SOUTH AMERICA. 141 



fond of: when these ants are stirring, you are SECOND 



JOURNEY 



sure to find him near them. You cannot well 

 mistake the ant after you have once been in its Ants, 

 company, for its sting is very severe, and you can 

 hardly shoot the bird, and pick it up, without 

 having five or six upon you. 



Parrots and paroquets are very numerous here, Parrots and 



Paroquets. 



and of many different kinds. You will know 

 when they are near you in the forest, not only by 

 the noise they make, but also by the fruits and 

 seeds which they let fall while they are feeding. 



The Hia-hia parrot, called in England the par- The Hia- 

 rot of the sun, is very remarkable : he can erect 

 at pleasure a fine radiated circle of tartan feathers 

 quite round the back of his head from jaw to jaw. 

 The fore part of his head is white ; his back, 

 tail, and wings, green ; and his breast and belly 

 tartan. 



Superior in size and beauty to every parrot of The Ara - 

 South America, the Ara will force you to take 

 your eyes from the rest of animated nature, and 

 gaze at him : his commanding strength, the flaming 

 scarlet of his body, the lovely variety of red, yel- 

 low, blue, and green in his wings, the extraor- 

 dinary length of his scarlet and blue tail, seem 

 all to join and demand for him the title of emperor 

 of all the parrots. He is scarce in Demerara till 

 you reach the confines of the Macoushi country ; 

 there he is in vast abundance ; he mostly feeds on 

 trees of the palm species. When the coucourite 



