412 BLUE-AND-YELLOW MACAW AND THE CAROLINA PARROT. 



beaks. It is a great mistake to confine these lively little birds in a 

 small cage, as their wild habits are peculiarly lively and active and 

 require much space. The difference between a Grass Parrakeet when 

 in a little cage and after it has been removed into a large house, where 

 it has plenty of space to move about, is really wonderful. 



In its native land it is a migratory bird, assembling after the breed- 

 ing season in enormous flocks as a preparation for an intended journey. 

 The general number of the eggs is three or four, and they are merely 

 laid in the holes of the gum tree, without requiring a nest. 



The Macaws are mostly inhabitants of Southern America, in which 

 country so many magnificent birds find their home. 



They are all very splendid birds, and are remarkable for their great 

 size, their very long tails, and the splendid hues of their plumage. The 



beak is also very large and powerful, 

 and in some species the ring round the 

 eyes and part of the face are devoid of 

 covering. As their habits are all very 

 similar, only one example has been fig- 

 ured. This is the great Blue-and- 

 Yellow Macaw, a bird which is 

 found mostly in Demerara. It is a 

 wood-loving bird, particularly haunt- 

 ing those places where the ground is 

 wet and swampy, and where grows a 

 certain palm, on the fruit of which it 

 chiefly feeds. 



The wings of this species are strong, 

 and the long tail is so firmly set that 

 considerable powers of flight are man- 

 ifested. The Macaws often fly at a 

 very great elevation, in 'large flocks, 

 and are fond of executing sundry aerial 

 evolutions before they alight. With 

 one or two exceptions they care little 

 for the ground, and are generally seen 

 on the summits of the highest trees. 



Another species of Macaw, the Car- 

 olina Parrot, is found in the more 

 northern portions of America. This 

 bird is much more hardy than the 

 ra™7 ^^^"'^''^ g^^^^^lity of the Parrot* tribe, and 

 has been noticed flymg along the 

 banks of the Ohio in the midst of a snow-storm and in full cry. 

 The Carolina Parrot is chiefly found in those parts of the coun- 



The Bjji;- ax 



{Ara Arcuauna). 



