THE ASH-COLOURED PARROT. 71 



feather with a yellow tip. The belly of one colour, without 

 streaks ; tail as above. This may possibly be a young one. 



3. Those with the beak raven-grey; the head, the neck, 

 and the under part of the body of a dark dirty brown colour. 

 The feathers on the top of the head and nape of the neck are 

 bordered with olive : the upper part of the body, the wings 

 and tail, of a brilliant black ; the centre feathers of the latter 

 are of one colour ; the others scarlet in the middle, but without 

 streaks. This is perhaps a female. 



OBSERVATIONS. This noble and handsome bird is still rather rare in 

 England, and still more so in Germany. It may be found in many parts 

 of New Holland ; its motions resemble those of the common cockatoo, 

 and the manner of treating it is the same. 



THE ASH-COLOURED PARROT. 



Psittacus erithacus, LINN^US ; Le Perroquet eendr<, ou le Jaco, BUFFON ; Dcr 

 Gemeiner aschgrauer Papagay, BECHSTEIN. 



THIS parrot and the following are the most common and 

 docile that we possess. Its length is nine inches. The beak 

 is black, the membrane at its base, and the circle of the eyes 

 have a powdered appearance. The feet are ash-coloured, the 

 iris yellowish. A fine pearl grey and slate-colour tinges the 

 whole body; the feathers of the head, neck, and belly are 

 edged with whitish grey ; the tail, which is short, and of a 

 vermilion colour, terminates and relieves this shining and 

 watered plumage, which also has a powdered appearance. The 

 male and female are alike, and learn with equal facility. Most 

 of the birds of this species are brought from Guinea, but they 

 also inhabit the interior parts of Africa, as well as Congo and 

 the coasts of Angola. 



FOOD. In its native country it lives on all kinds of fruit and grain ; it 

 will also become quite fat on the seed of the safflower, which to man is so 

 violent a purgative. Here it eats any of our food ; but white bread soaked 

 in boiled milk, and fruits, are what it likes best. Meat, of which it is very 

 fond, brings on diarrhoea, as in other parrots, and that kind of green sick- 

 ness which makes it peck itself and tear out its feathers, &c. 



There are some instances, when treated with care, of their having lived 

 for sixty years. 



