GREY PARROT. 



123 



and breast are dark red, with blue edges; and the bastard-wing, primaries, and 

 primary-coverts are black. The tail-feathers are green, tinged with blue near the 

 tips; and below both the tail and wings are black. The colour of the bill is 

 dusky horn, the iris is brown, and the feet are black. In length this bird measures 

 about 14 inches. In repose, the elongated feathers of the nape are depressed, 

 and it is only when the bird is excited or angry that the ruff is raised in the 

 manner depicted in our illustration. But little is known of this parrot in its 

 native state, beyond the fact that it is an inhabitant of dense forests, and is far 

 less common than most other species. It is frequently found on the sawari- 

 palms, and its cry is described as of piercing shrillness. The usual number of eggs 

 laid is stated to be four. Although but rarely imported into Europe, the hawk- 

 billed parrot, according to Mr. W. T. Greene, is an admirable bird as a pet, being 

 very hardy, agile and graceful in its movements, readily tamed, and almost as 

 good a talker as the grey parrot. 



African Passing by the other American representatives of the present 



Green Parrot, subfamily, brief mention must be made of the African genus 

 Pceocepltalus, which contains several medium-sized parrots, with rather short 

 tails, and the bill very short and deep, especially as regards its lower mandible, 

 in which the depth exceeds the length. These parrots are found throughout 

 Africa south 'of the Sahara, and agree with their American cousins in the general 

 green hue of their plumage ; well-known examples being Levaillant's parrot 

 (P. robustus) of South Africa ; Jardine's parrot (P. gulie/mi) from the West Coast, 

 and the brown-headed parrot (P. fuscicapillus} from Zanzibar. In the second of 

 these, while the general hue is green, the feathers of the back are black edged with 

 green, the tail-feathers and primaries black, and the other wing-feathers like 

 those of the back. These colours are relieved by red on the front of the head, 

 the bend of the wings, and legs. The whole length of the bird is about 11 

 inches. All are readily tamed, and may be often trained to talk fairly well. 



Subfamily PSITTACINYE. 



Grey and Black This second group of short-tailed parrots, which are mainly 



Short-Tailed confined to Africa and Madagascar, although represented by one 

 Parrots. genus in New Guinea, are readily distinguished from the members 

 of the preceding subfamily by their prevalent colour being either grey or black, 

 with or without an admixture of red. The sides of the head are more or less 

 naked, the bill is never red, and in the skull the bony ring round the eye is 

 always incomplete. The cere is broad, but narrows towards the nostrils, which 

 it does not enclose in a swelling ; while the bill is without a notch, and has its 

 lower mandible longer than deep. The tail may be either square or rounded, 

 and is sometimes rather more and at others rather less than half the length of 

 the wing. 



Such a universal favourite as the common grey parrot (Psittacus 

 erithacus) the type of the whole order scarcely requires descrip- 

 tion, as its appearance is familiar to all. It may be mentioned, however, that it is 

 characterised by the squared tail being less than half the length of the wing ; by 



