SECOND JOURNEY. 117 



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 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, yellow, 

 blue, and green in his wings, the extraordinary 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-trees have ripe fruit on them, they are covered 

 with this magnificent parrot : he is not shy or wary ; 

 you may take your blow-pipe and quiver of poisoned 

 arrows, and kill more than you are able to carry back 

 to your hut. They are very vociferous, and, like the 

 common parrots, rise up in bodies towards sunset, and 

 fly two and two to their place of rest. It is a grand 

 sight in ornithology to see thousands of aras flying over 

 your head, low enough to let you have a full view of 

 their flaming mantle. The Indians find their flesh very 

 good, and the feathers serve for ornaments in their 

 head-dresses. They breed in the holes of trees, are 

 easily reared and tamed, and learn to speak pretty 

 distinctly. 



Another species frequents the low lands of Demerara. 

 He is nearly the size of the scarlet ara, but much in- 

 ferior in plumage. Blue and yellow are his predomi- 

 nant colours. 



