378 



SCAXSORES. BIRDS. PSITTACID.E. 



let ; the four middle feathers of the tail are entirely 

 green, the rest, from the inner web, yellow, except at 

 the extremity. 



THE OEANGE-WINGED LOEIKEET (Trichoglossus 

 pyrrhopterus) is a smaller species than any of the pre- 

 ceding Lories, measuring only seven inches and a half 

 in length. It has the head of a delicate greenish-blue 

 colour, the neck grayish-white, and the rest of the 

 plumage green, with the exception of the under wing- 

 I coverts, which are of a rich orange colour. It is an 

 inhabitant of the Sandwich Islands. 



THE GEAY PAEEOT (Psittacus erythacus)P\zie 15, 

 fig. 51. The common Gray Parrot, being one of the 

 species most frequently kept in this country, must be 

 familiar to all our readers. It is an inhabitant of tro- 

 pical Africa, where it dwells in the woods, feeds upon 

 seeds and the kernels of fruits, and breeds in the holes 

 of decayed trees, laving about four white eggs. In 

 confinement, and probably also in a state of nature, it 

 generally holds its food in one of its feet, and then bites 

 pieces from it. The strength of its bill enables it readily 

 to break the shells of nuts and almonds, so as to get at 

 their sweet kernels. 



As a pet this parrot is a great favourite, and de- 

 servedly so, as its docility and intelligence render it 

 very amusing. It learns to speak with greater facility 

 and distinctness than perhaps any other bird, and it is 

 no uncommon thing to hear of parrots which will repeat 

 sentences as long as the Lord's prayer. It also readily 

 picks up any words which are of frequent occurrence in 

 the household, and sometimes brings out its acquisitions 

 in the most amusing manner, frequently repeating cer- 

 tain phrases in the presence of those for whose ears they 

 were not intended. Town parrots also commonly imitate 

 street-noises, and an instance of this related by Mr. 

 Selby may be mentioned, as showing the mischief to 

 which such a habit may unintentionally give rise. A 

 parrot kept upon a qxiay in a sea-port town had learnt 

 to give in perfection the ejaculatory words commonly 

 used by carters to make their horses back into any 

 required position ; one day the bird was amusing himself 

 by repeating this among other things, and did it so 

 naturally that a horse standing close by unattended in 

 a cart, immediately obeyed the command, and probably 

 incited by the reiterated shouts of the parrot, continued 

 his retrograde movement so long that he fell over the 

 quay and was drowned. 



We shall not dwell upon any of the numerous anec- 

 dotes commonly related of this bird, but will conclude 

 our short description with Le Vaillant's account of one 

 which lived to the patriarchal age of ninety-three. In 

 his best days this parrot had been distinguished for his 

 powers of conversation, and he was so remarkably 

 docile that he would perform many little acts when 

 ordered to do so, such as fetching his master's slippers, 

 calling the servants, and the like. When he reached 

 the ripe age of sixty, he began to lose his memory, and 

 would confuse and jumble together different fragments 

 of his former learning ; from this time his infirmities 

 went on increasing, until in his last days he became 

 perfectly decrepid, and was only kept alive by being 

 fed at intervals with biscuit soaked in Madeira. 



LE VAILLANT'S PAEEOT (Psittacus Le Vaillantii), 



another African species, is migratory in its habits, 

 passing to the region of the tropics during the rainy 

 season, and advancing in the summer as far south as 

 the region of the Cape of Good Hope. It is about the 

 same size as the Gray Parrot, and the general colour of 

 its plumage is olive-green in various shades ; the rump, 

 belly, and tail-coverts are bright green ; the bend of 

 the wing is marked with bright orange-red ; the wings 

 themselves are brownish-black, with a greenish gloss, 

 and with green borders to the coverts and scapulars ; 

 the tail-feathers are of the same colour as those of the. 

 wings. 



THE GEEEN PAEEOT (Chrysotis amazonicus), which 

 is even a more common bird in this country than the 

 Gray Parrot, is an inhabitant of the forests of tropical 

 America, where it occurs, with other allied species, in 

 immense numbers. It is a little larger than the Gray 

 Parrot, and its plumage is of a fine grass-green colour, 

 with the edges of each feather dusky ; the forehead is 

 bluish, and the head and throat yello wish; the spurious 

 wing is red, and the wings and tail more or less varie- 

 gated with green, black, red, and yellow. This species 

 appears to be liable to considerable variation. It is 

 tolerably docile, and learns to speak pretty readily, but 

 is generally inferior in both these respects to the African 

 Gray Parrot. This species and its allies are especially 

 abundant in the rich forests along the course of the 

 great rivers of South America. They not unfrequently 

 descend upon plantations situated in the vicinity of 

 their haunts, and do great mischief. 



THE FESTIVE PAEEOT ( Chrysotis festivus} is another 

 of these Soutk American species. It is still larger than 

 the common Green Parrot, measuring fifteen or sixteen 

 inches in length ; its colour is green, with the hinder 

 part of the crown of the head blue, a streak of red 

 running from each nostril to the eye, the lower part of 

 the back, rump, and upper tail-coverts scarlet, and the 

 quill-feathers of the wings deep blue. 



TEE LOVE-BIED (Agapornis Swinderiana). Several 

 charming diminutive species of this family nearly allied 

 to the preceding, are commonly known as Love-birds, 

 from their being usually seen sitting as closely as 

 possible to each other, and occasionally billing in the 

 most affectionate manner. In captivity they are 

 generally kept in pairs, when they exhibit the greatest 

 apparent fondness for each other, and it is a common 

 belief, probably well founded, that if one should die, 

 the other will pine away with grief at the loss of its 

 companion. 



The present species, which is a native of Southern 

 Africa, is one of the smallest of its tribe, measuring 

 only five inches in length. Its colour is a delicate but 

 lively green; round the back of the neck there is a 

 black collar, and beneath this a yellow band, which 

 encircles the neck, and expands considerably on the 

 breast; the short tail has the two middle feathers green, 

 and the remainder scarlet at the base and green at the 

 tip, the two colours being separated by a black band. 



THE BONNETED PSITTACTJLE (Pstitacula pileata) 

 Plate 15, fig. 52 another of the small species of 

 short- tailed parrots, is an inhabitant of South America, 

 where it appears to be a bird of passage. It is rather 

 more than eight inches in length, and of a green colour, 



