocks, 

 often in company with the Brazilian Canary (Sycalis flaveola}, generally 

 frequenting the gardens or plantations round houses, especially where 

 there are castor-oil (Ricinus) trees. Its flight, though quick, is not pro- 

 longed. You see two or three alight in a bush or small tree, which sit 

 there quietly till they are joined by two or three more ; then perhaps a 

 few more arrive, and so on, till twenty or thirty are assembled in the 

 same tree, and after a while they fly off, together or in small batches, as 

 they arrived. Mr. Weaver, at Quipapa, told me that a few weeks before 

 my visit these Parrakeets were immensely numerous there, and that the 



T 



